Mild spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe expanded a ton with Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was a record-breaking success for Sony. The massive crossover movie wrapped up Tom Holland’s trilogy, while also planting narrative seeds for future installments, including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But did No Way Home originally include yet another tie to that upcoming sequel?
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange played a big role in Tom Holland’s third solo movie, with this spell gone wrong being the catalyst for exciting multiverse action. The end-credits scene also featured a teaser for The Multiverse of Madness, but it turns out that there could have been another connection to that movie. Namely by including newcomer Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez. We learned via some unused concept art, check it out:
What is this? pic.twitter.com/dZhjUwMSQtJanuary 8, 2022
And just like that, I’ve got FOMO. While Spider-Man: No Way Home featured more comic book characters than you could shake a stick at, it turns out that the idea of introducing America Chavez to the MCU was tossed around. In the end this was scrapped, although her role in Doctor Strange 2 is expected to be significant.
The above image comes to us from Twitter, and is sure to quickly go viral. Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home has been out for a few weeks, the cast and crew are finally able to open up about the creative process free from worries about spoilers. And as concept art trickles out, so will ideas that were ultimately left on the cutting room floor. That includes the introduction of yet another Marvel hero.
While Marvel fans always want more, it makes sense that America Chavez’ introduction to the MCU would be held until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The ensemble for Sam Raimi’s highly anticipated blockbuster is far smaller, so there will be adequate time to service Xochitl Gomez’s super strong character. She can be seen in a few brief shots from the sequel’s teaser, which you can see below:
Of course, exactly what Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will contain is almost a complete mystery at the time of writing this story. Sam Raimi ran a tight set, with no major leaks arriving– despite the extended filming time. It sounds like Raimi is going to be leaning on his horror roots, and creating a movie that’s far more scary than other MCU installments. The teaser definitely shows that new tone, especially when a seemingly evil version of Strange is shown.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is still in theaters now, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will follow suit on May 6th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
