We’re about four months out from the release of the Doctor Strange sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Amid the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness went back in for reshoots, and with it came the rumors that even more cameos were being tossed into the mix. This is both an exciting and nerve-wracking speculation. Cameos can be fun, or they can be cringeworthy. Marvel usually does well, but that doesn’t mean we can’t side-eye as we anticipate what’s to come.
What we don’t want is cameos for the sake of fan service or shock. The cameos (if we can even call them that) in Spider-Man: No Way Home went over flawlessly, but that doesn’t mean we need to overload them in future films. So, with potentially more cameos being added to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, here are a few we want to see, and a few we definitely don’t.
Want: Evans Peters as Pietro “Peter” Maximoff
It’s been a year since WandaVision premiered and I’m still scorned over the apparent waste of Evan Peters’ appearance as Pietro/Peter Maximoff. This had so much potential that wasn’t utilized, but beyond that, it was all an elaborate “Bohner” of a joke that left me unsatisfied.
Theories ran rampant during the WandaVision era, and many revolved around finally bringing the X-Men into the MCU, and many saw this as the perfect caveat to base the mutants’ arrival on. I mean, Monica gained her powers from Wanda’s Westview hex, why couldn’t other people?
Enter Multiverse of Madness, where portals will literally be opened to welcome an entirely new species to the MCU. And honestly, what would be a better way than to have Wanda come face to face with “Fietro” once again? She would recognize him from Westview, he wouldn’t know who she is, and cue some heavy sibling angst fans of the comic versions of the Maximoff twins were robbed of after Pietro’s quick send-off in Age of Ultron, all while fixing a seemingly wasteful choice in the series.
Skip: Captain Carter
I might be in the minority here, but this is atop my skip list. There are so many other women heroes from the comics to highlight, and I just don’t see why Marvel is insistent on keeping Peggy Carter in the mix, especially after Steve’s departure. It was a fun What If…? episode, but I think Marvel overestimated her popularity, which wasn’t that high to begin with. Marvel comics has a slew of interesting, powerful women to choose from, and there’s just so many of them I’d rather see.
However, we know What If…? is already bridging into the film with the appearance of Strange Supreme, but if anyone is coming in wearing the Union Jack, I’d prefer it to be Henry Cavill as Captain Britain.
Want: Magneto and Professor X
If Evan Peters’ Peter is coming, then bring along Professor X and Magneto as well, played by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender if I can be choosy (although I’d accept Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan just as well). MCU Wanda is missing a lot of her comic lore, and bringing in dear old kind-of-dad (depending on what run you’re reading) Magneto would add some of that back in and just be damn fun to watch.
If Wanda is truly the villain of the sequel as has been speculated, you’re going to need to call in Professor X. I wanted these two to show up in WandaVision with its heavy House of M vibes, so I’m rooting for them here again in Multiverse of Madness. It’s time for the mutants to arrive, and I see no better way than to have them transported to Earth-199999 than when the Multiverse is busted wide open.
Skip: Ben Affleck’s Daredevil
I feel like nothing needs to be said here, but, if I need a reason, throwing Ben Affleck’s Devil of Hell’s Kitchen into the mix this soon after Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s triumphant re-introduction of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock would detract from Cox’s return. Charlie Cox is Daredevil, moving on.
Want: Captain America Bucky Barnes
Avengers: Endgame saw Steve Rogers pass down his vibranium shield and the Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson, who would go on to finally accept and embrace his new role in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. This confirmed that we wouldn’t be seeing Sebastian Stan’s James “Bucky” Barnes as the next Captain America — something that was initially the subject of much fan speculation because Bucky did take on the role in Ed Brubaker’s early 2000s Captain America comic series (the same one that finally brought Bucky “back to life” and thus created the Winter Soldier).
After appearing in many MCU projects over the course of a decade, there were plenty of small nods to the potential of Bucky as Cap throughout. And as recently as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, it’s been made clear that the shield is still incredibly important to him. So while Bucky may not be Captain America in our main timeline, the Multiverse presents a fun and exciting opportunity to see another version of him wielding the shield and paying tribute to his best friend.
Skip: Tom Cruise as Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. worked too damn hard for 11 years as Tony Stark to allow this to happen. Would it be funny? I guess. But again, I’m not looking for cheap laughs and fan service. If a cameo is in this movie, I want it to mean something. However, I know the MCU brand of humor, and this does fit. Please … skip this one.
Want: Captain Marvel Monica Rambeau
When Monica Rambeau was introduced in WandaVision, I was thrilled. However, I felt slightly cheated that they skipped her Captain Marvel era, which began in 1982 and pre-dates Carol Danvers’ hold of the title by a longshot. I know that the MCU draws most of its inspirations from more recent iterations of all the characters, so this was an understandable choice. However, I’d love to see Monica pop up as Captain Marvel here in Multiverse of Madness. While it would be a slight fan service, it would be a nod to her long run as Captain Marvel in the comics, which I think she deserves.
Skip: Any of the old Fantastic Four
FOX 
FOX
I feel like I’m going to get flack for this one, but I just don’t want to see any of the old Fantastic Four members. Now, this isn’t a reflection on any of the actors, but after the Fantastic Four’s extremely rough start in films — with two iterations of the team essentially going up in flames — the quartet needs a fresh start in the MCU. Dragging any of the old teams back in for a cheap thrill would set the new team off on the wrong foot.
In addition, I’m not in the camp who wants to see Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm make an MCU appearance. It’s well known that there was hesitation to cast Evans as Captain America because of his previous role as the Human Torch, so to bring him back for that feels slightly hypocritical and detracts from how Steve Rogers’ story ended along with his legacy.
Want: John Krasinski as Reed Richards
Now, with all the above being said: Yeah, we want John Krasinski as Reed Richards.
However, I also don’t think both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men should be introduced in this one film. That’s too much for the film to carry along with its own story.
Bonus – Want: Agent Phil Coulson
The place of Agents of Shield within the MCU is something that’s been argued into the ground, and yet it still gets brought up. It was mentioned in the recently released behind-the-scenes book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that AoS is not MCU canon, but that’s not exactly a widespread debunk. An easy fix? Bring in Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson from another universe and put this to bed already.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases exclusively in theaters on May 4, 2022.
