The identity of the villain in 'Star Trek Into Darkness' has been an internet mystery for a year now, with fans speculating that Benedict Cumberbatch could be playing anyone from Khan to Sybok. That's why everyone raised an eyebrow when it was announced that his character was a guy named John Harrison, a name that doesn't ring any bells in the larger 'Trek' canon. Although we still don't have too much concrete information, both Cumberbatch and director JJ Abrams recently spilled a fill details about this mysterious character.

In an interview (via Coming Soon), Cumberbatch discussed his inspiration for the characters, namedropping a few of cinema's biggest and scariest villains. He doesn't give any solid evidence about the identity of who he's playing, but at least he assures us that he'll be a formidable antagonist for the crew of the Enterprise:

"When J.J. described the role to me… he described someone who was, in movie terms, a mixture of Hannibal Lecter, Jack in 'The Shining,' and the Joker in 'Batman,'...He's someone who has enormous physical strength. He's someone who is incredibly dangerous, both as a physical entity and through the use of various technologies and weapons and who performs acts of what I would describe as terrorism. He's also a psychological master. He manipulates the minds of those around him to do his bidding in a very, very subtle way."

Meanwhile, Abrams talked about the film over at Trek Movie, discussing the use of 3D, lens flares and the basic themes of the movie. On the subject of the film's villain, he had this to say:

"His name is John Harrison and he is sort of an average guy who works in an organization called Starfleet and he turns against the group because he has got this backstory and this kind of amazing secret agenda. After two very violent attacks, one in London and one in the US, our characters have to go after this guy and apprehend him. And it is a far more complicated and difficult thing then they ever anticipated. 'Into Darkness' is very much about how intense it gets and really what they are up against."

Knowing Abrams' penchant for plot twists and big reveals, it wouldn't surprise us in the least if "John Harrison" is a fake name masking the identity of the villain (which could be dramatically revealed halfway through the movie). In any case, Abrams and company are still playing it coy, which leads us to believe that we probably won't know exactly who Cumberbatch is playing until we sit down to watch the movie in a few months.

What do you think? Are you enjoying the speculation?

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