Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is rumored to feature plenty of multiverse cameos, but that could actually be a huge problem for the sequel. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is growing in many different ways after the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. This includes the real introduction of the multiverse in Phase 4. These other universes have been explored so far in Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, but it is no secret that Benedict Cumberbatch's sequel will explore the multiverse in a much bigger way. As a result, there is a growing expectation that Doctor Strange 2 will feature a heavy dose of cameos.

The MCU has long made a point of connecting its properties together by including character crossovers in new properties. Phase 4 has taken Marvel Studios' use of cameos to the next level, though. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings included cameos by Wong and Abomination, while Bruce Banner and Captain Marvel made surprise appearances in the post-credits. Spider-Man: No Way Home even brought Charlie Cox's Daredevil to the MCU through a cameo. The interconnectivity and desire for more crossover has perpetuated a mentality within the MCU community that the more the better, and anything imaginable is now on the table thanks to the multiverse.

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Not only has the MCU started to introduce its own multiverse characters through LokiMarvel's What If...?, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, but there are decades of non-MCU Marvel movies that can now be connected. No Way Home already showed how this is possible with the inclusion of Sam Raimi and Marc Webb's creations. This has put all eyes on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and its cast list. The movie only officially has Doctor Strange, Wong, Scarlet Witch, Baron Mordo, Rachel Palmer, America Chavez, and two Strange variants as part of its story. But, rumors continue to swirl that Doctor Strange 2 will utilize the multiverse to include some big cameos - which could be a problem.

Why Doctor Strange 2 Has So Many Rumored Cameos

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The rumors about various multiverse characters appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have existed since the movie's multiverse story was first revealed. There are essentially three different types of multiverse characters expected to cameo in the sequel: characters already confirmed to be part of the MCU multiverse, new variants of characters established in the Sacred Timeline, and characters previously featured in non-MCU Marvel content. Loki and Sylvie from Loki, Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, or Captain Carter fall under the first description, while something like Tom Cruise as Iron Man or Chris Evans as Hydra Cap are examples of the second category. The third type could account for everyone from Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, James McAvoy's Professor X, Nic Cage's Ghost Rider, Wesley Snipes' Blade, or Ioan Gruffudd's Mister Fantastic.

Due to the multiverse story of Doctor Strange 2 and the high level of secrecy surrounding the actual production, it is impossible to know whether any of these rumors are legitimate. New multiverse cameo rumors seemingly pop up every week online too, which has only added to the confusion about who is and is not in the movie. For the time being, though, Doctor Strange 2 is the perfect place for Marvel to pull off some of these cameos. Similar to how No Way Home was a celebration of two decades of Spider-Man films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could connect the entire history of Marvel movies together. It is no surprise Marvel Studios would want to do this considering how much audiences seem to love tying the multiverse together in this fashion.

No Way Home’s Multiverse Characters Were Great (Because Of Their Roles)

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The idea of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness including some of these cameos comes after Spider-Man: No Way Home made it look quite easy to use so many multiverse characters at once. Tom Holland's third solo film brought back Spider-Man's Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Spider-Man 2's Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Spider-Man 3's Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), The Amazing Spider-Man's Lizard (Rhys Ifans), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Electro (Jamie Foxx). These five villains played major roles in the movie, as it was Peter's mission to find and save them instead of sending them to die in their original universes. Spider-Man: No Way Home also included the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their live-action Spideys, while Tom Hardy's Venom even appeared in the post-credits.

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Although there was plenty of concern heading into Spider-Man: No Way Home about all of these multiverse characters appearing, Jon Watts' movie did an excellent job of including them. One of the keys to making it work, though, was giving each of these characters substantial roles. Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro received the biggest roles of the villains, but even Sandman and Lizard were around for most of the movie. The same is true of Maguire and Garfield, who were in almost half of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Although some may have just been happy to see these characters back in any capacity, the movie made the smart decision to make their appearances matter.

The villains and former Spider-Men had meaningful and important roles in No Way Home's story and Peter Parker's arc. Hardy's Venom is arguably the only real exception to this—seemingly included as a clever way to bring the Venom symbiote into the MCU—which is why it was smart of the movie to keep his role relegated to the post-credits. If Marvel and Sony relegated these characters to smaller roles, it is quite possible that Spider-Man: No Way Home wouldn't have been as well-received, as audiences may have felt disappointed by their appearances.

Doctor Strange 2’s Multiverse Cameos Could Miss No Way Home’s Point

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As exciting as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' cameos could be, they also will likely go completely against how No Way Home used its multiverse characters. This could be a huge problem for the MCU as audiences might now be expecting the multiverse characters to have similarly large roles. The movie already has confirmed a key quartet of heroes in Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Wong, and America Chavez, along with two Strange variants. With so many characters already involved, it points to these rumored Doctor Strange 2 characters being nothing more than cameos. As a result, the various surprises could feel forced and like fan service rather than something that had to happen for the sake of Strange's sequel.

Marvel Studios could once again surprise viewers when Doctor Strange 2 arrives, but it is difficult to imagine many of the multiverse characters having substantial roles. Whether it is Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, John Krasinski as Reed Richards, or Michael B. Jordan as a multiverse Killmonger, these characters aren't great fits to play major roles in the sequel. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness should build to a magical finale that puts the fate of the multiverse in the balance. Seeing glimpses of the other universes in danger is all well and good, but it severely limits the possibilities of these multiverse characters. Unless Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness really subverts expectations and sees Strange assemble a huge super team with characters from different universes, these multiverse cameos could ultimately disappoint audience members in May 2022.

More: Doctor Strange 2’s Cameos Can Fix Phase 4’s Fatal Mistake

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