Benedict Cumberbatch visited a comic book shop as Doctor Strange and it was magical

Today's dose of feel-good news came in a rather strange package, thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch and Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson.

On July 27, Derrickson took to Twitter to share a never-before-seen video of Benedict Cumberbatch, taken while shooting 2016's Doctor Strange in New York City. In the video, Cumberbatch — dressed in his character's iconic costume — pays a surprise visit to shoppers at a Manhattan comic store in between scenes, and the results were about as magical as you'd expect.

According to Derrickson’s tweet, the impromptu stunt was his idea. “I spontaneously suggested to Benedict that he go inside and he agreed.”

Never before shown moment.

While shooting in Manhattan right in front of a comic book store, I spontaneously suggested to Benedict that he go inside and he agreed. pic.twitter.com/ge2DcqWpu1— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) July 28, 2020

In the video, Cumberbatch looks into the camera (with a streak of fake blood running down from his temple, no less), and calmly says, “I'm about to walk into a comic store in Manhattan dressed as Doctor Strange, come with me." Sweeping his cape as he turns on his heels, Cumberbatch proceeds to walk into JHU Comic Books as unsuspecting visitors stare up at him in — what appears to be — both confusion and surprised excitement.

Making his way further into the store, a sales associate enthusiastically greets him, noting that it was "fantastic" to meet him. Cumberbatch (ever the gentleman) shakes his hand and exchanges small talk with the employee, who is soon joined by a patron that drums up the courage to ask for a photograph. Because, really, how often does a movie star playing an iconic Marvel character take a break in filming to spontaneously visit a comic store? Not often enough to not document it, that’s for certain.“May I take a picture, please?” the fan asked, gripping the Marvel Comics issue Doctor Strange: The Oath. “You may take a picture, I think that’s allowed," Cumberbatch replied before dutifully posing as phones were promptly pulled out and both the fan and the clerk made their way around the counter to stand beside the actor.[video_embed id='1989799']RELATED: How movie studios are planning on protecting their staff while filming[/video_embed]Before leaving the shop, Cumberbatch cracked a few jokes to the employee, noting that if the movie bombed, he would need a job from him. The cashier quickly replied, “Listen, we could always use another good person here," but noted that they would need Cumberbatch to "talk like an American" for the job. Without missing a beat, Cumberbatch shot back, "That’s fine, I’m good with that. It’s very snooty, the British accent."Who knew Doctor Strange had such a good sense of humour?Although the spontaneous event had previously been reported back in 2016, this was the first time fans got a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes footage of the full event. Currently, Derrickson's tweet boasts over 70,000 likes and 16,000 retweets, and even the store employee chimed in with a heartfelt comment.

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for this! I have been waiting to see this full video like this since it happened. One of the best moments in my life, definitely the best moment of me working at @JHUComicBooks!

— Rene Rosa (@rene_rosa) July 28, 2020

Oh, and of course, here was the original selfie.

Sure do! pic.twitter.com/fElSL3dSzh

— Rene Rosa (@rene_rosa) July 28, 2020

Oh, and spoiler alert: Doctor Strange definitely didn’t bomb. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is coming in 2022.

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