Much about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is unknown. Still, Benedict Cumberbatch is spilling the magic beans about Doctor Stephen Strange and where he could appear next. During an in-depth interview with Variety, Cumberbatch said Doctor Strange is taking a “hiatus” from 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, but also hints at the character returning for Doctor Strange 3.

“Is that a spoiler?” Cumberbatch asks. “Fuck it!” Oh, snap! Cumberbatch is playing things fast and loose by giving fans breadcrumbs about the Sorcerer Supreme’s MCU roadmap. If you listen closely, you can hear Tom Holland biting his nails as Cumberbatch spills the studio’s top-secret info to the press. Leaking information about the MCU is a big no-no in Hollywood, but Cumberbatch appears unfazed. If you catch my drift, he may be packing more than Infinity Stones. Hey-o!

Cumberbatch explains Strange’s absence from Avengers: Doomsday as “the character not aligning with this part of the story.” However, he did reveal that Strange is “in a lot” of Avengers: Secret Wars, coming to theaters in 2027. “He’s quite central to where things might go,” Cumberbatch teases.

It sounds like Cumberbatch is content with Doctor Strange’s MCU standing and speaks highly about the studio by saying, “They are very open to discussing where we go next,” he says. “Who do you want to write and direct the next one? What part of the comic lore do you want to explore so that Strange can keep evolving? He’s a very rich character to play. He’s a complex, contradictory, troubled human who’s got these extraordinary abilities, so there’s potent stuff to mess about with.”

Finally, Cumberbatch hinted at plans for a Doctor Strange 3, saying the character is “quite central to where things might go.” Whether Charlize Theron returns as Doctor Strange’s all-powerful partner, Clea Strange, remains uncertain. Still, I’ll throw hands if Clea and Bats, the couple’s spectral basset hound, don’t show up. You can’t tease me like you did at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and not deliver the goods, Marvel!

Are you optimistic about the MCU’s future? Who should direct Doctor Strange 3? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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