With AVENGERS: ENDGAME fully in the rearview mirror, 2020 will herald the beginning of Marvel's Phase IV. A solo BLACK WIDOW film will kick things off in May with unknown Marvel property THE ETERNALS following in November. Phase IV will also feature the return of everyone's favorite Sorcerer Supreme with DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Benedict Cumberbatch made his debut in 2016 with DOCTOR STRANGE, which made almost $700 million worldwide. It's unknown at this time what villain(s) may appear in the follow-up film, however according to Kevin Feige, the film will feature a plethora of classic Marvel characters.
Recently Feige attended a meeting at the New York Film Academy. Not surprisingly the conversation eventually turned to the MCU and what audiences could expect to see in upcoming films. Feige addressed the process that goes into selecting which characters will appear in which films stating:
"Sometimes you're choosing [a] title hero, choosing which main character or main team you want to bring to the screen and often times, 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 which 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 who we always wanted to do something with who will fit really well there."
I think the key word in Feige's comments is "fit." While not all of the MCU films have been homeruns, Feige and company have been pretty adept at introducing new characters in a natural manner. Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther and Tom Holland's Spider-Man in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR spring immediately to mind. Nothing ever really feels forced. One character I would be shocked if he doesn't return is Chiwetel Ejiofor's Baron Mordo. The post credit scene in DOCTOR STRANGE was clearing setting him up as the villain.
Although Feige's words are decidedly intriguing, they are also frustratingly vague. He's the king of comicbook character teases so who knows who he could be referring to. Rumors point to a possible appearance by Brother Voodoo, AKA Jericho Drumm. Another possibility is Clea, an ally of Doctor Strange that helps him in the Dark Dimension.
So what do you guys think? What characters do you believe will appear in the DOCTOR STRANGE sequel? Who would you love to see that you haven't seen yet?
DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS magics its way into theaters May 7, 2021.