Preview:
- Benedict Cumberbatch has addressed the future of MCU character Doctor Strange.
- He confirms a new film featuring Strange is in development.
- And he’ll sit out one upcoming ‘Avengers’ movie but feature prominently in the other.
If you’ve been patiently waiting for news of the next steps for popular Marvel Cinematic Universe character Doctor Stephen Strange, then you’ll have to go on being patient for a while yet, at least in terms of official announcements.
Yet British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who has played the role since 2016’s ‘Doctor Strange’ properly introduced him into the MCU, is now speaking up about the future of the character.
In a new interview with Variety to promote other upcoming projects, Cumberbatch confirmed that a third stand-alone ‘Doctor Strange’ outing is in development.
uKR4QaFp9hbr7xcvZWjbF5Here’s what Cumberbatch said about the movie and Marvel:
“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.”
And that wasn’t all; Cumberbatch also addressed Strange’s potential role going forward within the wider MCU, revealing that the character currently won’t show up in the next ‘Avengers’ movie, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ as his character reportedly “doesn’t align with that part of the story.”
That’s partly because of the changes wrought by Jonathan Majors’ firing as Kang in the wake of his assault charges. The shift from ‘The Kang Dynasty’ to Doomsday has seen a change to Dr. Doom becoming the chief antagonist, with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the Marvel fold to take that role.
Cumberbatch amusingly recalls what happened when he learned –– along with the public –– of Downey’s return when it was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con last year.
The actor recalls contacting Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige:
“I texted, ‘What the f***?’ and then quickly added, ‘Good what-the-f***. I mean, good what-the-f***.’ ”
He will, however, have a sizeable role in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ (more on that below).
Related Article: Oscar-Nominee Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Marvel Studios’ ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
Where did we leave Doctor Strange?
At the end of 2022’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ we saw Strange developing a mystical third eye power (a result of contact with the dangerous magic tome the Darkhold) and being whisked away from New York by Clea (Charlize Theron), who informed him that his activity had led to an incursion between universes, one he’d have to help fix.
With zero plot details on a potential third Strange outing, we’d figure this may well play into a future outing, especially since it seems a waste to introduce Theron and not explore her character (though that’s not without precedent –– see the end of ‘Eternals,’ which introduced more than one character that has yet to make any further appearance).
And while Sam Raimi directed that movie, and has indicated his willingness to return, we don’t yet know who might make the next ‘Strange’ film.
What is ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’?
‘Secret Wars’ would draw from (through the usual Marvel movie filter where changes will be made) a pair of 1980s comic book series focused on an all-powerful antagonist known as the Beyonder, who in the first installment pitted Marvel’s heroes and villains against each other on a planet known as Battleworld.
In a 2015 revival by Jonathan Hickman, the resulting conflict left the multiverse collapsed, the survivors living on a single planet ruled by classic villain Doctor Doom.
What else does Benedict Cumberbatch have coming up?
In addition to putting the cloak back on as Strange, Cumberbatch has a typically eclectic mix of projects in the works.
He’ll next be seen in movie ‘The Thing With Feathers,’ adapted from Max Porter’s 2015 novella ‘Grief Is the Thing With Feathers,’ which Cumberbatch has been trying to bring to screens for a few years now.
It follows a father struggling to hold his family together after his wife dies suddenly. He starts to imagine that he and his children are being terrorized by a monstrous crow.
Then there’s a reunion with director Wes Anderson (for whom the actor starred in a set of short films last year) in ‘The Phoenician Scheme,’ a dark tale of espionage following a strained father-daughter relationship within a family business.
Here’s what Cumberbatch says about working with the filmmaker:
“I feel like, ‘Why hasn’t this been happening for years and years?’ I just wish I could build a time machine and go back and work on all those other films with him.”
There’s also ‘The Roses,’ a take on ‘The War of the Roses’ with Cumberbatch playing opposite Olivia Colman as a clashing couple.
Along with those, there are the myriad movies and TV shows he’s involved with as a producer and a role in Guy Ritchie’s next movie, ‘Wife and Dog,’ a based-on-truth story of a scientist discovering that a leading pesticide is a toxic threat to human life.
When will ‘Doctor Strange 3’ be in theaters?
There is no set release date for the third ‘Doctor Strange’ movie as of yet, which is not surprising since neither Marvel nor Disney has confirmed anything about it yet.
We do at least know that ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ will be on screens on May 1st, 2026, followed by ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ on May 7th, 2027.
Other Movies and TV Shows Featuring Doctor Strange:
- ‘Doctor Strange‘ (2007)
- ‘Doctor Strange‘ (2016)
- ‘Thor: Ragnarok‘ (2017)
- ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ (2019)
- ‘What If…?‘ (2021 – 2024)
- ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ (2022)
