Benedict Cumberbatch is putting on the cloak of levitation and will reprise Marvel supernatural hero Doctor Strange for the latest Spider-Man movie instalment, starring Tom Holland and being made by Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.

The move puts Cumberbatch in the mentor role that was previously occupied by Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury.

This Spider-Man project already has some unexpected ties going for it, as it is bringing back Jamie Foxx as Electro, the actor-character combo last seen in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which featured Andrew Garfield as the web-slinging hero.

Having Strange as part of Spider-Man may help explain the return of Electro. Cumberbatch is about to begin shooting Doctor Strange sequel Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which will explore alternate realities, and some speculate therein lies the cross-section.

Spider-Man 3 is due to begin shooting in Atlanta later in October while Multiverse of Madness is also expected to begin shooting this month, although in London. It is unclear when and where Cumberbatch will shoot his scenes.

Marvel and Sony had no comment.

Jon Watts, the filmmaker behind Homecoming and last year’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, is in the director’s chair for the third instalment, which Sony has dated for Dec. 17, 2021, although moviegoers have now come to expect release dates to change thanks to the pandemic.

Most of the supporting cast from the previous movies — Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Tony Revolori and Jacob Batalon — are expected to be on the call sheet when cameras roll in Atlanta.