Marvel fans assemble, we have a new update for you. Well, not us, but Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) in the MCU, has shared a new update about his future involvement with the franchise. Apart from his stand-alone movies, Cumberbatch has appeared as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Now, with Phase 5 getting closer to its end, it means Phase 6 is about to begin and we will finally get the next major Avengers movies – Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While the cast and main surprise element of Avengers: Doomsday have already been disclosed, a new revelation made by Cumberbatch might leave the fans a little too disheartened. Despite the reports about Doctor Strange returning to the Avengers 5 and 6 movies, the actor has something else to share.
Is Benedict Cumberbatch not going to feature in Avengers: Doomsday?
There has been a lot of anticipation surrounding Avengers: Doomsday ever since Marvel revealed that Robert Downey Jr. will play Victor von Doom a.k.a. Doctor Doom. There were reports that Doctor Strange will also play a big role in the next Avengers movies. But in a recent interview with Variety, Benedict Cumberbatch shared that his character is taking a hiatus from Avengers: Doomsday.
Dropping the hint during the conversation, Cumberbatch stated, “Is that a spoiler? F*ck it!” He then explained that Doctor Strange’s absence has to do with “the character not aligning with this part of the story.” Later, he admitted that he would have a much chunkier part in Avengers: Secret War, and stated, “he’s quite central to where things might go” in the 2027 film.
Benedict Cumberbatch further talked about his return in a third stand-alone film but hesitated to disclose more as he already spilled quite a bit. Praising Marvel for being collaborative, he said,
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.
With all the spillage in his latest interview, is Cumberbatch becoming the next Tom Holland of the Marvel universe? We all know how many times Holland spilled out things he wasn’t supposed to. But Holland being Holland, he continued his legacy as a major spoiler provider. Now, Cumberbatch’s behavior somewhat mimicked Holland’s, so does that mean Kevin Feige needs to be more careful with him?
How people have been reacting to Benedict Cumberbatch’s revelation
Ever since the interview went live, people have been going crazy about not getting to see Benedict Cumberbatch. Social media users took X by storm and have been sharing their opinions about it.
Here’s what they have been posting on the platform:
How Avengers: Doomsday will pan out, only time can tell. Stay tuned to know if the movie will explain Doctor Strange’s absence.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Benedict Cumberbatch called a bigger spoiler threat than Tom Holland?
The article says Cumberbatch openly revealed that Doctor Strange will sit out Avengers: Doomsday and instead have a larger role in Avengers: Secret Wars. Because he disclosed that plot detail himself, the piece frames him as overtaking Tom Holland, who is long known for accidentally leaking MCU information.
Is Doctor Strange really sitting out Avengers: Doomsday?
According to remarks attributed to Benedict Cumberbatch in the article, Doctor Strange takes a hiatus from Avengers: Doomsday because the character does not align with that part of the story, and is set to be more central in the following film, Avengers: Secret Wars. This reflects the actor’s reported comments rather than an official Marvel plot confirmation.
Who plays the main villain of the next two Avengers films?
The article notes that Robert Downey Jr. is cast as Victor von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom, as the central villain of the upcoming Avengers films. Downey previously played Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU before that arc ended.
