When last seen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Stephen Strange hopped off to an undisclosed alternate universe with Charlize Theron‘s Clea with the promise that he’d return again. However, despite a third film in the franchise rumored to have been fast-tracked, there’s been no official announcement from Marvel Studios just yet, leaving fans wondering when they might see the Master of the Mystic Arts again. As it turns out, his next appearance may not be as far away as some might think.
In an interview with Nick Hackworth, Benedict Cumberbatch revealed that plans are in place for him to step back into the role of Strange. After describing his next role as Pete Seeger in James Mangold‘s upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, Cumberbatch teased his return to the MCU.
“After that [A Complete Unknown],the only thing I think I know for certain is there are some Marvel capers in the making next year,” revealed Cumberbatch. And while the actor went on to clarify that he knows very little about the plans–and given the current climate in Hollywood, it’s easy to believe him–a little Sherlockian deduction might lead to some possible explanations.
Following Disney’s major reshuffling of their future slate of films, only two Marvel Studios films, Blade and Fantastic Four, are currently intended to release in 2025. Of those projects, only Fantastic Four is known to be scheduled to film in 2024 with Blade believed to be nearly ready to enter production as soon as the ongoing WGA strike comes to an end. Given Strange’s travels to Earth-838 make him one of only three MCU characters to have met that Earth’s version of Reed Richards, it isn’t too hard to imagine Strange interacting with the main continuity’s Mister Fantastic. Of course, that doesn’t take all other options off the table. There’s an Untitled Marvel film slated for February 13, 2026 which could potentially be either Doctor Strange 3 or another film in which Strange appears and it’s certainly worth pointing out that while Cumberbatch will be filming next year, he never indicated he was working on a film. With that in mind, it’s possible he’s joining any number of Disney Plus projects that are either known to be or rumored to be in the works. Unfortunately, with Marvel sitting out SDCC ’23, we’ll likely have to wait quite some time to find out what’s next for Strange.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened last year to a lot of fanfare box office-wise. While some may have not jelled completely with its horror elements, the film still had a lot to offer in building the future of the Multiverse Saga. We were introduced to what happens when universes collide and also get a tease of how other versions of the Avengers function.
The biggest reveal was the arrival of Clea, played by Charlize Theron, at the end of the film. She was part of the first post-credit sequence that sadly undermined the third eye reveal just seconds later, but still gave us a hint at what the future has in store with a major actress joining the franchise. Yet, it seems Marvel Studios has yet to get in contact with the actress as she revealed during Jimmy Kimmel Live.
I don’t. No, I haven’t gotten a call. I’ve not gotten a– Is that bad? Is that bad? Is that bad? No, I’m not lying… I haven’t gotten a call. Is that bad?
Charlize Theron
It’s not too surprising given that non of the upcoming projects really require a character like Clea in their stories. We’re taking a bit of a break from the sci-fi-heavy direction the franchise took with more “grounded” stories like Secret Invasion, Thunderbolts, and the new Captain America film. So, we might have to wait a bit until we see her return alongside Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange as they set out to correct the multiverse.
A Brand new concept art from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has caused quite a stir among fans. The artwork reveals an intense, graphic scene that wasn’t in the final cut of the film, as it showcases the death of our beloved Wong with his brain scattered on the ground. That is not all, as it also includes Mordo with a huge scratch mark on his face after fighting Scarlet Witch.
The level of detail in the concept art is sure to leave a lasting impression and has fans speculating about what the movie would have looked like if this stayed as part of the original vision. This new piece provides a glimpse into the intense world of Doctor Strange and certainly leaves us wondering what mature Marvel films will be able to offer to viewers in the future.
The head from Mordo is actually part of a deleted sequence that would’ve featured the Scarlet Witch decapitating the 616 version of the character as her way to intimidate Strange. It definitely would’ve made for an interesting way to set up the character but also would limit the use of Mordo in future projects as a result.
It’s definitely interesting to see just how much Multiverse of Madness has changed since its original vision. We don’t know if the decapitation was part of Scott Derrickson’s original take on the character or ifthis is more in line with Sam Raimi‘s usual gory take on horror. It’s not uncommon for early versions of the scripts and artwork to push the boundary as much as possible, but it makes you wonder what didn’t make it past the brainstorming stage.
Marvel’s rumor mill is ever changing with various ideas and projects at some point in development or another. Many things change over at Marvel Studios, which makes it often hard to truly understand what is going to happen and what isn’t early in a project’s development. sometimes it’s just throwing around an idea that could eventually blossom into an actual project.
Such might be the case with a new rumor shared on Reddit about a Strange Academy adaption, which would see Benedict Wong‘s Wong and Xochitl Gomez‘s America Chavez take on a major role of their own. In a way, this show would spin out of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where we last saw Chavez being trained in the mystic arts; a big new direction for her character compared to the comics.
They also point out that there’s a possibility elements from the upcoming Ironheart, like the character of Zelma Stanton, might have a role in this Disney+ series. They might set up elements for this show in that very series given how much it dives into the world of the supernatural and could even connect with the confirmed Agatha: Coven of Chaos series further exploring a different part o the supernatural.
Strange Academy was the Harry Potter of the Marvel Comics world, where new magic users would learn about the various gifts they were given. It would make for a great jumping-off point to introduce other minor magic users into the MCU and further explore the concept of Kamar-Taj beyond the little glimpses we get in the Doctor Strange films. Of course, it’ll remain a rumor until further confirmation.
It looks like the rumor mill is ablaze today, as one story after another has been hitting the web on what exactly the future looks like for Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve had to cast rumors for Fantastic Four, hints at various Disney+ shows, and many more, but it seems we have one more story making the rounds. Now, a new rumor from multiple sources has surfaced that Marvel Studios might be fast-tracking a third Doctor Strange film.
@GGeneralHolt8 better known as Greatphase has seemingly shared online what might be a major shift in the future plans of the MCU. Among them is that Marvel Studios hopes to release a new Doctor Strange film ahead of their next major Avengers film, TheKang Dynasty.
While it seems that rumors also picked up on Scott Derrickson, who directed the first entry, potentially returning for the third entry after leaving Multiverse of Madness over creative differences, there seems to be some uncertainty surrounding that detail. @BigScreenLeaks adds to hearing something similar about the third Strange film but not so sure about the Derrickson part.
For now, this remains another rumor but one that does make quite a bit of sense. The post-credit sequence and a major part of the film explore the multiverse, a major aspect of the upcoming Avengers film. Not only that, but we also meet someone who seemingly has knowledge about Incursions, which are very likely a big part of how the movies will tie the various multiverses together.
The only question is who they might get to bring this film to life and if Derrickson would return. While they didn’t come to a consensus on the second entry, he was still on board as an executive producer and fully supported Sam Raimi as the film’s new director. Not just that, but he has also openly stated he’s interested in working with Marvel again. So, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.
Tenoch Huerta’s Namor was one of the highlights of 2022 for Marvel Studios. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler was creative and clever in bringing one of Marvel Comics greatest and earliest characters to life and Huerta gave Namor a power and arrogance that seemed lifted right off the page. While it’s clear Namor will be back, it’s less clear when he’ll be seen again. Though audiences would probably be all in on a Namor-centric spinoff, Marvel Studios Parliament member Nate Moore that, as of now, Disney cannot produce such a project because the character’s live-action rights remain tied up at Universal. That means Namor, much like the Hulk, will have to appear as a supporting character in films or streaming series and Marvel Studios has plenty of those coming up. So where is the Feathered Serpent God likely to show up next? We have some ideas.
Captain America: New World Order and/or Thunderbolts
If the rumors about these two films, which are currently slated to come out back-to-back in 2024, are true then it would be a missed opportunity not to have Namor and Talokan make some sort of appearance. Of course, at present in the MCU (as far as we know) Namor’s underwater kingdom is still hidden from the wide world, with only the Wakandans being aware of its presence. But really, who knows what CIA Director Valentina Allegre de Fontaine knows? As fans have pointed out for some time now, it would make sense for Namor to have some interest in the massive corpse of a Celestial popping up in the ocean and if governments from around the world decide they want to start mining the corpse for its resources, that’s certainly going to lead directly to a more polluted ocean, something that Namor will not stand for. It’s also worth noting that part of the rumored plot of Thunderbolts includes an “evil Superman” who most believe to be Sentry. While the MCU Sentry is surely not going to have the power levels of his comic book counterpart, he might still be too strong for a group of Super Soldiers and non-powered folks to handle. Should the Thunderbolts mission lead to some sort of disruption of the ocean, it’s possible Namor could investigate and end up taking on Sentry.
World War Hulk
While this project still isn’t confirmed by Marvel Studios, the rumors around it are fascinating and there seems to be enough evidence that the trend of more Hulks (She-Hulk introduced 2 new ones in She-Hulk and Skaar) may continue. If/when that movie does hit the big screen, Namor’s presence in it could be of note. If Namor and Talokan are prepared to reveal themselves to the surface world, Namor would have an interesting choice to make. On one hand, he could emerge as a powerful ally in the fight against the Hulk. Namor and Hulk have fought many, many times in the comics and Namor has bested the Green Goliath more than once; on the other hand, he might also prove a powerful ally for Hulk, who he might see as a means to a very specific end: world domination.
Fantastic Four
Namor’s history with the Fantastic Four is so long and storied that it’s honestly hard to conceive of a cinematic universe that doesn’t prioritize their interactions. We don’t know who the villain of 2025’s Fantastic Four is, but it’s probably not Namor. That doesn’t mean, however, that some plot device or another couldn’t lead to the First Family coming into contact with Namor. Namor’s ongoing pursuit of Susan must be given its time in the spotlight!
Defenders
Marvel Studios cannot make a Hulk solo project and Marvel Studios cannot make a Namor solo project. Can Marvel Studios make a Defenders project that features both characters? With Namor now in the MCU, the founding members of Marvel’s most famous non-team are all present. To be honest, being able to throw Hulk and Namor in a movie just because it’s called Defenders instead of Hulk or Namor really seems to show how silly the whole business is, but even if it has to be called Doctor Strange and The Defenders, it still works great for me. With the rumored Silver Surfer project coming ahead of Fantastic Four, maybe he can join the fray as well. Kevin Feige waited a long time to have access to all of these characters, so not assembling them under one of their most well-known titles would seem wasteful.
Avengers: Secret Wars
When the survival of Talokan is on the line, Namor, ready or not, will have to reveal himself to the world. While the plot of Marvel Studios’ Secret Wars hasn’t been revealed yet, the film seems like it may be taking some inspiration from Jonathan Hickman‘s 2015 event where incursions threatened the existence of realities across the Multiverse. If that’s the case and Earth-616 is at risk, Namor would prove a powerful ally to Earth’s heroes. He was seen to be nearly indestructible in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (outside of Shuri’s plan), so keeping a water cooler on hand should relieve those concerns. And appearing in Secret Wars would allow Namor to interact with a handful of heroes he’s never shared the screen with due to right’s issues. Namor and Steve Rogers, anyone?
We’ve come to learn over the months after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ release that the film originally had many more cameos planned besides the already great additions we got. Among the many Illuminati members was the fact that Daniel Craig was going to play the role of Balder the Brave, a Thor stand-in for the multiversal group. We know that he couldn’t join the production and they ended up adding John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic.
Now, a new Instagram post has found a way online from Elizabeth Olsen‘s stunt double, CC Ice, who took to her personal Instagram account to look back at the filming of the brutal takedown of the team group at the hands of Wanda Maximoff at a rampage. In it, we get a good look at someone lying on the floor impaired by a sword. Going by the design, it’s clearly Balder the Brave.
For those wondering how there is a BTS image of him on the floor even though they couldn’t get Craig in the film, they used stand-ins for various roles before they could finalize who would eventually become a part of the production. It’s one of the results of the chaotic rumors being spread online due to how many eventualities they prepared for in case they could get some cast members to join the production.
It’s always interesting to see what may have been and it’s once again impressive how they made this team work together even though they didn’t film them all around the same time due to COVID restrictions. Plus, they managed to make the environment look as impressive as they did with the use of a green screen. It makes you wonder if we’ll get BTS images of other cameos that never made it into the final product.
Marvel Studios’ is no stranger to attracting fresh and veteran talent to become part of their Marvel Cinematic Universe. No matter the discussions online, they still have attracted some amazing talent throughout the years, such as the recent addition of Charlize Theron as Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It wasn’t a major role, but they definitely set the seeds for some massive storylines featuring the sorceress.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress revealed just how she ended up being inspired and getting into the franchise. Surprisingly, it seems that she’s just a recent joiner of the franchise, and has seemingly been pushed by her Old Guard crew to check it out. Not only did she give it a chance, but it seems that she’s fallen for the franchise and ended up binging it to catch up.
The simple answer to it is that it’s everything that I’ve said about Old Guard. If I can find the anchor, then I’m never going to be a snob about, like, ‘Oh, does this make me less of a powerful actor?’ I was ignorant, I didn’t know those [Marvel] movies well enough until a family who I consider, like, my adopted family had me watch them. They’re crazy Marvel fans, and I always used to make fun of them. Like, ‘Oh my God, you guys are such f-cking nerds.’ Then one spring break we rented a house and our kids were in a camp and they were like, ‘You need to fucking sit down and watch.’ So, we watched all the movies, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re so fucking good.’ And the kids got in on it, too, and it was such an enjoyable ride. And there’s a mythology around it and it’s been thought out over decades with Clea, and I’m challenged by that. Like, how do you reinvent that? So, I’m excited, but I honestly don’t know what the fuck it’s going to be.
Charlize Theron
The experience Theron is sharing is surprisingly not uncommon for those that didn’t join the hype train early on and ended up only recently becoming part of its development. It’s interesting to see that her binging may have also become an inspiration to join the franchise, and here’s hoping that we’ll see more of Clea in the near future after her introduction in Multiverse of Madness.
For the most part, every frame of every film is the culmination of an incredible amount of work done behind the scenes in pre-production. It’s a complicated process that some find daunting and the most laborious part of making a film. Marvel Studios films are typically full of visual spectacles that fans don’t see until they’re fully realized after dozens and dozens of hours of work by concept artists. However, for every piece of concept art that makes it through pre-production, there are countless more that don’t when the scenes they are created for are cut either from the script or end up on the editing room floor.
In that regard, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have been one of the most maddening films for concept artists whose work was never adapted to the finished product. Originally, the film was set to be directed by Scott Derrickson and it is very likely that a good deal of pre-production work was done before he departed the project. Sam Raimi took over the film with writer Michael Waldron and the two went to work on creating an entirely different film which meant all new concept art had to be created. At the heart of the film was a MacGuffin known as the Book of Vishanti, a magical tome that Multiverse of Madness co-producer Richie Palmer described as “a magical book that gives— if you’re good, it will give you the power you need to defeat any bad. It will fight the Darkhold; it is good, and it is pure.”
The film wasted no time introducing the Book of Vishanti as fans were thrown into the middle of America Chavez and a Variant Doctor Strange’s pursuit of the tome in the opening scene. With the Darkhold-influenced Scarlet Witch after Chavez’s powers, the Book of Vishanti, which Palmer described as the “greatest power of good” in the Multiverse became Chavez’s best hope at survival because it served as the antithesis of the Darkhold.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Book of Vishanti. It exists in the space between universes, and is not for any one sorcerer to wield or keep as their own. The Darkhold has the quality about it where you want to possess it and you want to keep it. The Book of Vishanti is the opposite. It’s for everyone and all sorcerers.
Richie Palmer
In the Marvel Comics, the book was created by Agamotto, the first Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. Agamotto was the son of the Elder God Oshtur and with her and the alien god, Hoggoth, formed a trio of god-like beings known as the Vishanti. Over centuries, the Vishanti became the guardians of Earth and its Sorcerers Supreme. Having served as Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange has come face-to-face with the group before and thanks to some newly located concept art created by Aaron Black, it seems that the idea for him to meet up with them in Multiverse of Madness was tossed around at one point.
Obviously, the Vishanti didn’t make the final cut and all that can be done is to speculate about what Strange’s visit to them might have entailed. The concept art for the trio is stunning, however, and given the importance the Vishanti play in the comics, it would not be surprising to see the idea revisited somewhere down the road.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow with many new iconic characters from the comics making their debut throughout the Phase 4 entries. While there are still quite a few questions on what the future has in store for them, there are a few that seemingly may have a bigger connection to the overarching plot of the Multiverse Saga. One of those characters is the recently introduced Clea, who appeared as a surprise cameo in the post-credit sequence of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Charlize Theron is taking on the role, but there hasn’t been any announcement or hint on when we might expect her in a future project. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she didn’t give away any details but did play around teasing that she is definitely going to return to the MCU at some point in the future.
Let’s just say I have some work to do… I don’t quite know who she is yet, but I will.
Charlize Theron
Her introduction in the MCU was certainly a random addition that many might not have quite understood, especially with how fast the post-credit followed up the events that finished the film. It’ll be interesting to see how they explore her ties to Dormammu or even if we get a sequel to Doctor Strange that leads into the new Avengers films. The Multiverse Saga has only just begun and there are many possible routes where she could return.
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