Recent news broke Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Doctor Strange in the Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel as a mentor to Peter Parker following the death of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame. Considering how central Doctor Strange seems to be to the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward, with his upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness having ties to both WandaVision and Loki, he's looking in many ways like the new "Tony Stark." However, that might just prove fatal for the Master of the Mystic Arts.
Right now, Doctor Strange looks the most likely out of all of the established heroes to take on a leadership position. With Tony and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow dead, Steve Rogers/Captain America and Thor absent, Clint Barton/Hawkeye prioritizing his family and T'Challa/Black Panther preoccupied with leading a nation, Doctor Strange appears to be the most capable to lead the next major MCU team. He has the power, ability, resiliency and brains to do so. Still, Doctor Strange's fitness to lead goes beyond just these qualifications.
Doctor Strange's relationship to WandaVision, Loki and now Spider-Man 3 show Marvel Studios wants to have him be everywhere. Because of Doctor Strange's growing presence in the MCU, Marvel will most likely utilize his character to the same extent it did with Stark, and it's a near certainty he'll be massively important to whatever superteam shows up next, especially considering his history with such groups as the Illuminati in the comics. Doctor Strange's skill with magic will also certainly help him deal with a particularly weird time in the MCU's history in which Marvel Studios must find a way to introduce a new big bad as well as the previously absent characters once owned by Fox.
All of these factors indicate Doctor Strange will take on a role somewhat similar to Iron Man for the MCU as a whole. However, if this does indeed happen, Doctor Strange could very well meet a similar fate. Iron Man's death was pivotal for passing the MCU onto the next generation, and Doctor Strange's death could very well end up serving the same purpose. As an incredibly in-demand actor, Cumberbatch seems -- like Robert Downey Jr. -- unlikely to stick around the MCU forever, meaning he'll need to go eventually. As such, the most fitting ending for him might just end up being one in which he sacrifices himself for the greater good.
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Elizabeth Olsen. The film is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 25, 2022.