Benedict Cumberbatch has suggested that the zeitgeist-grabbing Marvel superhero movies "may be the Shakespeare of the now."
The award-winning actor has skin in both games. He has portrayed Doctor Stephen Strange in five Marvel movies including Spider Man: No Way Home, out today (December 15), and has appeared in stage productions of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, among others. 
"Marvel may be the Shakespeare of the now," Cumberbatch said during an interview on BBC Radio 4, adding that "the big films manage to fit in pretty fantastic universal themes to do with things and make them popular before the flash and the bang of it."
He also suggested that in the future, Marvel movies could become less action-based, saying: "In fact, we’ve had test audiences who are getting bored of the big flash and the bang. They want story, they want character. Both are entertainment, but both have a heart and a purpose in pop culture."
Whatever you make of Cumberbatch comparing Marvel to Shakespeare, there's no denying that Spider-Man: No Way Home is earning rave reviews. The Tom Holland-led movie currently holds a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and you can whet your appetite by checking out our feature on the actor's most hilarious moments from The Graham Norton Show.
Do you think Benedict Cumberbatch has a point in comparing Marvel to Shakespeare?