Doctor Strange introduced us to one of the most exciting of the second generation of Avengers in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Master of the Mystic Arts. He continued to entertain in his cameo in Thor: Ragnarok and in just a couple of weeks we’ll see him stand alongside the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Infinity War. But what’s next for the sorcerer after that? Can we expect a Doctor Strange 2?
When asked this sticky question by Radio Times, Cumberbatch wouldn’t confirm that a sequel to his 2016 solo movie is even possible. After all, every hero’s fate in Infinity War is up in the air and the actor hinted that he’s not contractually obliged to appear in a second standalone film.
“I know the latest is that I might not make it out of this film alive… It said at the end of the first film, if I’m right, “Doctor Strange will be back.” I have been back in Thor: Ragnarok and obviously in this film so there is nothing to say, either contractually or otherwise, that he’s coming back again.”
Cumberbatch is doing an admirable job of making sure he’s revealing as few spoilers for Infinity War as possible here. The star is probably used to it by now, too, after working on multiple high-demand projects like Sherlock and Star Trek. Let’s be honest for a second, though, we all know that Stephen Strange is almost certainly going to survive into Marvel’s Phase Four.
Likewise, at this point we’ve heard too much about Doctor Strange 2 for it not to happen. Director Scott Derrickson is believed to be returning, while screenwriter C. Robert Cargill has also teased that he would like to include comic book villain Nightmare in a sequel. That said, Marvel chief Kevin Feige has warned that it wouldn’t be coming for a while, so that probably means we shouldn’t expect it until 2020 or 2021.
In the meantime, Doctor Strange will return in Avengers: Infinity War when it hits cinemas on April 27th.
