Benedict Cumberbatch Confirms: Doctor Strange Skipping Avengers Doomsday, But Will Have Significant Role in Avengers Secret Wars

by Annika January 22, 2025

Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed that his character, Doctor Strange, will not be appearing in the upcoming Avengers Doomsday team up but will have a significant role in its sequel, Avengers Secret Wars. Cumberbatch mentioned in an interview with Variety that Doctor Strange will play a central role in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that a third standalone film for the character is also in the works. He expressed his excitement about the potential for the character’s evolution and the exploration of different elements from the Doctor Strange comics. While Cumberbatch did not elaborate on the specifics of why his character won’t be in Avengers Doomsday, he confirmed that it doesn’t align with the storyline. The film will be led by the Russo Brothers and is expected to continue the multiverse theme from previous movies. Hayley Atwell’s Agent Carter is also rumored to make an appearance. As for the upcoming Phase 6 of the MCU, it will begin with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July. Avengers Doomsday is scheduled to be released on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

Benedict Cumberbatch Confirms: Doctor Strange Skipping Avengers Doomsday, But Will Have Significant Role in Avengers Secret Wars

– Benedict Cumberbatch has confirmed that his character, Doctor Strange, will not appear in the next Avengers film, “Avengers Doomsday,” but will have a “central role” in its sequel, “Avengers Secret Wars.”
– Cumberbatch also revealed that there is a third standalone Doctor Strange film planned and that Marvel is open to discussing where the character’s story goes next, including potential writers and directors.
– The reason for Doctor Strange’s absence in “Avengers Doomsday” is that the character doesn’t align with that part of the story, which reportedly focuses on Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom and potentially Chris Evans’ involvement as well.

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed that his Marvel Cinematic Universe character, Doctor Strange, will be skipping the next big team-up film, Avengers Doomsday, but will play a “central role” in its sequel, Avengers Secret Wars. In an interview with Variety, Cumberbatch let slip this information while discussing his character’s upcoming arc.

Realizing that he had dropped a spoiler, Cumberbatch humorously exclaimed “f**k it” and continued to divulge more about Doctor Strange’s involvement in the future films. He emphasized that the character will be significant in shaping the narrative, stating, “He’s quite central to where things might go.” Additionally, Cumberbatch revealed that there is a third standalone Doctor Strange movie in the works.

The actor praised Marvel Studios for their openness to exploring different aspects of the character and the comic lore. He expressed his excitement about the opportunity to continue evolving Doctor Strange, stating, “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.”

When asked about his absence from Avengers Doomsday, Cumberbatch explained that it was due to the character not aligning with that particular part of the story. Avengers Doomsday features Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and is rumored to include Chris Evans as well, although little else is known about the film at this time. The Russo Brothers, known for their work on previous Avengers films, will be directing the project, which is expected to continue the multiverse storyline. Hayley Atwell’s Agent Carter is also reported to make an appearance.