Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Marvel movies of 2022. Part of that is tied to the sheer amount of Marvel characters reportedly rumored to be showing up, and possibly adding to the chaos in this movie.
There are some pretty unbelievable rumors out there in regards to characters that might appear in the upcoming MCU movie, but with the power of the multiverse, technically, anything is feasible. Here are some of the rumors we’ve seen thus far about characters who might appear, as well as the odds of it actually happening.
Professor X
Rumors swirled for a while that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would bring in Professor X, and hearing Patrick Stewart’s voice in the latest trailer might’ve just confirmed it’s happening. Professor Xavier is part of Marvel’s Illuminati, a superhero group that Doctor Strange is also a part of. It’s possible we’ll see him as part of some storyline involving those characters, though when we tried to talk to Patrick Stewart about it, he was a bit cagey. He might just be playing coy, though, as it seems likely he’s appearing in this movie in his iconic role.
Iron Man (Variant)
Fans continue to theorize Iron Man might return to Marvel following the character’s death in Avengers: Endgame. The latest theory tied to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is that a variant of the character will appear, which is to say we’ll see Tony Stark played by another actor. Currently, the big rumor is that Tom Cruise will step into the role, considering he was once considered for the role way back in the day. Iron Man is a member of the Illuminati, so it’s plausible, but getting a big actor like Tom Cruise in the MCU feels unlikely.
Blade
Blade made a brief voice cameo in Eternals, but fans have yet to see Mahershala Ali in the MCU as the Daywalker. Given that tease, I think there’s fair enough reason to think he could appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but there’s added speculation he’ll appear thanks to a screenshot from the latest trailer. The screenshot (via ScreenRant) showed Doctor Strange facing a shadowed council in the distance, and one of them seems to be wearing a trench coat and has an object across his back. That’s essentially the signature look for Blade, so I think it’s very possible he’ll show up in the movie.
Ghost Rider
In one of the stranger rumors for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a widely reported rumor from Atlanta Film claimed that Ghost Rider is set to appear in the movie. The details are scant, but it’s reported that the hellish character will be released from some spiritual prison as a result of all the chaos ensuing in the movie. If it does happen, I’d be curious to see which version of Ghost Rider we get. Will it be the one played by Nicolas Cage, or actor Gabriel Luna from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? It could be someone else entirely, but we’ll just have to wait and see if this one is legit.
Captain Carter
Sometimes a brand’s social media can accidentally leak a spoiler for a movie, and when a company as big as Disney has to juggle so many accounts in different countries, things can fall between the cracks. Still, it feels a bit strange that the Italian account for Disney+ tweeted out what could be a clue that Captain Carter from What If…? might appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The tweet alleges her shield appeared somewhere else recently, referencing a recent poster for the movie where the shield is seen. It appears the Peggy Carter variant might appear in the movie, which makes us wonder if that doppelganger Strange is also the one from the animated series.
Monica Rambeau
The latest trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness features what seems to be a glowing hero (via Comicbook.com). There’s a few heroes in the MCU that can emit that kind of light, though the popular speculation at the moment is this is Monica Rambeau, who first received super powers during WandaVision when she forced her way back into Wanda Maximoff’s reality. Considering Wanda is in this movie, it does seem to make sense Monica might be as well. It’s even possible actress Teyonah Parris shows up as a variant Monica Rambeau, and drops the knowledge on the mainstream Marvel fans that Monica was once Captain Marvel as well.
Kang The Conqueror
The glowing figure in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer might be Monica Rambeau, but it could also be another prominent character introduced in the Marvel Disney+ shows. Epicstream believes that the glowing figure is none other than Kang the Conqueror, and considering he’ll allegedly have a lot to do in the MCU coming up, it’s not impossible. After all, in Loki, The One Who Remains teased that a worse version of himself will appear when the sacred timeline was broken. Could this be the start of one of those awful variants?
Loki
If there’s messiness with the timeline happening, one might think it makes sense for Tom Hiddleston’s variant Loki to make an appearance. After all, he’s mainly responsible for the multiverse at the moment, and there’s an orange glowing door in the trailer that seems to vaguely resemble the TVA portals. He’d certainly be of some help trying to make sense of all the chaos happening in the multiverse, though I’m not even sure he can tell the whole story of what’s going on here.
Balder The Brave
Balder The Brave is a Thor character that hasn’t appeared in the MCU yet, though there were plans at one point. The Illuminerdi reported rumors that Balder will appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and possibly fight alongside the multiversal heroes looking to right the world. In Marvel Comics, Balder is Thor’s half-brother and was once invulnerable to everything but mistletoe. Loki exploited that weakness through trickery, and while Balder healed from his wounds, he lost his nigh-indestructible power. Who knows what this character will be like when he debuts,
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness debuts for Marvel on Friday, May 6th. It’s just one of a few great upcoming Marvel movies on the way to theaters in 2022, so be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on these upcoming movies.
