Benedict Cumberbatch was first announced as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in December 2014, but it wouldn’t be unfair to say that the franchise hasn’t exactly made the best use of its resident Sorcerer Supreme. Until now, that is.
It’s been over five years since Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange was released, and since then Cumberbatch’s only significant amount of screentime came in Avengers: Infinity War. He made a brief cameo in Thor: Ragnarok and showed up for the climactic third act battle of Endgame, but the Master of the Mystic Arts is set for a pair of massive projects in quick succession.
In just two weeks, Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters at last, while long-awaited solo sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives in May 2022. Speaking to USA Today, Cumberbatch was asked about his long-term future as part of the MCU, and he was naturally vague in his response.
“As long as the character is interesting and challenging and doing fantastic things in the MCU, why not?”
Looking at how the MCU has tended to operate thus far, it would be safe to assume that a third Doctor Strange movie will happen eventually, while Cumberbatch will presumably pop up every now and again in other projects seeing as he’s become a key member of the Avengers almost by default.
