I think he is a completely original character. In fact I am so sure, I will wager 100 Quatloos on it...
I don't think he's Khan either but there's some connection. He might be based off of him. The fact they're using Alice Eve and that scene with the Spock and Kirk peace sign through the glass says a lot. Abrams hasn't even denied a connection to Khan when asked about it.
I got to watch all of Sherlock last week, looking forward to seeing Cumberbatch on the big screen he is a fantastic actor.
People are looking at wrong place.I think for Khan Peter Weller's character could be Khan.No one is talking about him. From the first 10 minutes we know wrath of khan theme Is In film,and Harrison Is already up to nogood from first appearance. So my theory would be one of 3 1:Weller Is Khan and harrison was argurmented before film begins 2:harrison Is one of Khan's people who was sent by Khan to Inflirate Starfleet 3:Harrison Is Khan who joined Starfleet under assmed name I think 3 Is unlikely but still a possibilty.For Harrison to have no connection to Khan would make people wonder what the hell was all the secretcy for.With ALice Eve we can say It was for to hide the fact she was Carol Marcus.
I think he's Khan infiltrating that starfleet as 'John Harrison' and he will reveal his true name in the 3rd act.
I have to agree with the "no Khan" hopes. It's fine if he's connected to Khan distantly due to the divergence of the timeline but I'd rather him not be straight up Khan. Khan has been done and it was a great movie, no need to go back to the character in this timeline.
So with the character's appearance in the prequel comics, is anyone else starting to buy into the theory that he's a reverse-aged Robert April? IMO, the way the character is drawn there does strike me as looking like an aged Benedict Cumberbatch.
What's a Khan? Nah, but seriously, I'm sure it's an original character (probably). So, anyone have any idea how this Cumberpatch character became big all of the sudden? I mean, the first I heard about him was due to his casting as Smaug (which was completely out of left field for me), and now he seems to be popping up in conversations everywhere.
The first issue of IDW's comic 'Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness' has a (perhaps) hint to Benedict's backstory and character. Potential spoilers.
Doesn't look like Cumberbatch at all in any form IMO. Closer to Peter Weller as some were predicting.
Benedict could be a cell agent of April. Or perhaps, if there's any genetic mutations involved, Benedict was an experiment of April, or even a younger version of April through cloning or a space-time conundrum. With the lather, obviously Benedict is a Brit, but I wonder if Weller can do a British accent.
Probably already been mentioned, but if not... The other day I was watching that crappy movie with Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, This Means War. At one point, Hardy's character uses the alias... John Harrison. DUN DUN DUN I think I've figured it out. BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IS PLAYING TOM HARDY!!!! MOST EPIC STAR TREK VILLAIN EVERRRRRR!!!!