Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, famed for his portrayal of Doctor Strange, has confirmed he will be returning to the MCU as the Master of the Mystic Arts at some point in Phase 5, far sooner than expected.
What MCU Phase 5 Project Will Doctor Strange Appear In?
While appearing as part of the JW3 Speaker Series. Cumberbatch spoke about his acting projects for the coming year. He stunned the audience by confirming that he had “some Marvel capers in the making next year.” The full video can be viewed below, with Cumberbatch’s Marvel comment coming around the 33:30 mark.
Cumberbatch’s revelation was something of a surprise. When Doctor Strange was last seen at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he was embarking with the sorceress Clea (Charlize Theron) on a new adventure. With no Doctor Strange sequel on the docket at Marvel Studios, the soonest he was expected to return was as part of the ensemble of the next Avengers movie.
However, with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty delayed one year until 2026, the news that Cumberbatch is planning more work with the MCU in the coming year indicates he will be appearing at some point sooner in the MCU Phase 5. This raises the question of just which movie or show he will be in.
Loki season 2 and What If? season 2 are obvious candidates, due to both series being involved with the on-going multiversal conflict that Doctor Strange helped set into motion in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Agatha: Coven of Chaos is another possibility, given the role of magic in the series.
However, production has already ended on all three series, suggesting Cumberbatch is appearing in something else, as he was speaking of projects he had yet to film and not projects that had not been released. One interesting possibility is Blade, which will offer a different perspective on the mystic side of the Marvel Universe.
However, of all the MCU productions yet to start filming, Fantastic Four seems the most likely prospect, given the rumors of the titular team being another victim of multiversal shenanigans, in order to explain their absence from the MCU until now. Whatever the project is, Doctor Strange fans will be pleased to see Cumberbatch return.
