About yesterday, StarTrek.com and several other web sources confirmed that the villain Benedict Cumberbatch is playing in the upcoming Star Trek movie Star Trek Into Darkness is terrorist John Harrison, which means the idea of the actor playing Khan Noonien Singh was some attempt by Trek writers to tease off the fans into not being able to guess certain information until after the teaser trailer came out (what an unusual measure). So I guess Khan won't make an appearance in IDW's Abramsverse-set Star Trek comics until after the film's out, but that's okay. Considering the character's family name, he may well be a re-imagining based on the Harrison who was one of many minor Enterprise crewmember characters seen in Star Trek: The Original Series.

Anyway, Cumberbatch spoke with MTV about the villain of Star Trek Into Darkness and here's his description:

"He has extraordinary physical powers, but also mental powers. He can sow an idea, which is as powerful as gunshots or close-hand combat, which he’s masterful in. He tears into the fabric of both the world and the Enterprise family, and he leaves behind him a trail of devastation. It’s quite exciting to watch".

Moreover, the British actor himself indicates that the film will show Harrison trying to play James T. Kirk and Spock against each other while maintaining the testing-the-hero role in the story.

5:49 PM Canada EST