Doctor Strange 2 is called Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is an awesome sequel title. It will be jam-packed with, well, multiverse madness as well as tie-ins to Disney+ series WandaVision and Loki. And apparently it will feature the debuts of some new Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. Which ones? You'll never guess.
Seriously. That's what Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige says. You won't be able to guess. Sounds like a dare to me -- never underestimate Marvel Comics fans!
Here's what Kevin Feige said during a recent panel talk at the New York Film Academy. He was asked about how the MCU decides to introduce certain characters:
Sometimes you're choosing the title hero, you're choosing which main character or main team you want to bring to the screen and oftentimes, it's as you're making and developing the movie [asking] 'Who will come into it?' and 'Who will fit into it?' The next Doctor Strange film, for instance, features some new MCU characters that will be making their debut in that movie you won't expect or won't guess who it is, but we found a cool way to make it work because we want to make a particular type of movie there and there was a character we always wanted to do something with who will fit really well there.
OK, so he first says "new MCU characters" and then later specifies one in particular that will fit well in the Doctor Strange sequel. Who? If we won't expect or guess them, then I imagine they aren't the previously announced characters getting their own Disney+ series -- Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. It was previously confirmed that all three will be appearing on the big screen in MCU movies after their Disney+ debuts, which are expected in 2021 or later. No specific dates yet. (Both The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision are coming in 2020, which is great news.)
At this point, we can't talk about Marvel movies without also talking about the Disney+ shows, much to the consternation of Marvel fans who don't have Disney+ yet. Kevin Feige previously said WandaVision would have "repercussions for the entire future of Phase 4 of the MCU."
He also previously said this about Doctor Strange 2:
The multiverse is the next step in the evolution of the MCU, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is gonna crack it wide open in ways that will have repercussions for a Disney+ series just before it, that’s not WandaVision, and for movies just after it in a big, fun way.
The Disney+ series just before Doctor Strange 2 should be Loki. The movies right after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are Spider-Man 3 -- which could obviously benefit from a multiverse angle, especially if it's going to be the last movie before Sony grabs Tom Holland for an entirely new set of movies -- and Thor: Love and Thunder.
But now is your chance to show off your Marvel Comics knowledge. Kevin Feige doesn't think you'll expect or guess what new MCU characters are coming in Doctor Strange 2. Maybe he's just testing fans, or maybe he's going to throw deep cut curveballs that genuinely stump everyone. But if you have ideas on who could show up in Doctor Strange 2, speak now or forever wish you had.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, directed once again by Scott Derrickson, is currently scheduled for release in theaters on May 7, 2021. Keep up with everything heading to the big screen this year with our 2020 movie release date schedule.
