Almost 7 years after the release of Avengers: Infinity War, Benedict Cumberbatch revealed that the film almost included a joke referencing that both he and costar Robert Downey Jr. famously played Sherlock Holmes. Cumberbatch played the detective in the BBC series Sherlock, while Downey starred as the character in Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Because they portrayed Sherlock around the same time, Marvel fans often joked about the potential of the two interacting onscreen after they both became superheroes in the MCU.
The actors would later share a lot of screen time in Avengers: Infinity War, but no such jokes were made. However, the irony of being in the same movie was not lost on Cumberbatch and Downey, as the former stated: “We had a gas about being the two Sherlocks on set.“
Cumberbatch explained that there had, at one point, been a quip in the script that acknowledged that they’d both played Sherlock. Getting specific, he said: “There was some line of dialogue where someone turns to us and says, ‘No sh*t, Sherlock.’ Well, we took out all that meta stuff. We just said, ‘No, no, no. Better to leave that for the fan fiction.’”
Both Sherlock Actors Wanted To Avoid A Cheesy Fourth Wall Break
Cumberbatch’s comments provide an interesting perspective on Avengers: Infinity War. While the “No sh*t, Sherlock” idea was commonly shared among fans, it is surprising to hear that the joke almost made it into the final film. The MCU is largely known for its specific brand of humor and fan service, but that normally does not include such direct fourth wall-breaking comments.
Moreover, Cumberbatch and Downey asking to remove the joke was likely to keep the film more self-contained and serious – or as serious as an MCU film can be. This interpretation is supported by Cumberbatch’s genuine appreciation for superhero films, which he considers “the modern myths of our times.
Our Take On The Scrapped Sherlock Holmes Joke
Avengers: Infinity War Didn’t Need Meta Humor To Be Entertaining
Ultimately, Cumberbatch and Downey made the right call to ask for the removal of the Sherlock joke. As popular as they both are in the role, that is separate from their characters in the MCU. A reference as blatant as saying “no sh*t, Sherlock” is out of place in the franchise, unless it’s a character like Deadpool making the joke.
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Additionally, Avengers: Infinity War is one of the heavier, more action-packed Marvel films. Plenty of jokes are made, to be sure, but Cumberbatch was right; it is not the kind of film that looks out at the audience and says: “See what we did there?”
Avengers: Infinity War
- Release Date
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April 27, 2018
- Runtime
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149 minutes
- Writers
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Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus