Doctor Strange's Role In The Marvel Cinematic Universe Revealed

After being briefly teased in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Benedict Cumberbatch will make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Doctor Strange in just over a month -- and so far, very little is known aobut what role he will play outside of his own movie.

In Winter Soldier, he was targeted by drones idenifying him as possibly a danger to Hydra's plans for world domination, but as far as we can see, Strange will be just getting his powers in the upcoming movie. That suggests somebody had a sense for how important he might be before he ever got powers, but not really what that importance might have been, or might be now that he's on a path to becoming the Sorcerer Supreme.

Marvel chief Kevin Feige said during a visit to the set of Doctor Strange that the title character would have to fit into the current MCEU.

"Most obviously, that we will introduce a new character who can be a play in the universe," he said. "Once you have gotten an audience to buy into a new concept, then it's fun to play off or spin off that concept down the line."

So far, Doctor Strange is playing in his own sandbox for the most part, with the magical realms of the Marvel Universe more or less limited to his film and to some of the elements being introduced on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. Will that make him more of a solitary figure, or will Strange be the "magic ambassador" to the rest of the heroes?

"I don't think he does a lot of hanging out necessarily," Feige said with a laugh. "He's not going to intervene with the Bodega crime down the street. As things get bigger, and his threats get bigger, he can serve a very good purpose and he can make his presence known."

He added that "time will tell" whether Strange develops the kind of relationship that would allow for other Marvel heroes to pop in for cameos at the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Doctor Strange, which will be in theaters in November, stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Imitation Game), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man), Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) and Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel).

The film is directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister) and written by Derrickson, Jon Spaihts (Prometheus), and C. Robert Cargill (Sinister).

Marvel's Doctor Strange is produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Charles Newirth, Stephen Broussard and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.

Doctor Strange arrives November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming– July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel– March 8, 2019; Avengers 4 – May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.