The rumor mill surrounding Avengers: Doomsday is cranked up to eleven, and this time it’s all about Doctor Strange.
After months of back-and-forth reports about whether the Sorcerer Supreme would even show up in the next Avengers epic, a new scoop suggests not only that he’s in it, but that his role could be massive.
So is Stephen Strange in the movie or isn’t he?
According to Murphy’s Multiverse, Benedict Cumberbatch filmed “pivotal, high-security scenes” for Avengers: Doomsday, allegedly under a codename to keep things locked down.
And if that wasn’t interesting enough, John Campea claims that codename was “Ivan.” That kind of secrecy usually signals something major, and in a film this loaded with multiversal stakes, “pivotal” likely means game-changing.
The speculation lines up with recent chatter about Doctor Doom’s inner circle in the film. There have been whispers about a mysterious “wizard sidekick” sporting a mask with a slit for a third eye.
Considering Strange’s third eye emerged after tapping into the Darkhold in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s hard not to connect the dots.
When we last saw Strange, he wasn’t exactly in a stable place. His use of forbidden magic had consequences, and his multiversal meddling left cracks in reality. Then Clea showed up in the post-credits scene, recruiting him to fix an incursion.
That cliffhanger left plenty of room for things to spiral in unexpected directions. If Strange started exploring even darker magic, aligning with Victor Von Doom might not be as wild as it sounds.
Doom blends sorcery and science like few characters in Marvel history, and that shared magical ambition could form a dangerous partnership.
Of course, Strange turning villain isn’t the only option. In Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars comic, after Earth-616 was destroyed, Strange became the Sheriff of Agamotto and served God Emperor Doom.
He wasn’t evil for evil’s sake. He believed he was protecting what little remained of existence. When his former allies resurfaced, he ultimately chose the right side and paid the ultimate price.
That storyline could be a blueprint for the MCU. Maybe Strange sees Doom’s plan as the only way to save what’s left of the Multiverse. Maybe he’s playing the long game. Or maybe this isn’t even our Strange at all.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness established that variants can be wildly different, yet share the same face. A corrupted or alternate Strange serving Doom would fit perfectly within the franchise’s multiversal chaos.
There was once talk that a third Doctor Strange movie might bridge the gap between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, potentially explaining how he ends up in this position. If that film isn’t happening first, flashbacks inside Doomsday could fill in the blanks.
Whatever the truth is, if Doctor Strange really is one of Doom’s masked followers, that reveal could be pretty cool and a big shock to fans who didn’t come across this news.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars set to arrive on December 17, 2027.
