6. Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch is a titan of the small screen with a huge following. But on the big screen hes had trouble stringing together a series of middling blockbusters (The Hobbit and Star Trek: Into Darkness) and problematic prestige biopics (The Fifth Estate, The Imitation Game). Some of his films have reviewed well and his acting has been praised, but he has yet to develop any big commercial success as a lead actor. Doctor Strange could change that. Doctor Strange provides the perfect starring role for Cumberbatchs first blockbuster. The current tag-line describes a "brilliant but arrogant surgeon" an archetype that Cumberbatch has already had success with in Sherlock, where he plays another brilliant but arrogant character. Though it is a trope we see all the time on television and in film, it's still quite hard to pull off (see the many failed pilots starring the troubled self-centered genius type). But Cumberbatch makes it work with using a mix of confidence humor and humanity that brings a sense of reality to the character. Marvel czar Kevin Feige has already called Dr. Strange a much different hero and movie than the rest of the Marvel canon. Whereas most Marvel movies to date have been fairly straightforward action adventure films, Dr. Strange and his reality-altering capabilities bring a science fiction feel to the MCU. That will allow the universe to expand in terms of it's massive backstory found in the comics, and will hopefully delve into the cosmic inner-workings of the of the Marvel Universe. So far the infinity stones and other world's such as Asgard have played a big role in the MCU without giving us much of an explanation, and with Thanos looming on the horizon Marvel needs to get going with the exposition. Dr. Strange will give Marvel a chance to lay the groundwork for Marvel's cosmic future before it's too late.