Benedict Cumberbatch Saved A Delivery Guy From Muggers
In November 2017, a delivery driver was riding his bike along Marylebone High Street in London's West End. This driver worked for Deliveroo, a British company that's their version of DoorDash. We are not making that company up—we wish we were funny enough to make that up.
A gang of men stopped his bike. We don’t know for sure how many were in this "gang," but there were at least two, they got the guy off his bike, they pulled off his helmet, they punched him in the face, and then they hit him again with the helmet. This was a busy street, but it was night, and help didn't arrive from any passing pedestrians. Instead, a passing car stopped, and out of the back came someone who just happened to play a superhero in the movies.
Unfortunately, that superhero was Doctor Strange, and so the man was Benedict Cumberbatch.
Don't Miss
"Oh no," we imagine the Deliveroo driver muttering to himself. "Couldn't I have got Henry Cavill or Jason Momoa? Even one of the lesser Chrises? Benedict Cumberbatch is a scrawny man like me, no good for fighting muggers. Did he even get a shirtless scene in his movie? Probably, but it wasn't especially memorable."
But Cumberbatch was all he needed. He chased off the muggers, with help from his driver—his Uber driver. This is a story about the dangers AND the redemptive power of the sharing economy. The gang had been trying to make off with the guy's bike, but they left it behind when they took off. It's possible they recognized Benedict Cumberbatch. It's also possible anyone brave enough to intervene would have sent them fleeing.
By the way, we didn't hear this story from Cumberbatch himself, talking up his own heroics during some press junket. We heard it from the Uber driver ... who is also, to be fair, hardly an impartial source. Later, though, the media followed up on it and got confirmation from the Metropolitan Police. We imagine the police were reluctant to make a big deal about it because normally, they're the ones who are supposed to stop muggers / harass cyclists.
It's Doctor Strange week at Cracked! Want more like this, straight from your email inbox, without any ads or popups? Join the One Cracked Fact newsletter:
Sign up for the Cracked Newsletter
Get the best of Cracked sent directly to your inbox!
For more celeb heroes, check out:
Colin Farrell Befriends, Saves A Homeless Man
Johnny Depp Is Just an All-Round Nice Dude
James Cameron Paid The Ransom When Guillermo Del Toro's Father Was Kidnapped
Follow Ryan Menezes on Twitter for more stuff no one should see.
Top image: Walt Disney Pictures
