Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch reveals new details about his Marvel Cinematic Universe involvement in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. With Phase 5 getting closer to its end, Phase 6 will soon be kicking off, meaning the MCU will finally be getting to the next major Avengers movies. While the Avengers: Doomsday cast has slowly been fleshed out, it turns out plans are changing for one of the MCU’s most powerful players.

In a new feature piece with Variety, Cumberbatch made a few shocking reveals about his MCU future, particularly regarding Avengers: Doomsday. Despite revealing in 2024 that Doctor Strange would be in Avengers 5, the actor explained to the trade that he is no longer in that film – stating “is that a spoiler? F–k it!” – due to “the character not aligning with this part of the story.” However, Cumberbatch confirmed to Variety he will instead have a bigger role in Avengers: Secret Wars, sharing “he’s quite central to where things might go.“

What Benedict Cumberbatch’s Avengers: Doomsday Comments Mean

While the world will likely never know what the Avengers 5 story with Kang was going to look like, Cumberbatch’s new revelation is fascinating for a number of reasons when it comes to how Doctor Strange would have worked in that version of the film. To begin with, Doctor Strange hasn’t encountered a single Kang variant through The Multiverse Saga, which would have made this the first time he encountered any of Majors’ Kang characters. If anything, there are more reasons for Doctor Strange to be in Avengers: Doomsday with Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom than being in a Kang-centric storyline.

Given that Doctor Strange had a dynamic with Tony Stark on Earth-616, it would have had more of an emotional core to see him having to face a potential Iron Man variant who, for reasons yet to be revealed, goes by Victor von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom, in his world. However, the fact that Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be part of the Avengers: Secret Wars cast – along with the little tease he gave in this interview – seemingly sets up Stephen having a crucial role in the Phase 6 finale. Whether or not Avengers: Doomsday will explain Doctor Strange’s absence remains to be seen.

Our Take On Benedict Cumberbatch’s Avengers: Doomsday Comments

While it was unexpected to learn that Cumberbatch will be sitting out as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Doomsday, there will hopefully be a justifiable story as to why Stephen isn’t initially involved against Doctor Doom. With Doctor Strange being such a powerful player in the MCU timeline, it may feel more earned to have him emerge in Avengers: Secret Wars for the grand finale. Hopefully, more details about Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will be revealed throughout 2025, with the former set to start filming this year.

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Source: Variety