The photo of Benedict Cumberbatch that made the Internet go bonkers

Forget everything you thought you knew about our favorite clean-cut and handsome British actor. Benedict Cumberbatch, star of Marvel’s upcoming Doctor Strange, was spotted on set recently, sporting a very different look than the one we’re used to swooning over.

The actor is slated to play Doctor Strange himself, and while most of the film is being shot in London, the cast and crew ventured to Nepal to film some key scenes. Luckily, Twitter user Prayush Khadka received this picture from a friend, and took to social media to give us a first look at the actor’s new do.

The tweet has since gone INSANELY viral, gaining over a thousand retweets and faves in less than 24 hours. At first people weren’t 100% convinced that the scraggly man off in the distance was Cumberbatch, but enough fans freaked out over the first look at Doctor Strange that something amazing happened: ANOTHER picture was leaked on Twitter. And this one was taken a lot closer up.  

We can only imagine that after the initial photo of Cumby went viral, a pro was dispatched to the set in the Pashupatinath area to certify that our guy was in fact our guy—with a mighty beard.

Filming has only just begun, so we have a lot of waiting to do before we get a closer look at his character, although some Twitter users are speculating that you can see bandages on his hands. (What could that mean?!) 2016 is shaping up to be a year of great TV and movies, but hopefully we’ll make it through the never-ending months ahead with the help of a few more pics of Doctor Strange. Anyone want to split a cab to Nepal?

(Image via JStone / Shutterstock.com)