'What If..?': 5 Other Memorable Voice Performances By Benedict Cumberbatch

The fourth episode of Marvel's What If..? contained a scenario even darker than the third, with a storyline involving Doctor Stephen Strange eventually destroying his universe in his efforts to turn back time and save the love of his life, Christine Palmer. Fans and critics both agree that the episode was lifted by a brilliant vocal performance of Benedict Cumberbatch, reprising his role as Stephen Strange from the live-action MCU films.

Cumberbatch voices both the Strange that goes down a dark path, and the one who manages to avoid it, with a clear distinction between the two. Many fans believe Cumberbatch's voice performance makes episode four one of the best What If..? episodes so far.

Here's a list of five other memorable voice perfomances by Benedict Cumberbatch.

1. Smaug, 'The Hobbit' Trilogy

After Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield, the most important piece of casting for The Hobbit film trilogy was that of Smaug, the dragon guarding the treasure under the Lonely Mountain of Erebor. Smaug was, after all, set to be the main villain of the trilogy. Reclaiming Erebor from Smaug is the main reason for the Dwarves' quest, and a chilling tit-for-tat conversation between Smaug and an invisible Bilbo is one of the novel's most iconic scenes.

Benedict Cumberbatch was cast to do the voice and motion-capture work for Smaug in June 2011. The role reunited him with his Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman, who played Bilbo Baggins. The existing chemistry between the two helped with the above mentioned iconic scene. Upon witnessing some of Cumberbatch's work for the role, Ian Mckellen said his performance was 'Electric, facially and vocally'. Most reviews of the films mirror Mckellen's opinion.

Cumberbatch also performed the voice and motion capture for The Necromancer, and voiced Sauron in the final Hobbit film, Battle of the Five Armies.

2. Classified, 'Penguins of Madagascar'

While quirky side characters the Penguins from the Madagascar films worked well in an animated tv series, when a full-length film of their own was commissioned, it was decided that they would need a more serious character to bounce off of. Enter Agent Classified, a Eurasian Wolf voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Classified leads the North Wind, a team of crack operatives tasked with helping animals who cannot help themselves. Classified and the North Wind must help the Penguins defeat Dave, a jealous octopus who aims to mutate every penguin in the world and destroy their cuteness.

Penguins of Madagascar was released in 2014 to mixed reviews. However, Cumberbatch’s voice work as Classified was universally praised as a highlight in an otherwise mediocre film, and showed off the actor's vocal range.

3. Shere Khan, 'Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle'

In 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as the voice of villainous tiger Shere Khan in Warner Bros The Jungle Book film, also performing motion capture work for the character. The movie was planned to be slightly darker and more faithful to Rudyard Kipling's original novel than previous adaptation. The film was eventually retitled Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, and delayed by nearly two years in an attempt to distance it from Disney's popular live action The Jungle Book, released in 2016.

Unfortunately, when Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle was finally released in 2018, skipping theatres and going straight to Netflix in most countries, the film was unable to avoid being unfavorably compared with the critical and fan favourite that Disney's version had become. However, Cumberbatch's voice work was lauded as a high point in most reviews, for giving an appropriate menace to the character of Shere Khan. Once again, the actor's performance lifted an otherwise forgettable film.

4. The Grinch, 'The Grinch (2018)'

While Generation X-ers grew up with the iconic voice of Boris Karloff as The Grinch in the 1966 animated TV special, Gen Y's and millenials are probably more familiar with Jim Carrey's performance as a live action Grinch in the 2000 film. Both are brilliant in their own way, so whoever was to follow them in the 2018 animated remake The Grinch had two very difficult acts to follow.

Enter, of course, Benedict Cumberbatch. From the moment Cumberbatch's casting as The Grinch was announced, he was hailed by fans as a perfect choice, and he proved it when the movie was released. While the film was fun, some critics were disappointed that it added little to the source material. As always, Cumberbatch's voice work was praised as one of the best parts of the film.

5. Dormammu, 'Doctor Strange'

Anyone reading this article probably already knows that Benedict Cumberbatch plays Doctor Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has played the character in three films so far, including the character's origin film and two Avengers films, with two more (Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) on the way soon.

However, what isn't so widely known, or at least wasn't initially, is the fact that Cumberbatch performed motion capture and voice work for Doctor Strange's villain, the dark entity known as Dormammu. Cumberbatch's voice was merged with that of a second actor to create Dormammu's deep, otherworldly tone. Neither Cumberbatch or the other actor were credited for their work as the villain, meaning that Cumberbatch's dual role as Strange and Dormammu was largely unknown until after the film was released.

Cumberbatch also voiced Satan in the television series adaptation of Good Omens, and a number of guest roles in The Simpsons. Given his great range, I’m sure we’ll keep hearing the actor in plenty more voice roles in the future.