Benedict Cumberbatch revealed his ridiculous reaction to Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during an interview for Variety’s Sundance cover. The Sherlock actor recalled being in shock and sending some expletive-laden messages to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
“I texted, ‘What the fuck?’ And then immediately said, ‘Well what the hell, I mean, well what the hell,'” he told the outlet The shocking announcement was made at last year’s Comic-Con, after which Downey entered the hall wearing a mask. When he took off the mask, there was thunderous applause and an atmosphere of happiness.
Cumberbatch has shared many scenes with the Oscar-winning iconic Marvel character, Iron Man, in films such as Avengers: Endgame. But will Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) ever come face to face with Downey’s Doctor Doom? So far, that’s not likely!
The villain will appear in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, marking the MCU return of Downey and the franchise’s longtime directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The Imitation Game actor admitted that he will not be a part of the film. “Is this a pervert? Fuck!” He added.
Cumberbatch revealed that his character’s involvement in the upcoming Marvel film changed significantly after the studio ousted Jonathan Majors after he was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
Major villain Kang was going to be the main antagonist in the upcoming stages of the MCU, but his exit from the franchise caused creatives to change the story, which could have affected Doctor Strange’s role in the films.
Now that Downey’s character is the central antagonist, Cumberbatch said his character sitting out Doomsday is related to “the character not aligning with this part of the story”. However, he did tease Doctor Strange’s involvement in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, saying he will be “pretty central to where things could go.”
So, fans will have to wait longer to see the onscreen reunion of Downey and Cumberbatch. The latter admitted that he was “stiff” in the early Doctor Strange films, but watching Downey banter with Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming helped him ease into the Marvel machine.
