Doctor Strange's role in the upcoming Avengers films changed post-Jonathan Majors exit

In a new Variety profile, Benedict Cumberbatch calls tentpole films like the Marvel Cinematic Universe both “monolithic” and “the modern myths of our times.” Yes, “it can get stodgy,” and “Yes, it’s huge and unwieldy, but Marvel is so committed to getting it right,” he says. And as part of the studio’s commitment to getting the story right, Cumberbatch will not appear as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Doomsday, slated for premiere in 2026. “Is that a spoiler? Fuck it!” Cumberbatch exclaims. 

Marvel’s notoriously strict spoiler policy be damned, Cumberbatch goes on to reveal that plans changed after Jonathan Majors was dropped as Kang the Conqueror. (Marvel Studios ended its relationship with the actor after he was convicted of reckless assault and harassment against his ex-girlfriend.)  When Avengers: Kang Dynasty transformed into Avengers: Doomsday (starring returning hero Robert Downey Jr. as the villainous Victor von Doom), Doctor Strange no longer “[aligned] with this part of the story.” However, the actor confirms Stephen Strange is slated for his own third standalone film, and he’s also “in a lot” of Avengers: Secret Wars. “He’s quite central to where things might go,” Cumberbatch teases.

“Might” would be the operative word. If Majors’ firing—and, separately, the MCU’s uneven attempts to regroup post-Endgame—proved anything, it’s that those big ol’ Comic-Con timelines are not set in stone. Marvel could always regroup and go in a different direction where Strange is more “aligned” with the plot. The film could undergo extensive reshoots and shoehorn Strange in like Captain America: Brave New World did with Giancarlo Esposito. Or Cumberbatch could just be lying about his involvement in the movies, à la Andrew Garfield with Spider-Man: No Way Home. You can’t really trust what Marvel actors say about the upcoming projects, especially at such an early stage. For instance: Cumberbatch, like many of his fellow Avengers, wasn’t even let in on the secret of Downey’s return to the MCU, and found out with the rest of the world when it was announced. “I texted, ‘What the fuck?'” he recalls of reaching out to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, “and then quickly added, ‘Good what-the-fuck. I mean, good what-the-fuck.'”

Cumberbatch is effusive in the interview about wanting to pursue roles in smaller “European sort of world cinema,” and admits that on big blockbusters “It can feel like you’re waiting a lot of the time to get called to the set.” However, he also maintains a very positive relationship with Marvel Studios. “They are very open to discussing where we go next,” he tells Variety. “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.” We’ll see you whenever we see you, Doctor Strange.