Benedict Cumberbatch Makes A Bold Prediction About Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Ever since Marvel started bringing some of its most iconic characters to their own Disney+ original series, fans have never really been short on superhero content. However, it's been a few months since Marvel fans have seen anything new. Of course, the studio's still riding high off of the success of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which has grossed over $1.8 billion as of this writing (via Entertainment Weekly). It's an impressive feat by any measure, especially seeing how it came out during a peak in the pandemic.

The next Marvel project on deck is "Moon Knight," coming to Disney+, and not long after that, audiences will once again take a trip into alternate realities with "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." That film's slated to release on May 6, and given the rumors of cameos that could appear, it could very well be one of the most popular Marvel movies ever to come out. 

The actors involved are naturally staying mum on any pertinent details surrounding the flick, but that isn't stopping star Benedict Cumberbatch from promising one of the most exciting adventures to come out this year.

The path to opening up the Marvel Cinematic Universe's multiverse has been in the works for a while now. "Avengers: Endgame" played around with the idea of divergent timelines, and it's been further reinforced in the likes of "WandaVision" and "Loki." "Spider-Man: No Way Home" saw villains from other realities enter the MCU, but Peter Parker (Tom Holland) remained firmly in his own reality. It looks like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is ready to blow the doors wide open on this concept by stepping foot outside of his universe and entering the ... well, multiverse of madness.

There's already been a ton of speculation about which characters we might see in the sequel. Given the fact Patrick Stewart's voice appears in one of the newest trailers, it certainly seems like we'll see the return of his iteration of Professor X from the 20th Century Studios' "X-Men" movies. If that's indeed who he's playing, then other characters from 20th Century could theoretically appear, making practically every Marvel movie that's come before canon to the MCU.

It's an exciting possibility, and even though he can't give away too much, Cumberbatch told Empire, "It's a big, big movie." He went on to say, "It's going to be an absolute riot. And if it brings off the level of ambition it's got, we're going to have a success on the level of Spidey. There you go, I'll put my flag in the sand." To see if Cumberbatch makes good on his word, you'll just have to see the movie when it comes out on May 6.