Benedict Cumberbatch says he's sitting out “Avengers: Doomsday” but will be 'in a lot' of “Secret Wars”

Marvel fans might not be seeing Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange anytime soon — but when the character does return to screens, there will be a lot of him to go around. In a new cover story interview with Variety, the actor shares some juicy tidbits about the future of his wizard superhero.

Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange played major roles in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but says he will be sitting out the next flick with the superhero team. Announced at last year's San Diego Comic Con, Avengers: Doomsday will reintroduce Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU, this time as Doctor Doom rather than Iron Man. Just don't expect to see the Sorcerer Supreme there.

“Is that a spoiler?” Cumberbatch told Variety after revealing that tidbit. “F--- it!”

Related: How can Robert Downey Jr. play Doom in the MCU? Here's what we know from the comics

However, the hiatus won't last long. Avengers: Doomsday will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, and Cumberbatch says he will be "in a lot" of that one.

"He’s quite central to where things might go,” Cumberbatch said of his character.

This is consistent with Marvel's 2015 Secret Wars comic by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic, on which the upcoming film is based. In that story, Marvel's multiverse is almost completely destroyed by beings called the Beyonders, and the few survivors are gathered on a ragtag planet called Battleworld, overseen by Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange. The two characters spend a lot of time together in the comic, so even though the adaptation will surely differ from its source material, Strange's promised prominence in the movie isn't too much of a surprise.

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Beyond the Avengers, Cumberbatch also told Variety that there will indeed be a third solo Doctor Strange film at some point, after 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness made almost a billion dollars at the global box office. He didn't share much in the way of title or plot details (though surely it should feature some kind of follow-up to Multiverse of Madness' post-credit scene introducing Charlize Theron as Clea...?), but did say that Marvel is very open to his ideas.

“They are very open to discussing where we go next,” Cumberbatch said. “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.”

Related: Chris Evans reportedly making Marvel return in Avengers: Doomsday

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Marvel representatives for comment.

Read Cumberbatch's full interview, which also touches on the upcoming Sundance premiere of his new movie The Thing with Feathers, at Variety.

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