Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.The multiverse is full of endless possibilities. There are an infinite number of universes featuring variants of characters we’ve seen and some we’ll meet for the first time. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes us on a wild ride through the multiverse, and we meet a crazy cast of characters along the way. We know about variants from the Loki series, and we even met different versions of Stephen Strange. Nine new characters made their MCU debut in Doctor Strange 2, and we’re breaking down every single one of them. If you’re firing up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Madness on Disney + this week, consider this your helpful guide to these cameos.
Patrick Stewart as Professor X
Professor Charles Xavier is the leader and founder of the X-Men. Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Professor X. This version of the character paid homage to the 1992 X-Men animated series with the yellow, futuristic wheelchair, mutant power effect, and even the theme song played when he first appeared. In the comics, Professor X is a core member of the Illuminati and frequently serves as the voice of reason during conflicts. Stewart’s performance was no different in Multiverse of Madness. His appearance and his scene with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) is a clear signal
Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel
On Earth-838, Captain Marvel is none other than Maria Rambeau. Lashana Lynch returns as Maria and possesses all the cosmic abilities we’ve seen from Brie Larson‘s character. We do not know the origins of Maria’s power, but we assume that it’s similar to how Carol received hers in 2019’s Captain Marvel. While Larson is set to return as Captain Marvel in the 2023 movie The Marvels alongside Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris, it is unclear if we’ll see a variant or another version of Maria Rambeau again. Given that the multiverse is now open, anything is possible!
John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic
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Reed Richards is the leader of the Fantastic Four and one of the most intelligent men in the universe. John Krasinski tackles the role of Mr. Fantastic as the character makes his MCU debut. The Fantastic Four was last seen in the 2015 film Fantastic Four (commonly referred to as Fant4stic) with Reed being played by Miles Teller, Ioan Gruffud previously played Reed in the 2005 film.
Reed also mentions his wife, Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, and his children, Franklin and Valeria Richards. We know that Marvel is moving forward with a franchise reboot, and Krasinski has been the top choice for the role among fans. He auditioned for Captain America in 2010, a part that went to Chris Evans. Can this reunion mean he’s finally a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or simply a fun cameo? We’re going to have to wait a bit longer to find out.
Anson Mount as Black Bolt
Blackagar Boltagon is the ruler of the Inhumans, advanced humans who reside on Earth’s Moon. The King made his first MCU appearance during the short-lived series. Inhumans. The critically-panned series was originally going to be a feature-length film but was reworked into a television series on ABC alongside Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Actor Anson Mount returns to the role of Black Bolt and is as stoic as ever. Black Bolt’s words are deadly, and so he is often silent. An infamous moment from The Inhumans series is when Black Bolt kills his parents by uttering the word “No.” Having the character return proves that Marvel is willing to acknowledge its past, good and bad. Will we see Inhumans return to the MCU one day? It’s unlear, but seeing Mount get a second chance at playing Black Bolt was great.
Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter
We first meet Captain Carter in the Disney + series What If …? In that timeline, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) receives the super-soldier serum and becomes the hero, Captain Carter, in events that are similar to Captain America: The First Avenger. She sacrifices herself, which results in her arrival. Doctor Strange 2 marks the first live-action appearance of Captain Carter, and Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Peggy. We can not say for sure if this version of Captain Carter is the same as What… If? But considering that Carter became a Guardian of the Multiverse, it’s probably safe to assume that the one we see in Doctor Strange 2 is a variant. This just means there is still a possibility we wil see Atwell and some other version of Peggy one day.
Charlize Theron as Clea
Charlize Theron appears in the mid-credits scene as Clea, ruler of the Dark Dimension. We do not know anything about the MCU interpretation of Clea, but we can briefly touch on the character’s comic book history. Clea is the daughter of Prince Orini and Umar (Dormmamu’s sister). She is the rightful ruler of the Dark Dimension and an immensely powerful being. In the comics, Clea and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) have a romantic relationship and eventually get married. Given that the movies seem to have closed the book on Strange and Christine (Rachel McAdams), it seems likely that we will get more romantic elements between the two sorcerers moving forward.
Bruce Campbell as Pizza Poppa
Bruce Campbell and director Sam Raimi are great friends. The two’s relationship dates back to the Evil Dead films in the 1980s. Since then, Campbell has had a cameo in most of Raimi’s projects. Most notably, Campbell appeared in all the Spider-Man films as various characters, and we learned that the canceled Spider-Man 4 would have seen Campbell as Mysterio in disguise. Pizza Poppa is an original character for the film, but his appearance is another cameo for Campbell. We first meet the character when Strange and America Chavez are on Earth-838 looking for food. Chavez mistakenly takes a plate of pizza without paying. Strange puts him in a time loop where he’s constantly hitting himself, and we don’t see him again until the final post-credits scene. It’s nice to know that Marvel still enjoys a good cameo once in a while.
Ross Marquand as Ultron
Ross Marquand has a special connection to Marvel Studios. He played Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame; he also voiced Ultron in What… If? and various other media like the VR game, Avengers: Damage Control. When Mordo apprehends Strange and Chavez, the two are guarded by Ultron Sentries, voiced by none other than Ross Marquand. While it’s not necessarily a return for the Ultron we know, it still is a quiet reminder of how pervasive the Artificial Intelligence can be in the multiverse.
Michael Waldron as Charlie’s Best Man
At the start of the film, we see Christine Palmer’s wedding, and as she’s marrying Charlie, we see Michael Waldron plays his best man. Waldron is a neat cameo because he is the writer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. What makes this even crazier is that Waldron is no stranger to the concept of the multiverse and alternate realities. He is best known for his work on Community, Lokiand Ricky and Morty. All shows touched on the concept of infinite realities, with Loki being a catalyst for the events of Doctor Strange 2.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now streaming on Disney +.
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