Benedict Cumberbatch’s newMCUcomments have me pretty excited aboutAvengers: Doomsdayand its roster of heroes. Confirming that Doctor Strange won’t be featured in the nextAvengersmovie, it’s easy to take Cumberbatch’s absence as a negative. However, this suggests something positive about the movie and the heroes who will be featured in the upcoming crossover.
Following the events ofAvengers: Endgame, Doctor Stephen Strange was last seen in 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a movie that ended with the Master of the Mystic Arts joining Charlize Theron’s Clea on a mission to prevent a multiversal incursion in the Dark Dimension. As such, this is likely whyStrange won’t be featured inAvengers 5based on Cumberbatch’s new MCU commentsconfirming his absence.However, I’m actually glad that Strange will be missing considering what it likely means for the team that will beAvengers: Doomsdayahead ofAvengers: Secret Wars.
A Void Doomsday Will Have To Address…
Remarkably,the MCU hasn’t had an official team of Avengers since 2019’sAvengers: Endgame. In the wake of that movie, Black Widow and Iron Man sacrificed themselves and Steve Rogers retired,having passed on his shield and the Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson. While Thor and Bruce Banner’s Hulk are technically still around, Clint Barton’s Hawkeye is also essentially retired now that Kate Bishop has seemingly inherited his name following 2021’sHawkeyeseries. As such, one would think that the MCU would have wanted to get a new roster of Earth’s Mightiest together as soon as possible.
All 10 Marvel Movie Teams That Could Appear In Avengers 6
After years without Avengers movies, the MCU will debut two major entries for its biggest franchise, and Secret Wars is set up to feature major teams.
However, this has not been the case. Instead, the closet the MCU has got to new teams forming is Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop starting to put together a Young Avengers team, while CIA DirectorValentina Allegra de Fontaine is putting together a team of operatives in the form of the Thunderbolts*, featuring the likes of Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, John Walker’s U.S.Agent, and more.As such, it looks as thoughAvengers: Doomsdaywill likely be tasked with debuting and assembling a new team of Avengers from scratch, seven years afterEndgame(though trailers forCaptain America: Brave New Worldhave featured some Avengers teases).
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Avengers: Doomsday Comments Suggest A More Focused Roster
A Smaller Force To Establish Who The New Avengers Are
At any rate,I take Benedict Cumberbatch’s confirmation of his Doctor Strange absence inAvengers: Doomsdayas a good thing. Considering the workDoomsdaywill likely need to do to get a new team assembled before the action really gets going, a smaller and more focused team makes sense. The movie will hopefully take the time to feature new team dynamics and establish how this new roster of Avengers operates, a team that will likely feature the likes of Sam Wilson’s Captain America, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and more prominent heroes who’ve come up in the MCU sinceEndgame.
Of course, “smaller” is a relative term when talking aboutAvengerscrossover movies.Avengers 5is reported to still have quite a large roster of featured characters. Likewise, I wouldn’t be surprised to see The Fantastic Four joining forces with the new team of Avengers that’s yet to debut, especially with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom confirmed as the leading protagonist.However, Doctor Strange’s absence suggests thatAvengers: Doomsdayisn’t facing the pressure to feature every hero under the sun as was seen inEndgame. After all, that’s whatAvengers: Secret Warsis for.
Doomsday Can Debut The New Avengers Before A Much Bigger Army For Secret Wars
The Variants Are Coming…
WithDoomsdayreleasing only a year beforeSecret Wars, the precedingAvengersmovie likely has the luxury of simply setting up the overarching plot while also introducing the key players and dangers.It’s going to beSecret Wars’job to pull off a satisfying ending to the entire Multiverse Saga. This will presumably involveincorporating as many heroes and MCU variants as possible from multiple realities(like Deadpool, Wolverine, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men, The Fox universe’s X-Men characters, and more).
Benedict Cumberbatch also confirmed that he will indeed be inSecret Wars, further supporting the idea that the sixthAvengersmovie will have a much larger cast in comparison toDoomsday. This feels like it will be a good thing, allowing both movies to feel distinct while also being part of the same culminating plot as the end of the MCU’s sixth and final phase of the Multiverse Saga. Likewise, it also means that Doctor Strange’s Dark Dimension mission likely won’t be glossed over, especially ifDoctor Strange 3releases between the nextAvengersmovies like many are expecting.
Avengers: Doomsdayis scheduled for release on May 1st, 2026, whileAvengers: Secret Warsreleases May 7th, 2027.
Avengers: Doomsday
Cast
Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom - played by the returning Robert Downey Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars is an anticipated installment in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the finale of The Multiverse Saga. Scheduled for release in December 2027, the film’s plot remains under wraps, fueling curiosity about its role in the expansive Marvel narrative.
