Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: 10 Characters Rumoured To Appear In The Film

After the massive success of Spider-Man: Far From Home, MCU fans are eagerly looking forward to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the next MCU film to feature multiverse elements, and, possibly, characters. It has been suggested that most of the film's reshoots were to accomodate the filming of cameos for actors who were unavailable during the main shoot.

New evidence supports this, with audience members from a recent test screening for Multiverse of Madness reporting 'huge cameos' in the film. So, let's take a look at some of the characters rumoured to appear in the film.

1. An Iron Man Variant

During the casting process for the first Iron Man film, Tom Cruise was apparently the studio's choice for the role of Tony Stark. However, Jon Favreau pushed for Robert Downey Junior, and the rest is history. Everything turned out for the best, as it is hard to imagine anyone other than RDJ donning the Iron Man suit.. But soon, we may have to.

One of the most popular Multiverse of Madness rumours is that Tom Cruise will appear as a variant of Tony Stark, perhaps the white-suited version known in the comics as Superior Iron Man. It is thought that Doctor Strange will encounter the MCU's version of the Illuminati in this film, and Cruise's Stark would likely be a member of that group. A recent leaked picture possibly depicting Cruise on set in a motion capture suit has added fuel to this rumour.

2. Professor Charles Xavier

In Fox's first trilogy of X-Men films, Sir Patrick Stewart portrayed Professor Charles Xavier, a mutant with powerful telepathic abilities who serves as the leader and mentor of the X-Men team. He reprised the role twice more, first in the 'bad future' of X-Men: Days of Future Past, and then as an elderly, ailing Xavier in Logan. Stewart was viewed as a perfect casting choice for the character, with his portrayal almost universally loved by fans.

Now, rumours suggest that Stewart will reprise his role again in Multiverse of Madness. In the comics, Xavier is often involved with the Illuminati, so this could play into his possible role in the film. It is also rumoured that Xavier could face off against Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch. Some fans believe that James McAvoy, who played a younger/alternate timeline version of Xavier from X-Men: First Class through to X-Men: Dark Phoenix, could also appear.

3. Magneto

Sir Ian McKellen joined his close friend Stewart in the X-Men trilogy, playing the films' main villain, Erik Lensherr/Magneto, a powerful Mutant with control over all things metal. Once close friends, Magneto and Xavier grew apart due to their conflicting views on humanity. While Xavier believed Mutants would gain acceptance by helping humans, Magneto came to view Mutants as superior, and believed they should be dominant over humans. McKellen reprised the role in Days of Future Past, now working with Xavier in hopes of reversing the 'bad future'.

Like Stewart, McKellen is rumoured to return as Magneto in Multiverse of Madness. For some time during the comics, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were believed to be the children of Magneto. While this is later discovered not to be the case, and is not the case in the MCU, it might come up, even as an Easter Egg, if Wanda and Magneto were to come face to face in the upcoming film.

4. Wolverine

Over nearly two decades, Hugh Jackman starred as Wolverine/Logan, in the X-Men franchise. Originally possessing bone-claws and accelerated healing, the character's participation in the Weapon X program involved his skeleton being encased in the near indestructible metal, adamantium. Unfortunately, the experiment also left Logan with persistent amnesia.

After starring in seven films as Wolverine, and making cameos in two, Jackman made his final appearance in 2o17's Logan, reasoning that as much as he loved the character, he was getting too old to continue playing him. However, he has claimed that he would be willing to reprise the role for an Avengers film. A wide-reaching multiversal film like MoM is probably just as good, leading many fans to believe that Jackman might have been lured in for a cameo.

5. Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic

As mentioned earlier, MoM is believed to feature Marvel's Illuminati. In the comics, Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, leader of the Fantastic Four, is a prominent member of this group, leading fans to believe the character could appear in the film.

Ioan Gruffud and Miles Teller have previously played Reed in Fox's Fantastic Four films. However, Marvel Studios now have their own Fantastic Four reboot in the works. Some fans believe that MoM will debut the MCU version of Reed Richards, or at least a variant of him, as a tease for the F4 film. Recent rumours suggest that John Krasinski, a fan favourite casting choice, may have been officially cast in the role.

6. Captain Carter

In August of 2021, Marvel Studios' animated, multiverse exploring series What If..? premiered on Disney Plus. The first episode took place in a universe in which Peggy Carter is injected with the Super Soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers, becoming the hero Captain Carter. Captain Carter returned in the season finale as one of The Watcher's specially chosen Guardians of the Multiverse.

As What If..? was airing, Marvel Studios stated that there was a chance for the series' characters to cross over into live action projects, possibly as soon as MoM. While Supreme Strange's presence in the movie is more or less confirmed, some fans also believe Captain Carter could make an appearance. Hayley Atwell, who played Peggy Carter in all her MCU appearances, and voices Captain Carter in What If..?, is based in London, where the majority of MoM was filmed. A live-action appearance from the character could help promote What If..? season two, in which Captain Carter is already confirmed to reappear, as well as Marvel's new Captain Carter comic book.

7. Loki

As fans will know, Loki was the first MCU project to introduce the concept of the Multiverse, when it is revealed that He-Who-Remains created the Time Variance Authority in order to maintain the single sacred timeline and avoid a Multiversal war among his variants. Sylvie sends Loki back to the TVA before killing He-Who-Remains, allowing the multiverse to be born. Unfortunately for Loki, Sylvie sent him to the wrong timeline.

Some fans think they may have spotted a TVA doorway in the Multiverse of Madness trailer, leading fans to believe a Loki or Loki variant appearance could be possible. If we see the TV series Loki, the appearance will most likely be just a cameo, perhaps hinting or teasing the upcoming second season of Loki.

8. Ghost Rider

In Marvel comics, Johnny Blaze is bonded to Zarathos, a spirit of vengeance, after making a deal with Mephisto, the devil of the Marvel world, to save his adoptive Father. As part of this deal, Blaze is able to transform into a creature he dubs Ghost Rider when in the presence of evil, and forced to send the souls of the evil doers to Mephisto. Though beholden to Mephisto, Blaze is able to control himself while transformed, and uses the transformations to his advantage to aid the innocent.

Nicolas Cage portrayed Johnny Blaze in two films, Ghost Rider, released in 20o7, and it's sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, released in 2012. Rumours suggest that Cage could be reprising the role in Multiverse of Madness, perhaps teasing the arrival of Mephisto in the MCU.

9. Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man

From the early to mid 2000s, Tobey Maguire starred as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Director Sam Raimi's trilogy of Spider-Man films. At one point, a second full trilogy starring Maguire was planned, but eventually scrapped in favour of a reboot. As the first cinematic Spider-Man, Maguire holds a special place in the hearts of many fans. So, they were overjoyed to see him reprise the role as a variant Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Now, there may be a chance for Maguire to don the Spidey suit at least one more time. Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi, who, as mentioned above, also directed Maguire's Spider-Man trilogy. Raimi often writes cameos for actors he has worked with in the past, leading some fans to believe Maguire, dubbed 'Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man' by Marvel, could pop up in MoM.

10. Tommy and Billy Maximoff

In WandaVision's third episode, 'Now In Colour!', Wanda gives birth to twin sons, Tommy and Billy. The twins soon magically age themselves up, and from episode five onwards, Tommy and Billy are played by Jett Klyne and Julian Hilliard. While the twins supposedly fade from existence when Wanda lets down the hex over Westview, she hears them calling to her while studying the Darkhold in the series post-credits scene, hinting that there may be away for Wanda to get them back.

Shortly after Multiverse of Madness began filming in London, actors Jett Klyne and Julian Hilliard posted a picture together, in which some eagle-eyed fans believed they spotted part of Big Ben in the background. The picture quickly disappeared, but was enough to get fans excited about the possibility of the twins appearing in the film. the MoM trailer has Doctor Strange seeking out Wanda for help, in the comics, Wanda has an unfortunate tendency to be tempted or manipulated by outside forces, mostly due the detrimental effect that overuse of her Chaos Magic has on her psyche. The possibility of reviving her children could be enough to turn Wanda against Strange, if her wishes do not fit with his goal.

We'll be eagerly awaiting the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to see which of these rumours prove true.