The pre-production on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is heating up, and with it comes all sorts of juicy news regarding the plot and characters (both old and new). Some are confirmed, some are rumored, but what’s obvious is that the cast list for the Doctor Strange sequel is going to be positively stacked.

Whilst fans debate about the meaning of the Multiverse of Madness title, and what (or who) causes Doctor Strange’s journey through the Multiverse, reports continue to pour in regarding new additions to the cast list, leading some to believe that the Doctor Strange film may have too many characters to handle.

The opposing argument is that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness having a large cast of characters is to be expected; after all, the Sorcerer Supreme will be traversing through infinite parallel versions of Earth (and potentially other planets), where he will meet all kinds of beings both familiar and otherwise. At the very least, each character’s inclusion will make for an exciting set piece or fun gag. This begs the question: which characters have been announced so far? Who’s confirmed, and who’s simply rumored?

The Scarlet Witch (Confirmed)

Long since confirmed to be appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda Maximoff is going to have pride of place in the highly-anticipated sequel. Whether or not she ends up being the movie’s Big Bad is anybody’s guess, but the character’s fragile mental state in the source material is an indication that the character could lose her grip on reality (or rather, multiple realities) in the film.

The character will first be seen in the upcoming Disney+ WandaVision, the release date for which was recently moved up to 2020. Expect that show to leave Wanda in a place (physically, mentally, or both) where we will find her at the onset of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Loki (Unconfirmed)

Whilst Kevin Feige has outright said that next Spring’s Disney+ show Loki will definitely tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he hasn’t actually said that Loki himself will appear in the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an alternate, past version of Loki has escaped into the time stream with a Tesseract. As audiences already know that this will send him on a time-hopping adventure, it’s easy to imagine that the Tesseract could lead him to Doctor Strange, or vice-versa; perhaps Strange’s trans-dimensional journey could lead him to cross paths with the Trickster. Time will tell, but as yet, there’s no word on whether Tom Hiddleston has joined this cast.

Nightmare (Theorized)

Although director Scott Derrickson recently left the movie under supposedly amicable terms, he is staying on as Executive Producer. Whilst this is most likely a ceremonial role, it’s possible that Derrickson can still exert some influence over the movie; including his first choice for the film’s villain: Nightmare.

One of Doctor Strange’s most well-known nemeses, Nightmare can still figure into the movie’s plot. As the ruler of the Dream Dimension, a visit to Nightmare’s realm could well be in order for Strange and the Scarlet Witch, considering their journey will take them across the Multiverse. Whether Derrickson ever got around to putting Nightmare in the script for the sequel isn’t clear, nor is whether Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios will retain any of Derrickson’s input whatsoever.

Mordo (Rumored)

Doctor Strange’s one-time ally Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor, last seen in the first Doctor Strange) is rumored to appear in the sequel. Whilst the website that reported the news, The Illuminerdi, reports that Ejiofor’s return is confirmed, the website is fairly new and as such, many of its exclusives are yet to be verified. There’s also no indication as to where exactly they are getting their exclusives from. The news should therefore be taken with a grain of salt.

It would be wholly unsurprising to have Mordo return, as Doctor Strange’s post-credits tag set him up as an antagonist for future installments of the franchise. His modus operandi at the end of that film was a new mission to extinguish the surplus amount of sorcerers abusing magic in the world.

With the focus of this sequel being Strange moving through the Multiverse, it seems unlikely that any part of the storyline would be preoccupied with Mordo going around, murdering sorcerers and stealing their power. It’s far more likely we’d see him turn up as a begrudging ally of the good doctor.

Brother Voodoo (Rumored)

Another character rumored to be making an appearance is the one-time Sorcerer Supreme Jericho Drumm, aka Brother Voodoo. The news once again comes from The Illuminerdi, and as confident as they are, nothing is set in stone. Supposedly, the information comes from a casting call asking for an actor of Caribbean descent, with Haiti being mentioned in the description. Jericho Drumm certainly fits the bill, if the report is accurate.

In the Marvel comics, Brother Voodoo becomes a sorcerer after investigating the death of his brother Daniel, a Houngan priest. In fact, we’ve already seen Daniel Drumm on-screen in Doctor Strange, as the sorcerer who guards the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York before Stephen Strange. Sadly, he’s killed by that film’s villain, Kaecilius. Notably, this allows for the possibility of his ghost to appear before Jericho Drumm in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — should Jericho actually appear.

America Chavez (Rumored)

The dimension-hopping teen hero of Young Avengers fame, America Chavez, aka Miss America, has also been reportedly confirmed for the sequel. Once again, the news comes from The Illuminerdi. Marvel is apparently casting a “teenage Hispanic female,” and America Chavez is an obvious go-to. The character’s basis in jumping in through time and space makes her an ideal candidate for Doctor Strange to come across in his own travels across the Multiverse.

America Chavez has fast become a fan-favorite over the years; a spunky attitude, cool wardrobe and a fun power-set make her a treat for readers. This isn’t the first time Miss America has been rumored to appear in the MCU so the reports could turn out to be correct after all.

Clea (Rumored)

Coming from the same rumor mill as Mordo, Brother Voodoo and America Chavez, are reports that Doctor Strange’s sometimes-love interest (as per the comics) and fellow magic user Clea will also be in the Doctor Strange sequel. Casting reports suggest that Marvel is looking for lead actresses aged between 20 and 40. Even if the rumor is true, it’s unclear whether Clea is the character they are casting for. It is extremely likely, considering the dearth of lead female characters in the Doctor Strange comics.

Strange’s love interest in the first installment, Rachel McAdams’ Dr Christine Palmer, is unlikely to have a place in the pan-dimensional antics of the upcoming sequel (much like Natalie Portman momentarily losing importance over in the Thor mythos, with his adventures to Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok). Could Clea be the character looking to fill that void?

Mystery Character (Confirmed)

Marvel president Kevin Feige recently went on the record to tease the appearance of a character in the movie that the studio has “always wanted to use”. He started by saying that the film will feature some characters that no one will “expect” or “guess”, with one in particular that the MCU team supposedly has wanted to include for some time.

Whether that character is Brother Voodoo, America Chavez or Clea isn’t apparent at this time. Feige could be referring to any one of them, or an entirely different character that he was obviously right to say that no one would expect, or guess. Viewers will just have to wait and see.

Alternate Versions of Familiar MCU Characters (Rumored)

MCUCosmic recently reported that the movie could feature alternative versions of familiar Marvel characters. The film revolves around Doctor Strange apparently delving into parallel worlds — why wouldn’t he come across people he recognizes, albeit in slightly different guises?

After all, that’s always been the fun of the Marvel What If? comics, themselves soon to be the basis for a new animated show on Disney+. The report also suggests that Marvel may utilize different actors to portray Captain America and Iron Man. This is something Warner Bros. recently did quite effectively with their televised Crisis on Infinite Earths.

With Marvel Studios known for keeping their actors in long-running contracts, it’d be a safe bet that Feige would ask his screenwriters to include some cameos for MCU stars in Marvel’s trip through the Multiverse. Especially after fan reaction to the Crisis small-screen crossover was so positive. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will no doubt include an exciting cast.

Next: Every Dead MCU Hero Returning In Phase 4

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