Stephen Strange made his MCU debut in 2016's Doctor Strange, and Marvel Studios wasted no time in adding him to the roster of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Infinity War. Well, sort of.
While the Sorcerer Supreme fought alongside Iron Man and Spider-Man, it was never established whether Strange became an official Avenger. According to Benedict Cumberbatch, the hero isn't necessarily among those who count themselves as being part of that team of superheroes.
"People say that you were in the Avengers, but you're not an Avenger, right? No, I'm not. I'm not at Stark Tower with Nick Fury," the actor said during a recent interview with KCRW. "No, he's sort of outside of that realm, but I don't think that's necessarily a character trait. I think that is just a job title. He's there to protect the reality of the Avengers in a different way to what they have been fighting up until the point that everything collides in the last two Avengers movies."
"He holds his position as an adult on the periphery of that, but I think only for so long," the actor continued. "There's always a moment where he has to work with people and team up. And you know, we might see that in the next film; you have to wait and see."
That next movie is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and thanks to Empire, we have a new look at Cumberbatch as the MCU's former Sorcerer Supreme. It's a moody shot, which seemingly takes place wherever it was the Scarlet Witch was while casting the spell seen in the trailer.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to be released in theaters on May 6.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.