The film is full of enormous shocks in the form of cameos, much like the Multiverse is full of chaos. Despite the fact that Tom Cruise did not reprise his role as Iron Man in the sequel to Doctor Strange, several other casting speculations were confirmed.
And in this video, we’ll look at all of the key cameos and special appearances that might have a big impact on how Marvel’s Phase 4 unfolds in the near future. Having said that, this video will feature major Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the film yet, you know what to do.
Reed Richards
If you’re watching this video, I’d like to assume that you very well know who Reed Richards or Mister Fantastic is. But for those few who do not know him, he’s a member of a Marvel superhero group that goes by the name Fantastic Four. In fact, he is the de facto leader of the group, which includes his wife Susan Storm or the Invisible Woman, her brother Johnny Storm or the Human Torch, and Benjamin Grimm or The Thing.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirmed the rumors about John Krasinski playing Mr. Fantastic, who is not only the smartest person alive but also a superhero who can elongate and mold his body to extraordinary levels. All the members of the Fantastic Four, including Reed, gained their superpowers after encountering a cosmic mishap while on a mission in deep space.
The character was played by Alex Hyde-White in the 1994 Fantastic Four film and then by Ioan Gruffudd and Miles Teller in the 2005 and 2015 films, respectively. It is largely unknown if Krasinski will reprise his role in the upcoming Fantastic Four film because he was turned into some stretchy spaghetti while Wanda was on a murderous rampage. However, we hope to see Krasinski star in the role. Even though his character is that of an exceptional scientist, he truly is an exceptional actor and director.
Professor Charles Xavier
Although Marvel kept all the members of the Illuminati a secret, the only exception was that of Professor X. The man needs no introduction because we all know him as the leader of the good mutants or the X Men. However, he never made an appearance in the MCU until now, and his alliance with the MCU was more or less confirmed in the trailer for Multiverse of Madness. Nevertheless, people’s doubts were put to rest in the film as he appeared as not just a member of the Illuminati, but rather its de facto leader.
Played once again by the legendary Patrick Stewart, this was the first time a mutant of his stature joined the MCU. In one of the latest interviews, Patrick confirmed that he’d love to reprise his role. But then again, Wanda eliminated the Professor by snapping his neck while he was in the mind of Wanda from Earth 838. Having said that, there’s quite a possibility that the Illuminati of the main universe or the universe of Earth 616 may have a role to play in the days to come.
Captain Marvel
When the trailer dropped down, we all thought Bree Larson was playing Captain Marvel in Doctor Strange 2. But Marvel had other things on mind and surprised us all by depicting Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel of Earth 838. Lashana had played the character of Maria Rambeau in the first Captain Marvel film and is all set to reprise her role in the upcoming film The Marvels, which is supposed to introduce Ms. Marvel.
The film never focused on how Lynch’s character became Captain Marvel, but Marvel shows such as Loki and What… If? have been of great help. These shows enlightened us about beings called Variants, who represent the same characteristic features and perform the same duties in different universes, but they can be entirely different people in the different universes.
For instance, we know that Spiderman has at least three different variations, while Doctor Strange is always someone called Stephen Strange, who looks exactly the same in all the different universes. However, she meets a grisly end at the hands of Wanda. But then, she dies because of a statue falling on her. I mean, does Marvel remember the feats that Carol Danver’s Captain Marvel achieved in the previous MCU films? Nevertheless, only time will tell if Lynch will ever get to play Captain Marvel again.
Captain Carter
For anyone who ever saw the What If show on Disney Plus, the character of Peggy Carter as Captain Carter, or an alternate version of Captain America, was not a surprise. She was introduced in the first episode of the show, which shows that it was her who received the super-soldier serum instead of our beloved Steve Rogers.
However, it is unknown if Captain Carter from Earth 838 was the same one from the What If episode. She wields a shield with the Union Jack emblazoned on it, instead of the star that the shield Steve Rogers has. For everyone with a keen eye, her cameo was subtly teased in the trailer, and the internet was flooding with rumors of Hayley Atwell’s portrayal of Captain Carter in Doctor strange 2.
And despite all the rumors, the crowd at the theatre went haywire at her appearance, and for the right reasons. As a member of the Illuminati, she serves as the righteous variant of Captain America, but like almost all Illuminati members, she suffered a gruesome death after facing the heat of Wanda’s rage. However, it was her and Captain Marvel who gave Wanda a tough fight.
Black Bolt
So we got some massive A-Lister cameos as members of Earth 838’s Illuminati, but one rather obscure member of the Illuminati was BlackagarBoltagon or simply Black Bolt. The character made his first live-action adaptation in the 2017 ABC show titled Inhumans. His voice is so powerful and destructive that the man chooses to remain silent and only communicates through sign language, a spokesperson, or his limited telepathic abilities. He does so to prevent others around him from getting harmed because of his extraordinary capacity for channeling and harnessing both particles and electrons.
Anson Mount reprised his role from the ABC TV show, which depicted him as an Inhuman, who is much like mutants; the only difference is that mutants are born with powers, while Inhumans learn to control their powers over time. The movie depicted Black Bolt as the assassinator of Earth 838’s Stephen Strange. Furthermore, Black Bolt is the ruler of Attilan, which is the homeland of all Inhumans. It seems that Kevin Fiege and Sam Raimi wished to redeem this underrated but powerful character, and they’ve done the job well by bringing him out of the dark dimensions of obscurity and ignorance.
Rintrah and Gargantos
In the first third of the film, we see Doctor Strange taking America Chavez to Kamar Taj for her own protection. However, it is soon revealed that she is under threat from Wanda. At Kamar Taj, we see Rintrah, a green minotaur from the planet of Ra-Vaal, who once helped Strange fight a mystical entity named Urthona, and later, Rintrah served Dr. Strange as an apprentice. The inclusion of a new character like Rintrah is opening new doors for a massive expansion of MCU’s phase 4. Furthermore, we all know how Strange had been fighting an octopus-like monster called Gargantos; this creature was actually based on a more nefarious Marvel villain called Shuma Gorath.
Clea
Probably the most surprising and equally important cameo of the film came in the form of Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Clea, Dr. Strange’s wife and niece of the evil entity Dormammu. Charlize appears in the mid-credit scene and asks Strange to fix the Incursions in the Multiverse. Clea met Strange when he traveled to the Dark Dimension on the orders of the Ancient One.
The two of them soon fell in love and went on many adventures together, but eventually, they sort of fell apart. However, that doesn’t mean their story came to an end. Clea learned sorcery under the guidance of Strange and even became the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension. Over a period of time, she came to Earth to live with Strange, but the two of them were in a long-distance relationship because Clea often left for the Dark Dimension, to protect it from Dormammu, her uncle.
According to the latest story arc, Doctor Strange died after breaking a deal he made with the uber-powerful Mephisto, and Clea has taken not just the mantle of Earth 616’s Sorcer Supreme, but also Stephen’s surname. She now calls herself Clea Strange. It is important to see how Charlize Theron will perform her part in the MCU, but one thing that’s certain is that an actress of her stature is surely going to do massive things in Phase 4.
Bruce Campbell
Well, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have collaborated with each other since the Evil Dead days, and they continue to do so even today. Campbell appeared once during the run time of the film and once in the end credits, where he broke the fourth wall and told the audience that the film was over.
The scene reminded me a bit of the end credit scene from Deadpool, where he talks to the audience and tells them to go home, for the movie was over. Bruce serves as the owner of a small eatery called Pizza Poppa in Earth 838. However, he and Strange get into a bit of an argument, and Strange casts a spell that forces Bruce’s character to punch himself for three straight weeks.
Defender Strange
Well, some people have discarded Defender Strange as Doctor Strange with a ponytail, but they failed to realize that this Sorcerer Supreme with white magic coming out of his sling ring was none other than Defender Strange, the apparent leader of a loose group of superheroes called the Defenders.
This group included the Hulk, but they never really functioned in any great coordination because almost always, each member had their own personal agenda. Nevertheless, they fought several mystical and magical threats and sought to save the universe. In the movie, Defender Strange is killed at the very beginning, but it will be noteworthy to see if he appears again in another MCU film. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening are indeed slight.
Sinister Strange
We got the first-ever digital glimpse of Sinister Strange in the fourth episode of the Marvel series, What If. Although the Sinister Strange appearing in the movie and the one from the animated show are different, they bear uncanny resemblances. To begin with, they both get into the practice of forbidden sorcery in order to get their love of life, their respective Christine Palmers.
However, both of them fail miserably, so much so that the weapons they use to be one with Christine, exact heavy tolls on them. The film Sinister Strange lives in a universe that seemed to fall upon itself, and was destroyed. Under these circumstances, we see the main Stephen Strange visit Sinister Strange to seek help, but unfortunately, they end up fighting each other, and Sinister Strange falls through a window and gets gutted by railings.
These were the few most important cameos that we saw in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Which one of these do you think is going to have the most impact on the future of MCU and its Phase 4? Let us know in the comments.