Benedict Cumberbatch has found himself at the center of a major spoiler storm after revealing some key details about the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (2026). In a candid conversation with Variety, Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange in the MCU, casually admitted that his character won’t be appearing in the highly anticipated team-up event next year, much to the surprise of fans. The actor jokingly asked, “Is that a spoiler?” before accepting his fate and sharing even more secrets, including the fate of his character in future MCU films.
The key reason for Doctor Strange’s absence from Doomsday, according to Cumberbatch, is that “the character [doesn’t] align with this part of the story.” Given that Doctor Strange is heavily tied to the multiverse, this suggests that Doomsday may focus on a storyline rooted in the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, with the character’s arc better fitting into the plot of Secret Wars (2027), which will be more crossover-heavy.
Cumberbatch also mentioned that his absence isn’t due to availability issues but rather a matter of the story’s direction. With Avengers: Infinity War balancing a huge ensemble cast by focusing on select characters in Endgame, it seems the Russo brothers may be taking a similar approach with Doomsday—keeping the cast more streamlined before unleashing the chaos in Secret Wars.
In a final spoiler-worthy confession, Cumberbatch confirmed that Doctor Strange will indeed return for Doctor Strange 3 and that the studio is already asking him who he’d like to direct the next installment. It looks like Cumberbatch may have inadvertently unleashed a treasure trove of spoilers, but fans can at least breathe easy knowing that Doctor Strange will make it out of Doomsday alive and has big plans for the MCU’s future.