Benedict Cumberbatch Goes Shirtless In Deleted Scene From 'Star Trek Into Darkness'

By now, you've probably heard about the controversy over Star Trek Into Darkness' infamous Carol Marcus underwear scene. The moment has attracted enough criticism that writer Damon Lindelof has apologized for it on Twitter. Now director J.J. Abrams has stepped up to offer his own take on the matter.

Disgruntled fans looking for an apology will be disappointed by Abrams' response; while the filmmaker admits that the scene he didn't "quite edit the scene in the right way," he falls short of actually saying he's sorry. He does, however, attempt to even the score by offering a peek at a deleted scene featuring Benedict Cumberbatch's character in the shower. Hit the jump to watch it.

[Carol Marcus is] changing, and the intent was, it's Kirk, who's always a womanizing character. The idea was, have a beat like that in the midst of all this action and adventure. Have a beat where he looks and then doesn't looks away. I don't think I quite edited the scene in the right way. To me, it was a sort of balance — there's a scene earlier where he's not dressed either — so I thought, it was sort of a trade-off. But some people feel like it was exploiting her. While she is lovely, I can also see their point.

Abrams went on to point out that he'd actually shot a scene featuring Cumberbatch in the shower, though that ended up on the cutting room floor.

As far as it's possible to tell, this scene is every bit as gratuitous as Alice Eve's big skin-baring moment. The difference is that Cumberbatch's was deemed inessential enough to cut out of the movie, while Eve's wasn't. Which is a shame. Leaving it in would've really helped offset the impression that Star Trek Into Darkness was aimed solely at straight men. Not to mention the fact that Cumberbatch has lots of female fans who would've loved to see him shirtless and dripping wet. I bet that wouldn't have hurt ticket sales one bit.