Avengers star Benedict Cumberbatch saves cyclist from muggers in London

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Benedict Cumberbatch is known for playing iconic heroes on the big and small screen, most notably Doctor Strange and Sherlock Holmes. But the actor proved that you don’t need to be a master sleuth or wield the Time Stone in order to save the day when he saved a man in London who was being attacked by four muggers.

The event occurred last November (the details were only released last night, per Reuters) when Cumberbatch and his wife, Sophie Hunter, were being given a lift in an Uber. All of a sudden, the actor noticed a delivery cyclist for Deliveroo was being attacked. The driver, Manuel Dias, was told to stop the car and Cumberbatch proceeded to get out and run to the aide of the cyclist yelling “Leave him alone.”

“The cyclist was lucky, Benedict’s a superhero,” Dias told The Sun. “Benedict was courageous, brave and selfless. If he hadn’t stepped in the cyclist could have been seriously injured.”

The cyclist had been hit in the head with a bottle by the attackers, and Cumberbatch was able to get them off him before they caused more injury. One of the attackers tried to punch the AVENGERS star, but he defended himself, and they soon fled and nothing was stolen. Dias also got involved, telling The Sun, “I had hold of one lad and Benedict another. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very brave. He did most of it, to be honest. They tried to hit him but he defended himself and pushed them away. He wasn’t injured. Then I think they also recognized it was Benedict and ran away.”

The police were called to the scene on Marylebone High Street which – if this story already wasn't amazing – is right around the corner from Baker Street – the fictional home of Sherlock Holmes. The driver didn’t even know who his passenger was until the scuffle started, saying, “It was only then I recognized Benedict. Then it all got a bit surreal. Here was Sherlock Holmes fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street.”

In the end, Cumberbatch asked how the rider was doing, and when he said he was okay he gave him a big hug. The actor, always modest, talked to The Sun about the event: “I did it out of, well, I had to, you know . . .”