UPDATE: August 30, 2026. A new leak wave hit X on August 29 and passed 191,000 views before the takedowns landed, with fans this time accusing the source account of posting AI-upscaled material rather than genuine studio footage.
Alleged promotional images from Avengers: Doomsday hit Reddit and X over the weekend.
This time the subject is the masked figure fans have taken to calling “Boris,” widely believed to be Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange.
The three studio-style photos show a figure wrapped in black Latverian robes with a draped hood, a sash across the chest, and segmented metal gauntlets.
A full metal mask covers the face, and centered on the forehead sits a circular slot that is doing all the heavy lifting here.
Why “Boris” Means Doctor Strange
Cumberbatch was never part of Marvel’s marathon cast reveal and was never spotted on set.
Multiple reports claimed he filmed high-security scenes in the UK anyway, working under the production codename “Boris.”
The codename is a wink.
In the comics, Boris is Victor Von Doom’s loyal Latverian retainer, the servant who helped raise him, which tells you exactly what kind of role Strange is allegedly playing.
Insider Daniel Richtman reported back in March that Doom’s right-hand man in the film is a wizard who uses a sling ring and wears a mask similar to Doom’s, with a slot for a third eye on the forehead.
The leaked costume matches that description down to the slot.
The Third Eye Gives It Away
Strange was last seen in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, sprouting a third eye from his Darkhold use before heading off with Clea to fix an Incursion he caused.
A Latverian mask built with a dedicated opening for that eye is about as loud as costume design gets.
One shot even has the figure extending an open palm, which is about as close to a spellcasting pose as a promo photo can strike.
Now the catch.
Richtman’s mask description has been public since March, so either these images are the real deal or someone built a very convincing fake off a published spec sheet.
Given the year this production has had, real is the smart bet.
Disney takedown notices already authenticated earlier leaked footage, and promo-style shots have been escaping since last November.
Marvel Already Showed Us Doom’s Followers
If a robed and masked servant of Doom sounds far-fetched, Marvel spent Comic-Con arguing otherwise.
The studio’s booth ran a rotating Latverian Witch costume display in green, orange, and purple, right up until the Doom suit itself took over the mannequin on panel day.
Doom keeping a court of masked followers is already baked into the marketing.
The leak just puts a codename on the biggest one.
The comics precedent writes itself, too.
In Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars, Strange serves as the Sheriff of Battleworld at the right hand of God Emperor Doom, not as a heel turn but because he believed Doom was the only thing holding a broken multiverse together.
What About The New Plot Leak?
The images landed on the heels of another alleged full plot breakdown making the rounds.
We are passing on publishing those details, as we can’t verify them and this movie deserves to have a few surprises left standing.
As for what already escaped, an earlier plot outline was described as legitimate by John Campea, who said he had known the story for months.
Marvel has stayed quiet on all of it, and we have argued that silence is its own answer.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Doomsday opens December 18, 2026, fresh off the Hall H trailer that brought down Comic-Con.
Catch up on the cast, trailers, and everything else with our complete Avengers: Doomsday guide.
