Benedict Cumberbatch Reveals Doctor Strange Won't Feature In 'Doomsday'

Marvel star Benedict Cumberbatch has shared details about his character Doctor Strange's appearance in the upcoming movie "Avengers: Doomsday."

Cumberbatch was initially set to be part of the fifth "Avengers" movie, but that would no longer be the case due to changed plans.

"Avengers: Doomsday" will see Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the franchise to portray the villain, Doomsday, after playing Iron Man/Tony Stark for many years.

Cumberbatch recently had an interview for Variety's Sundance Cover and shared details about his Marvel character, Doctor Strange, featuring in the next "Avengers" movie.

The 48-year-old actor revealed that the Time Stone guardian would not feature in "Avengers" Doomsday."

After realizing he had just shared a film secret, Cumberbatch exclaimed, "Is that a spoiler? F-ck it!" However, he went on to explain why Doctor Strange won't be in the next "Avengers" installment.

According to Cumberbatch, the film's plans changed after Jonathan Major was fired following his conviction for assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

Majors' character, Kang, was meant to be the main antagonist for "Avengers" next phase but the franchise followed a different direction after his legal troubles.

Cumberbatch shared that Doctor Strange's absence from "Doomsday" was due to "the character not aligning with this part of the story."

Despite Doctor Strange's absence in "Doomsday," Cumberbatch made fans understand that they would see more of his character in the future.

He shared that Doctor Strange is "in a lot" of the sixth installment of the franchise, "Avengers: Secret Wars," set for release in 2027.

Cumberbatch said of his character, "He's quite central to where things might go." He also hinted that there would be a third "Doctor Strange" movie, but didn't share too much details about it.

However, the actor praised Marvel for being collaborative, saying, "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 added of his character, "He's a very rich character to play. He's a complex, contradictory, troubled human who's got these extraordinary abilities, so there's a potent stuff to mess about with."

During the interview, Cumberbatch revealed how he initially found it difficult to figure out how to be relaxed while filming Marvel movies.

He confessed that he was "a bit stiff" in the first "Doctor Strange" film and realized he should adopt a looser approach to being a superhero after watching Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr.'s banter in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

He shared, "I learned a lot by seeing how at ease and improvisatory they are. It's hard because you have this huge apparatus around you, but it's so important."

Downey Jr.'s previous Marvel character, Iron Man, died at the end of "Avengers: Endgame," and many fans would have been forgiven for thinking it would be the end of his appearance in the franchise.

However, Downey Jr. rejoined the "Avengers" cast when it was announced that he would play Doctor Doom.

His return to the franchise was such a closely guarded secret that even Cumberbatch didn't find out until he watched the live coverage of Marvel's 2024 Comic-Con.

Cumberbatch shared how he reacted after Downey Jr.'s revelation. He disclosed that he quickly texted Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige.

The English actor revealed, "I texted, 'What the f-ck?' and then added, 'Good what-the-f-ck. I mean, good what-the-f-ck."

Benedict Cumberbatch shared insights about working on Marvel’s blockbuster films and his camaraderie with co-star Robert Downey Jr.

He acknowledged that creating movies with massive budgets brought so much pressure but credited Downey Jr. for keeping a light atmosphere on set.

Cumberbatch revealed how Downey Jr. often teased him as "Mr. Shakespeare," a reference to their shared portrayal of Sherlock Holmes."

He said, "We had a gas about being the two Sherlocks on set. But there was some line of dialogue where someone turns to us and says, 'No sh-t, Sherlock.' Well, we took out all that meta stuff. We just said, 'No, no, no. Better to leave that for the fan fiction."