Not even six months after the fan-favorite monster hit Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Marvel multiverse is set to expand once again with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The highly anticipated follow-up finds itself in a unique position. Not only does it obviously have to be a worthy successor to 2016's Doctor Strange, but it also has the added stress of continuing storylines and concepts set up in No Way Home as well as WandaVision and Loki. If that wasn't enough, Marvel fans are very much looking forward to the long-awaited return of director Sam Raimi, who hasn't directed a feature film since 2013.
With the surely unbearable weight of these massive expectations, not even the so-called Sorcerer Supreme can carry this burden alone, hence why the film seems to have amassed an impressive ensemble cast of characters. Some of these characters are familiar faces, others will be introduced to MCU fans for the very first time, and a couple may even be ghosts of Marvel movies past, so here's a comprehensive guide to the many characters of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and who will be portraying them.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange
It cannot be understated the vital importance that Doctor Strange has within the Marvel comics universe, and that same level of importance seems to be carrying over into the MCU. Brought to life in yet another case of flawless casting with Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch, Strange's long Marvel movie journey began in his aforementioned feature film in 2016. His dramatic character evolution began as an overconfident surgeon who lost the use of his hands after a serious car accident, leading him to seek radical treatment options before finally stumbling upon a magical monastery where he learned the ways of sorcery. Since then, despite only having one solo film, Strange has returned in numerous supporting roles, including parts in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The latter film saw Strange attempt to assist his young friend in making the world forget his secret identity, but instead, he found himself opening a brief portal to other dimensions. Now it seems another multiversal catastrophe is on the horizon, but now instead of a handful of Spider-Man's foes, an entire legion of inter-dimensional figures could invade the MCU.
It looks like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is also going to bring in alternate versions of the Sorcerer Supreme. Judging from the trailers, there appear to be at least three alternate variants of Stephen Strange, with the first of them possibly being the variant known as Strange Supreme, first introduced in the animated anthology series What If...?. His story involved him becoming mad with power in an attempt to save his beloved Christine, ultimately destroying his own universe in the process. The second and easily most stylish variant seen so far has been referred to as "Defender Strange". He's the one with the more superhero-y attire and the rocking ponytail, and his outfit seems consistent with the character's comic run with the superhero team known as The Defenders (not to be confused with the team made up of the Netflix characters). The last variant appears to be a disgustingly vile "Zombie Strange", who may be from the alternate Marvel Zombies timeline seen in What If...?. Whether he's a major villain or just a quick obstacle in the road, this horrifying iteration of a beloved Marvel character fits in with the film's alleged horror-centric tone.
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / The Scarlet Witch
Elizabeth Olsen's initial debut as Wanda Maximoff didn't make as big of a splash as other characters, most likely due to her first proper appearance being within the mixed bag that is Avengers: Age of Ultron. Since that point, however, she has slowly climbed her way up to become a fan favorite. Not only was she given much more to do in Captain America: Civil War and the following Avengers movies, but she truly came into her own in WandaVision. Her show was a wholly unique entry into the Marvel franchise, adding a true layer of complexity and nuance to her conflicted character as she officially takes on her comic moniker of the Scarlet Witch. The show also created a crossroads for Wanda where she could become Marvel's most powerful hero or its most dangerous villain, and it looks like the Doctor Strange sequel is set to continue her on that road.
Her unique reality-altering abilities are most likely what led Doctor Strange to seek her out, as he finds her wallowing in exile after her problematic actions in WandaVision. Though Strange certainly expected Wanda to be an ally to him, it will most assuredly be a major challenge for Wanda to resist the allure of alternate dimensions, many of whom may even include realities where her beloved Vision and their children still exist.
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo
The inclusion of Karl Mordo in the original Doctor Strange film came as no surprise to seasoned Marvel fans, as the two wizards have had a long and bitter rivalry in their comics origins.
Comics Mordo is the closest thing Strange has to an arch-nemesis, being his magical equal in every way, shape, and form. Chiwetel Ejiofor's take on the character rained in the villainous aspect a bit and introduced him as a friend and mentor to Strange as his teaching in the magical arts began. By the film's end, he chose to leave his sorcerer companions, and has seemingly taken on a more sinister identity with an end credits sequence where he declares "No more sorcerers."
Mordo's new anti-wizard sentiment is certainly going cause him to come to blows with his former companion, but it remains to be seen if he will become a well-intentioned anti-hero or a full-blown evil sorcerer like his comics counterpart.
Benedict Wong as Wong
Benedict Wong wasn't just cast in the role due to him sharing the character's same surname, as he's proven to be yet another fan-favorite MCU character. Similar to Mordo, Wong's feature film version varies quite a bit from the comics, and certainly for the better. Instead of being Strange's butler and servant, Wong is not only Strange's equal in magical abilities but is also consistently his superior. He was first introduced as Strange's strict instructor and mentor before Strange was named Sorcerer Supreme. And after Strange was snapped away by Thanos for five years, Wong took over the title. Despite taking Strange's old job, Wong and Strange still maintain their friendship, and they'll need the friendship to thrive in the mad days ahead.
Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez
The only character on this list who isn't a familiar face, relative newcomer Xochitl Gomez will be bringing to life one of Marvel's more recent heroes. In the comics, America Chavez hails from an entirely different dimension, one that is so perfect that it's literally called the Utopian Parallel. Her journey into super-heroism began when her two mothers gave their lives to save their dimension, prompting Chavez to protect the innocents of other universes. Oh, and her origins also gave her the superhuman abilities of super-strength, flight, and inter-dimensional travel. The character's origin story has been drastically modified in recent years so it's possible that the MCU version will have a completely new background as well. Chavez's role in Multiverse of Madness has largely been kept under wraps, so fans of Marvel's first Latin-American LGBTQ+ representative will just have to wait and see if her MCU story will be accurate to the comics or something completely new.
Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer
The Notebook's Rachel McAdams will be returning as Dr. Christine Palmer. Palmer served as Stephen Strange's conscience of sorts in the first film, helping the cocky surgeon move on with his life and find a higher purpose. Apart from a couple of moments where she helps Strange, her role wasn't too massive, especially in comparison to her comics inspiration where she became the vigilante physician Night Nurse (again, not to be confused with the Netflix counterpart of Rosario Dawson's character). From her brief appearances in the trailers, it appears that Strange's on-and-off relationship with Palmer may finally be coming to an end as she appears to be getting married to someone who isn't the heroic sorcerer.
Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne as Billy and Tommy Maximoff
Wanda's twin children who first appeared in WandaVision will be returning in Multiverse of Madness, perhaps signifying Marvel's biggest push for their Disney+ content yet.
In WandaVision, the two children were the children of Wanda and Vision, and they found themselves aging rapidly, seemingly due to their superhero parentage. The reality behind the situation is actually far more tragic, particularly for Wanda. As fans of WandaVision know, almost everything in Wanda's neighborhood was created through her own subconscious desire to have a normal life and family. This means that Billy and Tommy technically don't exist, and ultimately never really did. They were just manifestations of Wanda's grief after Vision was killed by Thanos. Even though Wanda put her fantasy to rest, the end credits tease of WandaVision reveals that she's still haunted by Billy and Tommy's voices, but it's unknown if the twins somehow still exist or if they are another figment of Wanda's imagination.
Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier
With Marvel's clear interest in the multiverse concept with their recent projects, there's a lot of speculation regarding who could be making cameo appearances in the upcoming movie. Since No Way Home brought in characters from two dormant continuities, fans have speculated that characters from the older franchises like X-Men and Fantastic Four could appear. These theories have ranged from feasible appearances like Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool to more out-of-the-box ideas like Nicolas Cage as Ghost Rider and Tom Cruise as a Tony Stark variant (Sam Raimi fans will also be delighted to know that Bruce Campbell is confirmed to make a cameo appearance).
Amidst this rampant speculation, one appearance was officially confirmed with the return of Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier. Fans understandably may be wondering what the founder of the X-Men is doing in an MCU movie, and his role seems all but confirmed with the recent confirmation that the Illuminati will have a role in the film's plot. The Illuminati are a group from the comics made up of some of the Marvel universe's (or in this case multiverse's) greatest intellectual figures. Strange and Xavier were both known members of this group, alongside other geniuses like Reed Richards and Tony Stark. So with that in mind, perhaps the appearance of a Tom Cruise Iron Man isn't all that far-fetched, and while the number and scope of the cameos within the movie is ultimately anyone's guess, the mere idea that pretty much any character from any continuity is fair game is extremely exciting.