Audiences haven’t seen Doctor Strange since he grew a third eye and eloped with Charlize Theron at the end of Multiverse of Madness. With Doctor Strange 3 not receiving an official green light, many Marvel fans have assumed they won’t see the character again until the next Avengers film. However, recent comments by Benedict Cumberbatch suggest it may be sooner than expected.
The Direct reports that Cumberbatch served as a guest speaker at the recent JW3 Speaker Series, where he assured the audience that he would be filming some Doctor Strange scenes for a Marvel project that goes into production in 2024.
His full quote was simply:
There are some Marvel capers in the making next year
While some still assume he’s referring to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, that film was recently delayed until May 2026, so it will likely not start shooting two years ahead.
In fact, based on Cumberbatch’s timeline, the best odds are with Strange making an appearance in either Blade or Fantastic Four. Since Reed Richards already crashed Multiverse of Madness, it makes a cyclical kind of sense for Strange to show up in Fantastic Four.
Blade is more of a long shot simply because the script isn’t even done yet, and it is unclear how committed Cumberbatch would be to a role in an unfinished story. Granted, Marvel movies tend to have scenes rewritten all throughout production, and Strange does kind of resemble a vampire from far off. We’re definitely interested in seeing the ex-Sorcerer Supreme take on Mahershala Ali’s “Daywalker” if the movie ever comes out.
Wherever Strange shows up next, we hope it’s in a film that benefits from Disney’s recent pledge to slow down its Marvel output and focus more on quality control. If Strange can’t manage a convincing character arc in one universe, we hope he finds a worthwhile journey in another.
