During his appearance at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, Benedict Cumberbatch shared insights into his portrayal of Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hinting at possibilities for the character’s future.
Rumors have offered Doctor Strange 3 is happening, which could be one of those recently announced 2028 Marvel release dates for untitled MCU films.
Marvel also recently announced Chris Evans is returning in Avengers: Doomsday along with Robert Downey Jr. It’s possible Benedict Cumberbatch could be back as Doctor Strange in the film and/or in the big Secret Wars movie which gets released a year later.
Doctor Strange’s Future in the MCU
Update: Speaking recently with TV Groove, Benedict Cumberbatch confirms his return in Avengers: Doomsday:
“I’m really excited not only to work with the Russo Brothers again, but to have Robert Downey Jr. returning as Doctor Doom. I think there’s going to be some really cool developments ahead”
Original article continues:
Speaking about Steven Strange, Cumberbatch described the character as “a very complex man” who still has much to explore.
“He’s dicing with something that could destroy him, and pretty much everything. And yet, he’s not a god. He’s not been bitten by radioactive spider. He hasn’t got a load of nanotech that his billions in selling, or his father’s billions selling arms as bought him.”
Cumberbatch elaborated on the character’s unique traits, emphasizing his intellectualism and need for control:
“He’s a swat. He’s an academic. He’s just got a really fierce brain, but he is motivated by needing to control certain things at any cost, and that always comes at a cost.”
He also says he is interested to see where things go and there is a lot more that can be developed:
So, I’m interested to see what those costs continue to be, how it wears on him and how he needs to adapt to keep evolving and be what he needs to be in that universe, and how it affects him. There’s a lot more to play with it is very exciting.”
Marvel has yet to make any official announcements but with Benedict Cumberbatch stating he wants to return to the character, it seems like there will be more Doctor Strange in the MCU.
Cumberbatch on Marvel Productions
Cumberbatch also praised the Marvel movies and the MCU:
“These are big sandpits. They’re grand gestures. When they’re really good, they carry something of the Zeitgeist. They speak to us of our culture. They’re kind of myths of now, and they are so much fun to do.”
He also recalled being watching Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland on the set of Avengers: Infinity War:
“It was just looking at Robert Downey, Jr. and, ‘How does he do it?’ It’s extraordinary, and there is a way that he does it, and I learned that, and it’s incredible. But also, to watch him with Tom Holland, who was hot off the success of the first Spiderman film, and they were bam, bam, bam.”
The fans matter
Cumberbatch also has good things to say about the fans:
“The best stuff on those huge canvases, things with a huge amount of responsibility and expectation of all these amazingly devoted fans, is to play and have fun and be free, to keep it alive and keep the breath in it, keep it from becoming stale and readable.”
(quotes via Deadline)
