Gone are the days when one could witness their favorite Avenger popping up with their own movie in a span of a few years, and nothing exemplifies it better than Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange. Despite being a key component in Infinity War and Endgame and the multiversal events early on in Phase Four, there was a notable gap between the release of the first and second Doctor Strange movies.
And while a third movie seems way down the line for the actor, it seems Cumberbatch might not even return for Avengers 5, as rumors suggest the MCU is looking to redo Infinity War‘s formula.
MCU Is Rumored to Re-Enact the Infinity War Trope for Avengers 5
While many assumed Doctor Strange would play a notable part in Avengers 5, following the character’s expertise on the subject of the multiverse, new rumor suggests this isn’t going to be the case. Per CosmicWonderYT, the MCU is looking to re-enact Infinity War by having the new set of Avengers loose before they could come back strongly in the next one.
However, fans are less than thrilled about the rumored direction the MCU is heading. Fans stressed that having a new set of Avengers lose will not hit the same as Infinity War did, as they are still yet to grow together and lack any setup like the initial phases did for the OG Avengers.
I don’t get this man, why are they just copying Infinity war, we need to actually establish a core Avengers team and have them grow as a team, that’s when the loss actually has an impact
Doctor Strange not being in it just makes no sense
— 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹🩸 (@DaredevilMMA) February 3, 2024
Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for this and secret wars but i feel like just rehashing the "avengers lose in first part then come back strong in second part" is gonna feel incredibly lazy.
And it will forever be compared to infinity war.
— Maul (@BasedLegoMaul) February 3, 2024
The whole reason why Steve’s “we lost” was effective in Infinity War is because we had seen them previously come together and win several times. Now you are just throwing a bunch of characters together for the first time and it’s not going to hit like it did before.
— Mike Seuffert (@MikeSeuffert) February 3, 2024
Hero who's been investigating and exploring the multiverse, doesn't appear to fight a multiverse threat? Makes sense…
— Bendrix 🦁 (@Benjmeister85) February 3, 2024
The new Avengers aren't even formed and go on to lose in their first team-up, with the universe set to get rebooted after Secret Wars.
Does Marvel want the audience to not care about their new characters? No wonder people are flocking to legacy characters like Wolverine
— OOMPA (@OompaMyLoompaa) February 3, 2024
But considering nothing has been confirmed and with the next Avengers being still reasonably far away, it can’t be said for certain if the MCU will be onboard with following the Infinity War template.
Benedict Cumberbatch is Confirmed to Return as Doctor Strange in an Undisclosed Project
Although Benedict Cumberbatch’s return in a third Doctor Strange movie or an Avengers outing seems way down the line, Cumberbatch is still donning the cape for an undisclosed MCU project. The acclaimed actor previously revealed that there are “some Marvel capers in the making next year” back in 2023, confirming that he will indeed return to reprise the character. Cumberbatch further delved into exploring innovative ideas for his future in the MCU in the coming years in a previous interview, stressing a potential battle with Sinister Strange once again.
“We turned what was a very small combat between the two [Strange’s] into a sort of very bizarre and inventive battle in that moment. I really loved it. It was how the original was pitched to me a long while back when Scott Derrickson was still working with us: Strange would meet versions of himself. It was something I wanted to lean into. We could have gone even further, and maybe it will go into the future. Who knows what other versions we might need in the multiverse chapter of the MCU? But it was very enjoyable to play all the variants of myself.”
But considering a threequel is still yet to be confirmed, Benedict Cumberbatch’s potential battle with Sinister Strange will have to wait.
Avengers 5 is slated for a release on 1 May 2026.
