Spider-Man 3 will bring in Doctor Strange as a new spider-mentor

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney)

Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange will appear in Spider-Man 3, according to a new report.

The next appearance for the reality-warping medical professional was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, which added that he's set to serve as a new mentor figure for Peter Parker in Spider-Man's third standalone MCU film. Doctor Strange appearing as a prominent figure in the new story could tie into Jamie Foxx's return as Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man films. If anybody is going to be on hand for multiverse-bridging shenanigans, it's going to be Doctor Strange.

Spider-Man 3 is currently set to begin filming later this month in Atlanta, while Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is also due to begin filming this month in London. We don't know when or where Cumberbatch will film his scenes for the two films, but Disney and Marvel have the art of crossover filming schedules down to a science at this point.

The next Spider-Man MCU film is currently set to hit theatres on December 17, 2021, with Jon Watts returning to the director's seat after leading both Homecoming and Far From Home. That said, the overall schedule for Marvel Phase 4 is still in the air thanks to the COVID-19 pandemics disruptions to both filming and theatres.

The next MCU film, Black Widow, was previously set to release in November, but it has now been pushed back all the way to May 7, 2021. See what else is on the way to cinemas (maybe) with our guide to the upcoming movies of 2020 and beyond.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.