By omitting Benedict Cumberbatch from its cast,Avengers: Doomsdaywill avoid committing a huge mistake, which I reckon will be very beneficial to Doctor Strange’s upcomingMCUnarrative. Ever since Phase 6’sAvengersmovies were first announced by Kevin Feige in 2022, we’ve been wondering which MCU characters would be featured, especially afterRobert Downey Jr. was confirmed to be Doctor Doom. Doctor Strange always seemed like a sure bet. However, recent comments fromDoctor Strangestar Benedict Cumberbatch confirm that this, thankfully, won’t be the case.
Benedict Cumberbatch first appeared as Stephen Strange, a world-renowned physician and Master of the Mystic Arts, in 2016’sDoctor Strange, andwe’ve seen him become one of the MCU’s most central heroes in the nine years since. In the Multiverse Saga’s early projects,Doctor Strange was at the forefront of multiversal exploration, but he has been absent since 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While we all assumed he’d reappear in2026’s upcomingAvengers: Doomsday, I’m very happy that he actually won’t.
Doctor Strange Won’t Be In Avengers: Doomsday
Benedict Cumberbatch Will Be Absent In The Next Avengers Movie
Speaking toVarietyon January 22,Benedict Cumberbatch let slip that his Doctor Strange won’t be involved inAvengers: Doomsday. He notes that, while Strange is"quite central to where things might go,“he didn’t align with the part of the MCU’s overarching story that we’ll see unfold inDoomsday.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessended withCharlize Theron’s Cleaappearing in New York to enlist Strange for a mission to stop an incursion, and I now assume this story will continue in the as-yet-unannouncedDoctor Strange 3, which is great news.
Is that a spoiler? F–k it!… The character [doesn’t align] with this part of the story… [but Doctor Strange is] in a lot [ofAvengers: Secret Wars]… He’s quite central to where things might go.
While Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange won’t be involved inAvengers: Doomsday, the cast of the upcoming Phase 6 movieis already jam-packed.Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is expected to beDoomsday’sprimary antagonist, and it seems he’ll be opposed by Sam Wilson’s Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, and whoever Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell might be playing. This is an incredibly exciting roster that doesn’t need Doctor Strange, and I think Strange’s story is better continuing in a completely different project to this stacked crossover event anyway.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Teased A Huge Story For Strange & Clea
The fact thatBenedict Cumberbatch isn’t going to be involved inAvengers: Doomsdaymeans his new adventure with Clea won’t get a rushed ending, and can get properly explained in a possible solo sequel.The tease of Doctor Strange and Clea going off to stop an incursion, seemingly in the Dark Dimension, has really intrigued me, and I can’t believe we’ve almost gone three years without it being addressed. The last thing I want is for Marvel to simply wrap it up with a throwaway line or catch up with Strange and Clea at the end of their story.
Spannering Doctor Strange intoAvengers: Doomsdaywould clearly do this, especially since there are so many other huge names already confirmed for the crossover movie.Doctor Strange’s incursion-centric storydeserves its own development separate from the overarching story of the Avengers and Earth’s other Mightiest Heroes. This is particularly true asI would love to see Charlize Theron get some real screen-time as Clea and get explained before being introduced to other heroes, similarly to Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers back in the MCU’s Phase 3.
When Will Doctor Strange’s MCU Story Continue?
Doctor Strange Will Likely Get More Solo MCU Movies
If not inAvengers: Doomsday, I reckon there’s only really one option to continue Doctor Strange’s storyseparate to anAvengersmovie:Doctor Strange 3. Marvel Studios still has two unclaimed release slots on February 13 and July 04, 2025, with the former immediately precedingDoomsdayand the latter falling betweenSpider-Man 4andAvengers: Secret Warsin 2027. While I think the February slot would be too early forDoctor Strange 3,I would love to see the magical sequel released in betweenDoomsdayandSecret Wars, filling the November 2026 space.
“Who Do You Want To Write And Direct The Next One?": Benedict Cumberbatch Addresses Doctor Strange 3 And Discussions With Marvel About His MCU Movie Future
Benedict Cumberbatch has just made some major reveals about his MCU future, with the actor addressing whether Doctor Strange 3 is happening.
Releasing in this empty slot would explainDoctor Strange’s absence fromAvengers: Doomsday, and help to actively set him up to rejoin his superpowered allies inAvengers: Secret Wars. This would also give his own separate storyline the attention it deserves, perhaps properly establishing incursions as a real threat beforeSecret Warsshows the tragic consequences of these destructive events.I have no doubt that Doctor Strange will continue to be one of the most important characters in the Multiverse Saga, and beyond, even without an appearance inAvengers: Doomsday.
