Is Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine?’

Every now and then there comes an extra special Marvel release which manages to break through the hardened cynicism that seems to surround the MCU fandom of late and renders us all quivering bowls of jello like it’s 2019 all over again. Deadpool & Wolverine is the first we’ve had in a while.

The last Marvel movie to posses such limitless multiversal potential has to be 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which infamously would’ve been better titled Multiverse of Mild Vexation as all it really did was bring on board John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic and then kill him off after two minutes. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange deserved better… And, who knows, maybe he’ll get it by being part of the Deadpool 3 party.

We don’t want to get our hopes up too high yet, but one major moment in the second D&W trailer has gotten us pondering one potential Omega-level cameo: could Doctor Strange show up?

Does that Deadpool & Wolverine portal mean what we think it means?

The climactic moment in the second Deadpool 3 trailer sees new besties Wade Wilson and James “Logan” Howlett leaping through a multiversal portal, no doubt into danger. Let’s hope they manage a superhero landing when they get to the other side.

Given the Loki flavorings of this movie, we fully expected the dynamic duo to hop around the place using TVA-style Timedoors, but we would recognize this fizzing, orange wormhole anywhere – that’s a portal generated by the sling ring of a sorcerer. Seeing as this has become the MCU’s go-to visual effect for multiversal travel at this point (after its use in iconic moments in Endgame and No Way Home), we shouldn’t be surprised that it appears here. And yet its presence dictates that there must be a sorcerer around to open it. So who?

Naturally, as the most prominent Master of the Mystic Arts in the MCU, it’s not hard to start dreaming of a Benedict Cumberbatch cameo. With a regular Marvel Studios release, I would urge caution — remember how we were all convinced he was going to show up in the WandaVision finale? — but, honestly, nothing is off-limits in Deadpool 3. This is the film that everyone and their dog(pool) believes is going to include Taylor Swift, after all.

That said, there are other options beside Strange for who could aid Wade and Logan. Benedict Wong’s Wong is the most obvious suspect. The laidback Wongers has become a comedic tour-de-force himself across his many Multiverse Saga appearances, so he might actually be a better fit for the whole Deadpool vibe. Otherwise, if Cumberbatch and Wong were too busy, we could be talking some random sorcerer who’s there simply to create a sling ring. Bonus points to Marvel if it turns out to be the green minotaur dude from Doctor Strange 2. #ReleaseTheRintrahCut.