Conspiracy Theory or Calculated Reveal?
This appears to be a strategic Marvel marketing move rather than accidental leaks. Studios often deliberately control interview revelations to redirect fan discussions - recently seen with Ryan Reynolds/Blake Lively news overshadowing Captain America: Brave New World controversies.
The actor confirmed major Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars details, including storyline modifications following Jonathan Majors' departure. Avengers 5 transformed from Kang Dynasty to Doomsday, notably bringing back Robert Downey Jr.
While fans hoped for a Doctor Doom/Doctor Strange team-up inspired by the Triumph and Torment comics, plans shifted with Downey Jr.'s presumed limited MCU future.
Doctor Strange's Absence Explained
Strange might only appear in a Doomsday post-credits scene setting up Secret Wars. His reduced role stems from narrative misalignment with the revised storyline - originally slated as pivotal in Kang Dynasty.
The scrapped Kang Dynasty version would have featured Shang-Chi prominently (unsurprisingly) focusing on Kang's council. The current iteration introduces Victor Von Doom through Robert Downey Jr., confirming long-standing Ten Rings theories.
Spider-Man Emerges as MCU's Anchor
Avengers: Doomsday now centers on Fantastic Four characters and Doctor Doom, seemingly originating from their upcoming film universe. With Strange's reduced involvement and Feige's hints about anchor beings, evidence points to Spider-Man filling that crucial role.
The original Kang Dynasty and current Doomsday versions both seemed adapted from Avengers: Time Runs Out's incursion storyline, culminating in Battleworld for Secret Wars.
Secret Wars: Multiversal Legacy
The massive Secret Wars event promises a multiverse-spanning cast mixing surviving MCU characters with legacy actors from pre-MCU Marvel films - essentially expanding Deadpool & Wolverine's crossover concept.
Previously, Strange was meant to survive the multiverse collapse alongside select characters while most perished Infinity War-style.
Post-Secret Wars MCU Landscape
Cumberbatch suggests Doctor Strange's centrality in the coming X-Men era, potentially involving him with mutant narratives as teased in X-Men '97.
The delayed Doctor Strange 3 underwent significant changes - originally slated pre-Kang Dynasty to establish incursions, now potentially post-Secret Wars featuring X-Men magic users or Midnight Suns team-ups.
The massive info-dump leaves numerous possibilities open, from Midnight Suns adaptations featuring Ghost Rider to Defender-style team formations - all courtesy of this revelatory interview.
