‘Batman V Superman’: Benedict Cumberbatch Cast As Martian Manhunter?

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice rumors just wont’ go away, even though production on the hugely anticipated blockbuster has been underway for several weeks now.

Speculation has now suggested that the Man Of Steel sequel is going to add another hero to its ranks. Rumor is Benedict Cumberbatch, the English thespian who has become a member of the Hollywood elite after his performances in Sherlock and Star Trek: Into Darkness, is the man linked to joining up with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Jesse Eisenberg.

And it turns out that Cumberbatch himself has only exacerbated these claims after he refused to deny rumors that he has been in discussions to appear in the film.

While on the red carpet at the GQ Men of the Year awards, Cumberbatch spoke to the BBC about a potential appearance in either Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice or the Justice League, stating, “That’s a fun one, I’ve not heard that one until tonight.”

He was then asked if that means he might play Martian Manhunter, a notorious DC hero who is good pals with Superman and one of the core members of the Justice League. Cumberbatch teased: “I’m going to let that rumor run.” There’s a good chance that the actor was imply joking, but that hasn’t stopped the internet from going berserk over the thought of him in the film.

According to Comic Book, in the past Cumberbatch has previously been linked with playing Braniac in the films, and in fact fans of the medium have even gone out of their way to recommend him for the part. Braniac is “the living computer who has in his possession a city in a bottle stolen from Superman’s home world of Krypton.”

It’s unlikely there will be room for Braniac in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, but it’s believed that Martian Manhunter, who first appeared in 1955 and has a range of abilities including shape-shifting, super speed and telepathy plus he was born on Mars, will feature in DC’s cinematic universe at some point.

The character’s debut could come in DC’s impending blockbuster, before he would then probably get more screen time in Justice League, which is set to be directed by Snyder once again and is even scheduled to start production straight after Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

At the GQ Awards, the always affable Cumberbatch was awarded with the best actor award for his fabulous turn as the titular detective in Sherlock. Last week he also picked up an Emmy Award in Los Angeles for his performances as the character too.

[Image via Bing.com]