Warning: potential spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
Two weeks have passed since the world premiere of the “Avengers: Infinity War.” Many fans were shocked at the film’s ending, particularly about the deaths of Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange. These three characters have their own standalone Movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and their respective appearances have established their presence in third "Avengers" film. However, as of this writing, only "Spider-Man" has a confirmed sequel that will be released in July 2019. Even though “Doctor Strange” and “Black Panther” have performed well in the box office, Marvel Studios haven’t decided until now if they would have a sequel.
This is particularly true especially with the master of the mystic arts.
The question now is, will Doctor Strange be revived in the fourth "Avengers" seeing that there is no possible sequel to his film (yet)?
Why did Doctor Strange offer the Time Stone to Thanos?
Before we answer that question, let the first review the circumstances of Doctor Strange’s death in the “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Before Tony Stark’s team fought Thanos in Titan, Stephen Strange used the Time Stone to see millions of futures where they could defeat their enemy. When Tony asked the sorcerer about their chance of winning, he replied that there is only one future that Thanos would lose.
When the combined efforts of Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy proved to not enough for Thanos, the Mad Titan redirected his energy on killing Tony Stark.
Just as about Thanos is going to deprive Iron Man’s life, Doctor Strange suddenly offered the precious Time Stone in exchange for Tony Stark’s life.
When Thanos completed the gems on his Infinity Gauntlet, half of the sentient life in the universe disappeared, including the lives of some of our favorite Avengers.
Will Doctor Strange be resurrected once the rest of the Avengers defeat Thanos?
Some fans believe that the departed souls went to a pocket universe within the Soul Stone when Thanos snapped his finger. If this theory holds a candle, then it is possible that the Avengers who died may actually exist in an alternate universe inside an Infinity Stone and can be revived in the real world.
If we are going to look at things in a positive way, it is very likely that Stephen Strange will be resurrected once Thanos has been defeated. After all, no one can control the Time Stone properly the way he does.
But here’s the rub. Marvel doesn’t seem to be interested in a Doctor Strange sequel despite positive reviews and good box office returns during its theatrical run. Until now, there is no news about the sequel to the 2016 film. Even Benedict Cumberbatch said that there is no signal from Marvel Studios executives about a second “Doctor Strange” film yet. So it is highly possible that Doctor Strange may not return after the fourth untitled Avengers film. The lack of potential sequel will be justified by his death in the “Avengers: Infinity War” in the MCU.