In the lead-up to Captain America: Civil War's release this April, there seemed to be a never-ending list of classic comic book heroes making their sides known.

From existing Avengers like Black Widow and Hawkeye, to new additions to the MCU such as Black Panther and Spiderman, almost everyone seemed to have a clear side in the Iron Man vs Captain America showdown.

This October, sorcerous superhero Doctor Strange hits our screens as played by Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch, so we're posing the question: what if he had been a part of the Civil War action? After all, Spiderman and Black Panther are now set to receive standalone movies in 2017 and 2018 respectively, so wouldn’t this have been the perfect time for Doctor Strange to make his presence known, building the suspense for the new release?

Alas this was not to be. So instead, we’re going to take matters into our own hands in order to determine which team he would have joined.

#TeamCap

Although Doctor Strange has not appeared in any existing MCU films to date, he was referenced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when HYDRA agent Jasper Sitwell confessed that the Sorcerer was on a HYDRA watch list.

With Strange on the watch list, it seems reasonable to assume that he wouldn’t be the first to willingly follow government orders. Does that mean he would be more likely to side with Rogers?

During the course of the Civil War comic book, Strange did not actively pick a side, and instead was shown to house the renegade Avengers in his Sanctum Sanctorum during the aftermath. Would he have taken a different approach during this war?

#TeamIronMan

Doctor Strange is set in New York. Iron Man lives in New York. So how have they never interacted, you may ask?

When discussing the premise of the film, Marvel President Kevin Feige explained that Doctor Strange exists in his own world throughout the film. Since he seems to be only just developing his powers, it seems likely that he has simply had no reason to cross paths with any of the Avengers at this time.

However, with the rumour of Iron Man making an appearance in Doctor Strange, presumably during an end credits scene, is this a sign of a future alliance? Only time will tell, but we certainly wouldn’t be opposed to these two teaming up in the future.

The verdict!

Back in April, the Russo Brothers shared a fan-made image on Facebook, seemingly declaring that Doctor Strange was on Team Cap.

We’re still largely undecided. But with less than two months until Doctor Strange hits our screens, we’re willing to let it go and focus on our excitement for the latest Marvel adventure.

And hey, now that Doctor Strange has been officially integrated into the MCU, there’s nothing stopping him from making an appearance in future releases. Avengers: Infinity War, anyone?

What do you think? Which side would Doctor Strange be on? Tweet us @Cineworld and be sure to check out Doctor Strange when it hits our screens on October 28th.

Hannah Dixon is a writer who blogs for Cineworld as part of our news team.