The second Marvel film that will release in theaters in 2022 is the long-awaited,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The sorcerer was last seen inSpider-Man: No Way Home, where he played a critical role in both causing and aiding the main problem Spider-Man faces.No Way Homebuilt off the concept of the Multiverse, which had already been introduced inWandaVision,Loki, andWhat If…?, and (re)introduced quite a few faces long-term Spider-Man fans recognized.
TheMultiverse of Madnesswill showcase a much more dangerous side of the Multiverse than what has been seen thus far. Anyone that sawEternalsin theaters received the first glimpse atthe Multiverse of Madness, as the teaser was shown during the second post-credits sequence. Now released, the teaser shows thatStrange will ask for the helpof other Marvel stars, including Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch. As the Multiverse continues to fester, it is impossible to know what Marvel has up its sleeve next.
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No Way Homewas plagued with rumors of special cameos for months prior to its release.The Multiverse of Madnessis no different, but its rumors are not rooted in the nostalgic appearances of previous adaptations of Doctor Strange, but rather other Marvel Comics projects. The most recent rumor suggests that Black Bolt (as played by Anson Mount) will appear inthe Multiverse of Madnessas the leader of the Illuminati. Of course,No Way Homehas given many hopes that there are plenty of other characters that will make a debut within the MCU in theDoctor Strangesequel.
GivenNo Way Home’sinclusion of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Charlie Cox, previous projects with no bearing on the MCU have now been made canon. This gives enough weight to the rumors that suggest other characters from Fox’sX-Menfilms,Fantastic Four,Deadpool, Sony’sGhost Rider, and the previous adaptations ofThe Incredible Hulkwill arrive. There are also plenty of rumored appearances of characters from pre-existing Marvel projects including those fromWandaVision,What If…?,Loki, andprevious stars ofDoctor Strange.
It is likely that some of these rumored characters will appear inthe Multiverse of Madness, asWandaVisionended with Wanda hearing her children call out to her. Therefore, the rumors that Billy and Tommy may appear actually have some bearing. OtherWandaVisioncharacters like Monica Rambeau would have little to give tothe Multiverse of Madnessexcept for preparing people forThe Marvels. FromLoki,only Loki and perhaps Sylviewould need to appear, as they are the only ones fully aware of the Multiverse.What If…?’sEvil Doctor Strange (or Strange Supreme) has already been spotted withinthe Multiverse of Madness’teaser, but fellowWhat If…?stars, the Watcher and Captain Carter are also largely unneeded.
As for rumors surrounding the various X-Men characters (including Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine,Halle Berry’s Storm, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Ian McKellen’s Magneto, and James Marsden’s Cyclops), Marvel has previously expressed interest in bringing some of these characters in, and while the Multiverse makes their introduction more seamless, it may take away from the plot of theDoctor Strangesequel. Unlike Maguire and Garfield’s appearances inNo Way Home, the X-Men have no way of spurring any growth in Strange as the former Spider-Man actors did for Tom Holland’s character.
The same argument could be made for rumors of Eric Bana and Edward Norton’s versions of the Hulk, Nicholas Cage’s Ghost Rider, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, Tom Roth’s Emil Blonsky, or Ioan Gruffudd’s Mr. Fantastic (or John Krasinski’s fan cast version of the hero). Without any personal impact on Doctor Strange, the only way any of these cameos could be effective is if they are utilized in a manner similar toCox’s Matt Murdock inNo Way Home. It was subtle and provided just enough to excite those already familiar with his character and intrigue those who did not watch the Netflix series previously.
No Way Homeappears to have made many Marvel fans cameo happy, inspiring rumors that while exciting, are far-fetched. Any surprise appearances made inthe Multiverse of Madnesswould need to be critical to the MCU’s future, whether it is in the character themselves or the internal change they inspire for the film’s name character.No Way Homemanaged to offer a bit of both between Cox, Garfield, and Maguire’s appearances, as the latter two affected Holland mentally and emotionally. On the other hand, Cox impacted the MCU’s future based solely on his appearance and whathis return may consist of in the future.
The Multiverse of Madnesscertainly has many possibilities because it centers around the Multiverse. However, just because something is possible, doesn’t mean it needs to happen (or at least not so soon). Marvel has already begun to introduce promising components for its futureincluding the Dark Avengers, the Young Avengers, as well as other heroes and villains who will likely play a huge role going forward.The Multiverse of Madness’ focus should remain with Doctor Strange, his supporting cast, and continuing to develop Olsen’s Scarlet Witch post-WandaVision. Any cameos that look to do accomplish anything else might be better suited for the post-credits.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessreleases in theaters on Jul 17, 2025.
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