The Penguins of Madagascar from Dreamworks is the newest installment featuring the mischievous penguins. Benedict Cumberbatch joins the cast as a character named Classified, the leader of a super spy organization.

John Malkovich and Benedict Cumberbatch took the stage to promote the Penguins of Madagascar movie. It is the first time that either have ever appeared at Comic-Con. Malkovich plays the bad guy named Dr. Octavious Brine, an octopus who is angry that the penguins took attention away from him at the zoo.

Benedict Cumberbatch talks about his role

Benedict kicked off his part of the panel by saying he can’t talk much about his character because it is “classified.” Jokes aside, he said that his wolf is an all action wolf who is out to keep animals safe from the likes of Dr. Octavius Brine. He recruits the penguins to help him and the North Wind group.

Benedict joked that working in the sound booth is sheer hell, and in order to get in character he worked in Yellowstone Park for a while. He was accepted into the pack quite quickly, he said, but it a got a bit hairy when he became the alpha then realized two of the other wolves were Christian Bale and Daniel Day Lewis. On a serious note he said that voiceover work isn’t like motion capturing which requires the full body. But, you do need to move around a bit in order to make your voice do certain things. He says it just takes some “ass-ing about” and being a bit of a wally.

Cumberbatch said that he wanted to play Classified because he has “Bond pastiche,” and for the penguins of course. He likes the idea of playing a spy.

In a more sentimental moment, Cumberbatch said that he was a child of the 80’s and he enjoyed when his dad read him The Hobbit. For TV he liked Gentle Ben and the A-team.

Sassy Benedict Cumberbatch moments from the panel

When asked about using his whole body when acting, he said he “enjoys using his body,” sassy smile included. Along those same lines a fan asked a question regarding acting in adult movies compared to children’s movies and Benedict did everything he could to not burst out laughing like a school boy.

Of course the super hero question came up (he’s rumored to be playing Dr. Strange for Marvel, which may be announced this weekend) and as soon as it was asked he grinned from ear to ear. He said he would like to play Normal Nurse, his play on Doctor Strange, then quickly said no seriously Batman.

An audience member asked a question that had already been answered so Benedict jokingly told her to ask his shoe size, again sassy grin included. He then told her to ask him a question about Sherlock. Which prompted the question of him returning next year to Comic Con for Sherlock. He said nothing is impossible.

In a moment showing his sweet side when a fan said she going to try not to cry while asking Benedict a question, he followed up her question with asking her how school was going and how she was liking London.

Penguins of Madagascar hits theaters November 26, 2014.