Nine years ago, Doctor Strange made his MCU debut as one of the most powerful Avengers of all. Looking back through the first phases of the MCU, it’s clear Marvel was initially reluctant to add sorcery into the mix. Iron Man had committed Marvel to a pseudo-scientific foundation, and there were deep concerns that magic and the supernatural wouldn’t mix well. Thor hand-waved Asgardian magic as advanced science in an explanation that would have made Arthur C. Clarke proud.
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Premiering in Los Angeles on October 20, 2016, but releasing in the U.S. on November 4, Doctor Strange was a huge step forward. Again, Marvel worked hard to make Stephen Strange’s sorcery (relatively) indistinguishable from magic, rooting his powers in theories of quantum mechanics and multiversal power. The movie was a success, grossing $677.8 in the global box office, and setting the MCU in a very different direction… but Doctor Strange himself has been oddly wasted.
Doctor Strange Played A Key Role In The Infinity Saga… But There Were Already Ominous Signs
Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange was immediately set up as a key player in the Avengers. The first movie established the cosmic scale of his adventures, as well as revealing him as protector of the Time Stone – one of Thanos’ coveted Infinity Stones. This naturally meant Strange was always going to play a strong role in Avengers: Infinity War, and viewers were thrilled by Cumberbatch’s team-ups with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.
As a victim of Thanos’ snap, Strange was largely written out of Avengers: Endgame. He was still important, though; he’d given the Time Stone up to Thanos after glimpsing a one in 14 million chance of beating the Mad Titan. Again, when Doctor Strange returned it was to be carefully sidelined during the battle against Thanos’ forces. He wound up preoccupied holding floodwaters at bay, a smart narrative trick that ensured he didn’t wipe out Thanos’ forces single-handed. In truth, there were already signs Marvel didn’t quite know how to handle the Sorcerer Supreme.
Doctor Strange Was Set Up To Be Just As Important In The Multiverse Saga
Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill had plans for a sequel from the outset, and openly talked about it back in 2016. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness wasn’t announced until July 2019, though, with Marvel clearly struggling to figure out how to fit the film into the Infinity Saga. Six months later, Derrickson and Marvel parted ways due to “creative differences.” It’s generally believed that Derrickson wanted to go further with horror than Marvel bosses were comfortable with.
Ultimately directed by Sam Raimi, 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness should have made Doctor Strange a key player in the Multiverse Saga after a prominent role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. This was the film that helped establish some of the basic rules of the MCU multiverse, even explaining how entire timelines and realities could be destroyed in universe-ending “incursions.” Doctor Strange‘s post-credits scene saw him head off on a multiversal adventure with Charlize Theron’s Clea, a powerful sorceress who became one of Strange’s most important love interests in the comics.
And then, surprisingly, there was… silence.
Doctor Strange Still Isn’t Confirmed For Avengers: Doomsday
There’s been no real mention of Stephen Strange since 2022, although Cumberbatch has said Marvel is open to Doctor Strange 3. “They are very open to discussing where we go next,” Cumberbatch said in January 2025. “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?” While this comment is pleasing, it does still indicate a lack of direction. More concerning, though, is the fact that Strange isn’t confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday.
In theory, Doctor Strange’s multiversal mission at the end of Multiverse of Madness should have meant he was a force to be reckoned with in the next two Avengers movies. Doomsday and Secret Wars are bringing the Multiverse Saga to a (sadly less triumphant) conclusion, after all, with the various Marvel universes set to collide – likely in the form of those incursions set up by Doctor Strange’s own adventures. But Strange was entirely absent when Marvel confirmed Doomsday‘s major cast, and Cumberbatch has given no comment about his MCU future.
When it comes to Doctor Strange, the focus probably lies on Avengers: Secret Wars. All the evidence indicates this will be largely (although loosely) based on Jonathan Hickman’s epic 2015 comic book Secret Wars event, which explored the consequences of a multiversal collapse. Doctor Doom used cosmic power to save as much of the multiverse as he could, collapsing it into a single “Battleworld.” Strange served as his second-in-command, reluctantly working with Doom and maintaining his reign because even this broken Battleworld was better than nothing.
Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, so it’s possible Marvel will faithfully reproduce the main elements of that story. If that’s the case, then Doctor Strange is likely to be rather more important to Secret Wars than he is to Doomsday; and yet, even that is unsatisfying. It means that, after years of absence, Doctor Strange’s teased adventures with Clea largely happen off-the-screen. It’s a waste, not least of the tremendous potential of Charlize Theron.
Why Has Marvel Struggled So Much With Doctor Strange?
Looking back, it’s clear that Doctor Strange’s power levels simply make him a little too formidable for the MCU. Other powerhouses like Thor or Captain Marvel have clearly-defined limits to their powers, but Doctor Strange can always escape the latest crisis by simply unveiling another creative new spell. Even rivals like Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo don’t really feel like a true threat, because Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme, naturally eclipsing them in knowledge and ability. It’s very easy for Doctor Strange to simply sweep in and save the day, meaning he has to be written out of the action.
Since 2022, though, the problem hasn’t really been with Doctor Strange’s power level. Rather, it’s lay with the MCU’s lack of focus; Marvel expanded too quickly, introducing countless new characters in an expanding slate of movies and TV shows, and few characters have actually been developed. Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi made his MCU debut in 2021, and will only return in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday. Mahershala Ali was announced as the new Blade in 2019, but Marvel still can’t figure out how to make the vampire hunt fit into current plans.
The sad truth is that, while Doctor Strange was a success for Marvel, the studio hasn’t quite known what to do with him since. There have been too many moving parts in the MCU, making it almost impossible for any character to get the arc and development they deserve, and Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange is a case in point.
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm
