Avengers 4 Is Bringing Back An Important Doctor Strange Character

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Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a fascinating place right now, as the events of Avengers: Infinity War have put the entire future of the behemoth franchise in jeopardy. The Russo Brothers' blockbuster exceeded expectations in regards to both action and story-- managing to service a massive group of beloved characters in the process. Fans were left to wonder what could happen in Avengers 4, and it looks like the upcoming Phase Three finale will bring back yet another dead character.

Earlier this week, actor Frank Grillo (aka Captain America villain Crossbones) revealed that he'd have a flashback role in Avengers 4, despite his character dying during the explosive opening sequence of Captain America: Civil War. And it turns out that Tilda Swinton will return as her Doctor Strange character The Ancient One, as Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige recently revealed:

...When we got Tilda Swinton, she was just a 1-day availability.

Get your Cloak of Levitation ready, because it looks like The Ancient One is returning from the dead for Avengers 4. Now the question is, how significant will the appearance be? After all, she only filmed for one day.

Kevin Feige's comments from the Austin Film Festival (via Super Bro Movies) is just the latest casting news to comes from Avengers 4, after it was revealed that 13 Reasons Why star Katherine Langford will have a mysterious role in the upcoming blockbuster. But with both The Ancient One and Crossbones somehow returning for the upcoming movie, fans are left to wonder what macguffin could make this possible.

This latest report will add fuel to a popular fan theory claiming that Avengers 4 will involve time travel in some capacity. After Thanos successfully acquired the Infinity Stones, he was able to snap his fingers, and wipe out half the galaxy with the use of his Gauntlet. Audiences watched as countless heroes faded away to dust, with both the fans and surviving Avengers left to wonder what's next.

Obviously the MCU can't continue without characters like Black Panther and Spider-Man, but it's unclear if/how the fallen heroes will return. The answers may have come through Ant-Man and The Wasp's mid-credits scene, where Scott Lang was left in the Quantum Realm, which has been teased to have time and/or reality traveling capabilities. If Ant-Man starts going through wormholes, perhaps it'll transport him to a time where the Ancient One is still alive, before Thanos caused his own apocalypse.

It should be interesting to see how The Ancient One is used in Avengers 4, especially considering Doctor Strange was among the group of heroes who faded to dust during Infinity War's conclusion. Both set photos and Frank Grillo himself have confirmed flashbacks, so just about anything is possible.

We'll get some answers when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.