Now that we have Benedict Cumberbatch (‘Star Trek Into Darkness’,’ The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’) all lined up to portray ‘Doctor Strange‘ for Marvel, the studio is deciding who will play The Ancient One to train the Sorcerer Supreme. Who will play the man? Well, Marvel doesn’t just have a name on their shortlist for the role but three names, three HUGE names that I would love to see join the Marvel Universe. Only with how limited a role that would be, I almost don’t want any of these choices to have a part that won’t show up that often. Yes, the actors are that awesome! Here’s who is on the current shortlist:

Morgan Freeman (‘Transcendence’,’The Dark Knight Rises’), Bill Nighy (‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’,’ Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’) and Ken Watanabe (‘Godzilla’,’Inception’) would all be spectacular for the job and that is who Marvel is eyeing. Now, you have to keep in mind that there won’t be much wiggle room for having a return appearance in multiple films outside of the direct ‘Doctor Strange’ line so while they would all be great on screen, it’ll be in an extremely limited lifespan. Amazing acting aside, the interesting part is that all three have previously been in a comic book adaptation. Freeman has clearly been the most prominent as he was in all three of the ‘Dark Knight’ films as well as ‘Wanted’ and ‘RED’ while Nighy starred in ‘I,Frankenstein.’ Watanabe also starred in ‘Batman Begins’.

It is clear by now that Marvel has had no problem changing its characters, so it should be noted that the original take on The Ancient One was of Asian ethnicity and found in Tibet. That being said, I’d personally love to see Watanabe take on the role of who is listed just for comic continuity sake.

In the comics, prior to learning the mystic arts we see Doctor Stephen Strange as a brilliant neurosurgeon with an ego rivaling Tony Stark in his heyday. He damages his hands in a car accident and when travelling the work to find a cure he comes across The Ancient One who initially turns Stephen away due to his nature. Eventually Strange saves the man and becomes his disciple. That being said, we’ve heard that the film wouldn’t be an origin story so it’ll be interesting to see exactly how strong of an influence that The Ancient One will have in the film.

‘Doctor Strange’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch hits theaters on November 4, 2016

Source: Cinema Blend