Benedict Cumberbatch Gives Avengers 5 Update, Reveals A Surprising Reason He Likes Playing Doctor Strange

Oscar-nominated actor Benedict Cumberbatch has shared a key piece of news about the next Avengers movie. In a video for Netflix about his new miniseries Eric, Cumberbatch teased that his MCU character, Doctor Strange, will appear in the next Avengers film and it might start shooting relatively soon. Cumberbatch also spoke about how playing Doctor Strange gives him the financial freedom to explore “less commercial” projects.

“I am very much looking forward to Avengers next year, which is cooking up a storm,” he said. It would be not surprising at all to learn that Doctor Strange is in Avengers 5 after it was reportedly recently that the film could feature a whopping 60 MCU characters. In terms of his “next year” comment, that’s likely in reference to when filming may begin on the 2026 movie.

Cumberbatch went on to say that he feels an “immense” joy playing Doctor Strange, in part because the films make him enough money to pay for more arthouse-style projects.

“The joy of playing him also means I can help and create and platform stories and writing and less commercial-fare into being. He is a gift in many, many ways in my life–as a producer as an actor. I love playing him. He’s great fun,” he said, adding that he continues to have a “lovely relationship” with Disney/Marvel.

Also in the interview, Cumberbatch spoke about how he wasn’t always a lock to play Doctor Strange. When he was in the mix to play Doctor Strange in the first movie, he had already booked the 2015 movie Hamlet. Marvel “drifted away” from Cumberbatch playing Doctor Strange at this time, he said. However, Marvel quickly came back to him, he said, and even shifted the “whole factory line to my schedule.”

The next Avengers movie is 2026’s The Avengers: Kang Dynasty, which will apparently undergo a name change after Marvel dropped Kang actor Jonathan Majors due to his legal issues.

Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy is reportedly Marvel’s top choice to direct Avengers 5 after original director Destin Daniel Cretton dropped out.