There have been rumblings about there being a mystery character called Boris in Avengers: Doomsday for some time. Like Doctor Doom's Latverian Witches, fans have theorised that a familiar face is beneath his sinister mask, with leaked images pointing to Doctor Strange.
In the comics, Strange is by Doom's side when he steals the power of the Beyonders to create Battleworld. As one of the only people to remember the world as it was, the Sorcerer Supreme remains loyal to Victor until he's reunited with his fellow Earth-616 heroes.
At the end of 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange was corrupted and revealed a third eye, so it makes sense for him to have fallen under Doom's influence. Perhaps he'll even serve alongside the Scarlet Witch and Clea, two likely possibilities for the Latverian Witches.
Recently, an artist who worked on Avengers: Doomsday claimed that Boris has been cut from the movie. Has he really been left on the cutting room floor and, if so, does that mean no more Benedict Cumberbatch?
Well, according to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, "Boris only appears at the beginning and near the end of Avengers: Doomsday. Very easy to remove."
James Mack, however, had a very different take, though he is a far less reliable source. "Boris is always with Doom, appearing in multiple scenes. He has dialogue with other characters and is part of the film’s actual storyline; there’s no way they could easily remove him with the movie practically finished."
Reshoots happened fairly recently, so claims on either side should be taken with a pinch of salt. What's clear is that no one knows for sure whether Boris is in Avengers: Doomsday, and unless he shows up in a future trailer, we can safely say that this is yet another mystery that won't be solved until December 18.
A new look at Doctor Doom, Magneto, and Avengers: Doomsday's leads has also been revealed:
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, along with X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden, plus Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story, alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.