Benedict Cumberbatch Set to Reprise Role as Doctor Strange in Upcoming Marvel Projects

Renowned actor Benedict Cumberbatch is gearing up to return as Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) next year.

Having portrayed the character in six MCU films since his debut in 2016’s ‘Doctor Strange,’ Cumberbatch teased his upcoming appearance, hinting at more Marvel adventures on the horizon.

While it remains unclear if his reprisal will be for a sequel to 2022’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ or another film within the comic book universe, fans eagerly await the continuation of the enigmatic sorcerer’s journey.

During the JW3 Speaker Series, Cumberbatch dropped tantalizing hints, stating, “There are some Marvel capers in the making next year.” The nature of his involvement remains a subject of speculation, with some speculating a potential appearance in the delayed ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.’

However, the post-credits scene of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ offered intriguing possibilities. In it, Doctor Strange is informed by Clea, played by Charlize Theron, that he has “caused an incursion, and we’re going to fix it.” This introduction of Clea, known as Strange’s great love interest in the comics, suggests a potential romantic storyline in future films.

Writer Michael Waldron shed light on the decision to include Clea, explaining, “She’s Strange’s great love in the comics, and it was felt to me like Strange wasn’t at the point at the start of our movie where he was ready to meet the love of his life. It felt like we had to close the loop with he and Christine Palmer. And so after she gives him her wisdom to not be afraid of loving someone, then it felt like we were right to tease what could be eventually with he and Clea.”

In the 2022 sequel, ‘Multiverse of Madness,’ Cumberbatch tackled multiple iterations of Doctor Strange, relishing the challenge of portraying distinct versions of the character.

He explained, “You have to get a correlation so that you know you’re watching an iteration that basically, through perhaps choices or circumstance and environment, has had a different outcome. But it’s a nice sort of loop feeding into self-discovery and self-therapy for the character that we know from our universe, as to how he betters his choices or the situation. So it’s a fun thing to explore. It’s one of the paradoxes that a multiversal narrative will throw up, and I was excited by that challenge.”

As fans eagerly await more details about Benedict Cumberbatch’s return as Doctor Strange, the anticipation for the next chapter in the sorcerer’s mystical journey continues to grow.