We don’t really know whether Marvel Studios is out of the woods just yet or still spiraling downward. Regardless, the next two Avengers movies are prepping to shoot later this year, which means we’ll be getting huge casting updates sooner rather than later. Of course, Doctor Strange is a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now, but veteran actor Benedict Cumberbatch says he won’t show up in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to arrive on May 1, 2026.
With a script probably nearing completion (at least as complete as Marvel’s screenplays can be before being tweaked a thousand times while shooting), it makes sense that at least the MCU’s biggest names are learning about the plans ahead for their characters. While promoting his upcoming movie The Thing With Feathers, Cumberbatch has openly told Variety that Stephen Strange won’t be around when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have to face Doctor Doom. He’ll be back though.
According to the British actor, Strange simply doesn’t align “with this part of the story.” This isn’t surprising considering what went down in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ post-credits scene, which saw him being surprised by Clea (Charlize Theron), nephew of cosmic baddie Dormammu. She brought up the recurring issue of incursions and asked him ‘nicely’ to join her in fixing what’s broken.
Ideally, we would’ve had a third Doctor Strange romp before the next set of Avengers movies, but that seems unlikely now unless it’s announced this year and targets a firm release in between the two, like the fourth Spider-Man installment led by Tom Holland. Regardless, Cumberbatch also stated that Strange is crucial to solving whatever goes down with the multiverse in Secret Wars: “He’s quite central to where things might go.”
Moreover, he praised the ongoing collaboration with Marvel Studios and even teased discussions regarding a third solo entry have happened already: “They are very open to discussing where we go next… Who do you want to write and direct the next one? What part of the comic lore do you want to explore so that Strange can keep evolving? He’s a very rich character to play. He’s a complex, contradictory, troubled human who’s got these extraordinary abilities, so there’s potent stuff to mess about with.” He’s not wrong. The MCU’s Doctor Strange has quickly become a fan favorite not only because of his grounded yet playful performances, but also because of his discernible character arc across solo movies, crossovers, and major events.
We’re of the opinion that Sam Raimi, who added as much sauce as he humanly could to Multiverse of Madness, should be the man to helm the third Doctor Strange movie, but after a sizable sector of the fandom rejected its bold swings, maybe we’ll be stuck with a much blander choice.