Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange has not made a live-action appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While Marvel Studios has teased the superhero's involvement in future Multiverse Saga projects, Cumberbatch is not sure when he will officially be brought back.

In an interview with The Playlist's Bingeworthy podcast to promote his new show, Eric, Cumberbatch played coy as to where and when Doctor Strange will appear next in the MCU. When asked if Doctor Strange 3 might arrive in theaters before the next Avengers movie, the actor exclaimed, "Who knows!" However, he explained that he is currently in the dark about the superhero's MCU future and honestly does not know if he'll be part of Avengers 5 and Secret Wars. "We will see. We will find out," he said. "I’m not sure where he’s been and what he’s been up to and who with, but yeah, I know as little as you."

Natasha Lyonne in Fantastic Four
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Marvel Studios Reportedly Has a Plan for Doctor Strange

While Marvel Studios has not officially announced Doctor Strange 3, Multiverse of Madness ended with the titular hero heading into the Dark Dimension with Clea (Charlize Theron) to fix an incursion that he caused, laying the groundwork for a future film in the franchise. In March 2024, trusted insider Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus reported that Marvel wants Doctor Strange's overall role in the Multiverse Saga to be about his "struggle with the moralities of what he believes is right and wrong."

He pointed out that, aside from Earth-616 Strange, all the other Stranges have been painted as antagonists in their respective appearances, which is something Marvel wants the main Strange to grapple with in his future MCU appearances. Perez previously reported that Marvel wants to adapt the "Time Runs Out" comic event for Doctor Strange 3. He also shared that the upcoming threequel would reveal that the MCU is dying due to multiple incursions, something that Marvel has begun teasing in recent projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

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Avengers 5 Still Lacks a Director

The next Avengers movie is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 1, 2026. While the highly-anticipated sequel is expected to begin filming in 2025, the movie is still without a director following Destin Daniel Cretton's departure from the project in November 2023. Originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the now-untitled movie is still expected to focus on the villainous time-traveler (and his many variants), although Jonathan Majors will not be back to reprise the role. Instead, Marvel is looking at new actors to take on the role, with John David Washington and Coleman Domingo reportedly two names that have come up as potential replacements.

Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are available to stream on Disney+.

Source: The Playlist