It has only been a month since Sony and Marvel’s leviathan hit, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” rampaged its way into theatres worldwide. While that film continues to tear up box office records in the real world – despite the challenges of the pandemic, our eyes have turned to the next film in the cinematic chronology, Sam Raimi’s “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness”.
Picking up where we left off with the multiversal shenanigans of the Spidey flick, the “Doctor Strange” sequel will be exploring the rifts that have rippled across the universe. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is already shaping up to be one of the biggest films of 2021. However, what fans may not necessarily be prepared for is the sheer scope and scale of the film itself.
Although Anson Mount is an incredible actor, it might make sense for Marvel to distance itself from this particular blot in its slate and maintain a fresh look for the Inhuman King. The Inhumans are a great team and having them alongside the Avengers and X-Men would certainly be great for the MCU moving forward.
MISTER FANTASTIC
It may be a while more before we actually get to see Marvel’s First Family join the MCU but that does not mean Kevin Feige and co. haven’t been busy. The Jon Watts “Fantastic Four” film is still in development as of now but a recent report suggested that casting for the reboot is currently underway.
However, we might not have to wait till the film is released to actually see the seeds. “Multiverse of Madness” is reportedly setting up the debut for a certain member of the Fantastic Four, namely stretchy scientist Reed Richards. But that’s not all, The Illuminerdi learned that actor John Krasinski has already been cast and has shot his scenes for the movie as well.
Now, John Krasinski along with his wife, Emily Blunt, have been fan cast by the Internet to play Reed and Sue Richards respectively. While Blunt has shunned the notion of starring in comic book films, her husband has been open to the idea of playing a superhero.
As a matter of fact, Krasinski was one of the frontrunners to play Captain America before Chris Evans was cast. He even tested the star-spangled suit but according to him, he got intimidated by Chris Hemsworth’s physique as Thor. One decade and a failed F4 reboot later, we’re getting closer to having both Krasinski and the First Family in the MCU.
Like Kang aka Nathaniel Richards, Mister Fantastic could have his own council of Reeds. Even if the version introduced in “Multiverse of Madness” is a Variant, Krasinski could still end up playing the character in the main timeline and maybe even more versions down the road.
As of now, we guess Krasinski will be opting for the embrace of a quiet place prior to the film’s release.
GHOST RIDER
Vengeance is about to be unleashed upon the Multiverse!
Being one of the earliest rumours during the initial production schedule, Atlanta Filming, exposed that Ghost Rider will feature in “Multiverse of Madness”, Not only that, the outlet also stated that the character would trapped in some kind of spiritual prison but will be freed along the way.
Now, we have to take Sam Raimi’s background as a horror director into account. Before he got the “Spider-Man” gig, horror films were his staple. Indeed, he created the “Evil Dead” franchise with Bruce Campbell (also rumoured to appear in the film) along with horror hits like “Drag Me To hell”.
Elizabeth Olsen has also described the feature as the “scariest Marvel movie” like the “old Sam Raimi” in which there will be some terrifying madness within the sandbox. Writer Michael Waldron also stated that he and Raimi worked together to push the movie in a scarier trajectory. Building upon what Scott Derrickson, who had worked on the first movie, we will see a “sort of spookiness throughout”.
It would not be out of the realm of possibility to have a freakish character like Ghost Rider appear in “Multiverse of Madness” in a cameo. As of now, it remains uncertain which version of Ghost Rider would make the cut. They could be using the Robbie Reyes version as popularized by “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” If they want to get the best reception from the audience, however, it will have to be the original Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze.
A return to Ghost Rider’s roots could set up a whole bunch of team-up and storytelling possibilities. With “Moon Knight” and “Blade” on the way, there could be set-ups for a “Midnight Sons” narrative in the future. Besides, Johnny Blaze could eventually be the conduit for everyone’s favourite red demon to enter the fray. Say his name. ME-PHIS- nah… we don’t want to jinx it this time.
LOKI
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” may have been the one to actually bring back legacy characters into the MCU, but it was a little show on Disney+ that opened the floodgates to the Multiverse. Considering the premise of “Loki” dealt with diverging timelines, Nexus events, and that crazy ending with a Kang variant, it might be a safe bet to assume that the god of mischief does return for more Multiversal madness.
In the finale of “Loki” season 1, both the title character and Sylvie journey to the Citadel at the End of Time and come face to face with Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains. However, Sylvie’s blind rage causes her to kill the Kang variant, unleashing the full divergence of the Multiverse which the Time Variance Authority is unable to contain any longer.
Meanwhile, Loki gets trapped in a dangerous timeline where an evil Kang variant is the ruler of that reality. On that ominous note, the show ends.
Back in September of 2021, it was reported that Tom Hiddleston’s stunt double was in the film. But that wasn’t the end. The stunt double for Owen Wilson and Sophia Di Martino, who play Mobius and Sylvie respectively, were also reportedly working on the film as well.
It is also worth noting that Michael Waldron, who is the head writer on “Loki”, is also one of the scribes for the film. Therefore, one could deduce that a Loki appearance would have been in the first few drafts from the start as the film could serve as a spiritual sequel to the series.
Now, the most tangible evidence we have had thus far comes in the trailer. In the trailer shot that we mentioned earlier, one can notice an orange gleam behind Wanda’s glowing palm. Now, that is the unmistakable shape and colour of a TVA door. A random TVA agent could just walk out that door but it’s more likely that Loki and his adjacent fellows will make an appearance.
As of now, Loki’s appearance in “The Multiverse of Madness” is the most probable on this entire list as there’s just too much evidence in play here. We’re kneeling here, Tom. Don’t let us down!
Do you think we will see all of the characters mentioned above in the “Doctor Strange” sequel? What other characters would you like to see in the film? List your picks in the comments!
