I’m not worried about Benedict Cumberbatch’s Avengers: Doomsday comments thanks to the two highest-grossing MCU movies. Avengers: Doomsday‘s release date is just over a year away, meaning more information about the highly anticipated movie is being revealed. Not only have members of Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast been divulged – from Robert Downey Jr. to Chris Evans – but details on the script-writing process and production timeline for the upcoming movie have also been unveiled.

These aspects have only caused excitement for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to increase, as audiences eagerly anticipate a return to the big screen for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. With the Marvel movies of 2025 expected to tee up the next roster of heroes on the team, one iconic MCU character will seemingly not be part of the movie. Benedict Cumberbatch recently explained his role in Avengers: Doomsday, but Marvel’s history with handling big ensemble casts in Avengers movies means I am not worried.

Benedict Cumberbatch Reveals Doctor Strange’s Roles In Doomsday & Secret Wars

The Iconic Sorcerer Will Only Be Part Of The Latter

Firstly, it is worth exploring exactly what Cumberbatch revealed about his role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The actor was recently interviewed by Variety and spoke about many aspects of his recent and upcoming career, including his continued role as Stephen Strange in the MCU. When concerning Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel story of Avengers: Secret Wars, Cumberbatch let slip a few details about the titular team members. In the interview, Cumberbatch revealed that Strange will not be part of Avengers: Doomsday, following up with “Is that a spoiler? F*** it!”

Regarding Avengers: Secret Wars, though, Cumberbatch insists that the Master of the Mystic Arts is a big part of the 2027 film…

The actor goes on to confirm that Strange’s absence from Avengers: Doomsday came as a result of Jonathan Majors’ assault charges and the changes that were made to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty as a result. Moving away from the Kang the Conqueror story saw Avengers 5 shift toward Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, with Cumberbatch confirming that Strange did not align with this part of the story. Regarding Avengers: Secret Wars, though, Cumberbatch insists that the Master of the Mystic Arts is a big part of the 2027 film, stating “He’s quite central to where things might go.”

Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame Proved How Missing Heroes Can Work

The Russo Brothers Know How To Balance A Cast

Although Cumberbatch’s absence from Avengers: Doomsday as Stephen Strange may come as a shock to many given his centrality to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I am not worried about it for a few reasons. For one, the Russo Brothers are directing Avengers 5 & 6. The Russos have been known to direct the best-ranked movies in the entire MCU, most of which have handled huge, ensemble casts. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame typified this, with both still being beloved installments of the franchise despite several characters disappearing and reappearing between the stories.

For example, two big characters missing from Avengers: Infinity War were Hawkeye and Ant-Man. Nonetheless, they returned in big ways in Avengers: Endgame, with both being integral to the overall plot thanks to the Time Heist of retrieving the Infinity Stones. Beyond that, Avengers: Endgame featured a drastically reduced cast as a result of Thanos’ Blip, even causing someone huge like Doctor Strange to be missing for 95% of the movie. These choices still worked and allowed the two-part Avengers story to be satisfying despite some characters taking a back seat at certain points.

In light of Cumberbatch’s comments, it seems as though Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Infinity War are utilizing a similar format. I have trust in the Russo Brothers to be able to handle this task once more, as their track record has given me no evidence to suggest they will fumble characters and their MCU arcs. Moreover, Cumberbatch’s absence from Avengers: Doomsday could – ironically – give Doctor Strange more time to shine.

Doctor Strange’s Absence From Avengers: Doomsday Has Another Exciting Possibility

A Third Strange Solo Movie Is In The Works

This time to shine could come in Doctor Strange 3. Many have been awaiting updates about a final film in the Strange trilogy since 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with Cumberbatch providing this in the aforementioned Variety interview. Cumberbatch praised Marvel’s willingness to explore a third Doctor Strange movie, from asking the actor where he wants the character to go, which director he would like to helm the project, and which comic book stories they could pull from. With Cumberbatch not part of Avengers: Doomsday, Doctor Strange 3 could become a priority.

Theoretically, Doctor Strange 3 could even be scheduled in the year-long gap between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This would allow the film to tell its own, contained story that potentially spins out of Doctor Strange 2‘s post-credit scene involving Charlize Theron’s Clea, all while setting up Strange’s role in Avengers: Secret Wars, just as Ant-Man and the Wasp did for the former character’s role in Avengers: Endgame. Evidently, there are a great many possibilities for Strange’s MCU future beyond Avengers: Doomsday and, for many reasons, I have trust in Marvel Studios to fulfill that potential.