I’m even more curious about what story Marvel Studios might explore in Avengers: Doomsday after Benedict Cumberbatch’s confirmation that Doctor Strange won’t be involved. Following a lengthy period of uncertainty, I was thrilled to see Kevin Feige reveal Doomsday as the new тιтle of the next Avengers movie, and I’m very excited about Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as one of Marvel’s most iconic supervillains. However, I haven’t quite figured out what story will unfold in Avengers: Doomsday, and Benedict Cumberbatch has just added to the confusion.

So far, several notable MCU characters have been confirmed to be joining Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Doomsday’s ever-growing cast, including Sam Wilson’s Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts and Spider-Man. Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell have also been confirmed to be returning, but Benedict Cumberbatch recently revealed to Variety that Doctor Strange will not be included, as he “[doesn’t align] with this part of the story.” I’ll miss Doctor Strange in Avengers: Doomsday, but these comments have made me wonder what story Marvel will explore without the Master of the Mystic Arts.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Comments Suggest Avengers: Doomsday Won’t Completely Set Up Secret Wars

Avengers: Doomsday Likely Won’t Include 1 Huge Marvel Comics Event

Originally, I suspected that Avengers: Doomsday would directly set up the events of Avengers: Secret Wars, the sequel that is scheduled to premiere a year after Doomsday’s May 2026 release. This would follow the Russo brothers’ pattern that they established with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, but I now think this might not be the case. At the end of 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange’s help was enlisted by Charlize Theron’s Clea to deal with an incursion, and this story will surely continue in Strange’s next appearance – which is not in Doomsday.

Since a project releasing after Avengers: Doomsday will continue Doctor Strange’s exploration of incursions, I reckon it’s unlikely that Doomsday will end with incursions destroying the multiverse, which immediately precedes Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars event from 2015. This makes me think that Avengers: Doomsday will tell a story that nobody’s been expecting, perhaps setting up Secret Wars somewhat, while Strange’s next appearance will do most of the heavy lifting. It seems Secret Wars will need one more crucial movie to be able to tell a comic-accurate and exciting story.

Doctor Strange 3 Plot Theory Seems Even More Likely Now

Theories About Doctor Strange 3’s Storyline Have Been Rife

Benedict Cumberbatch’s comments have quietly confirmed that Doctor Strange 3, which still hasn’t been officially announced by Marvel Studios, will likely release in the empty November 6, 2026, release slot. This will fall between Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, and will make Doctor Strange 3 the last movie before Secret Wars’ premiere in May 2027. This makes me think that Doctor Strange 3 will be the project that directly sets up Secret Wars, and I think it can do this by adapting Marvel Comics’ Time Runs Out storyline.

Doctor Strange 3 has been heavily-theorized to be exploring Jonathan Hickman’s Time Runs Out arc for quite some time, and now that the sequel will seemingly be releasing immediately prior to Avengers: Secret Wars, this is even more likely. Time Runs Out saw the heroes of Marvel Comics fighting to stop incursions from destroying the multiverse, with many carrying out heinous acts to save their world. This would be a fantastic arc to explore for Doctor Strange in the MCU, and adapting Time Runs Out for Doctor Strange 3 opens new doors for the story of Avengers: Doomsday.

What Story Could Avengers: Doomsday Explore?

Doctor Doom’s Debut Creates Many Opportunities For Marvel Studios

Since I reckon that Doctor Strange 3 will explore the Time Runs Out storyline, perfectly setting the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars, 2026’s Doomsday will need to adapt a different story from Marvel Comics. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is set to make his MCU debut in Doomsday, and he is a key figure in the Time Runs Out and Secret Wars storylines, so his live-action introduction has me very excited. In the months before Time Runs Out in Marvel Comics, a more-controlled incursion took place in Latveria, which I think could occur in Avengers: Doomsday.

This smaller incursion was caused by the Mapmakers, a group of beings who worked for the extradimensional Beyonders. Doctor Doom then set out to find variants of Molecule Man, all of whom he planned to kill prematurely to save the multiverse. This adventure took several years, and allowed Doom to form a cult, the Black Swans, with him as “Rabum Alal,” the Great Destroyer. I’d love to see this story play out in Avengers: Doomsday, giving Doctor Doom the opportunity to fully develop his motivation and perfectly setting the stage for him to eventually come across Doctor Strange.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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