Spider-Man 3 Will Feature Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange: Report

Doctor Strange will be in Spider-Man 3. Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme will reportedly be part of the next Spider-Man movie — the as-yet untitled sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home — taking over the mentor role from Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark / Iron Man, and later (SPOILER ALERT FOR FAR FROM HOME) Ben Mendelsohn's Talos disguised as Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. Spider-Man 3 would mark their second meeting, having first teamed up in Avengers: Infinity War, where they took on Thanos on his destroyed home planet of Titan.

The Hollywood Reporter brings word of Cumberbatch's presence in Spider-Man 3 and expounds on how Doctor Strange might be involved in the plot. The next Doctor Strange movie is called Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it's only natural that the sequel will explore alternate realities, as THR notes. Moreover, Spider-Man: Far From Home established the multiverse concept for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it makes sense that Tom Holland's Peter Parker would've an interest in exploring different worlds.

It could also explain the return of Jamie Foxx's Electro — whose casting was revealed and officially confirmed earlier in October — first seen in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, an entirely different universe where Andrew Garfield is Spider-Man.

Neither Marvel Studios nor Sony Pictures have commented on Cumberbatch's involvement on Spider-Man 3. Marvel has previously announced that the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision — set to release in December on Disney+ Hotstar — would tie into the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And with Doctor Strange also present in Spider-Man 3, Marvel has clearly begun to weave together the Phase 4 of the MCU and build towards its next Avengers-style get-together.

On Spider-Man 3, Cumberbatch joins a cast that includes Holland, Foxx, Zendaya as MJ, and Marisa Tomei as May Parker. Also expected to return are Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, Martin Starr as Roger Harrington, Tony Revolori as Eugene Thompson, Angourie Rice as Betty Brant, and (SPOILER ALERT FOR FAR FROM HOME) J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. Jon Watts is set as director for a third time, with Far From Home writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers returning as well.

Both Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the untitled Spider-Man 3 will kick off production later in October, THR adds, in London (Doctor Strange), New York, and Atlanta (Spider-Man). It's unclear when and where Cumberbatch will come in, a process made even tougher due to restrictions and safety protocols necessitated by COVID-19.

Spider-Man 3 is slated to release December 17, 2021 worldwide. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently set for March 25, 2022.