When it comes to Marvel, fans are typically quick to pounce on any piece of information and theorize on its possibly meaning, and WandaVision was certainly no exception. The Disney+ series included appearances from several Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, but thanks to some sly teases from the show's cast, many believed that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) would also turn up before the end. Given that WandaVision is said to lead directly Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — which includes Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch — that assumption was seen as a fairly safe bet, but as we now know, the Sorcerer Supreme was a no show.
While speaking with Rolling Stone, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made a surprising revelation when he confirmed that Doctor Strange was originally supposed to appear in the finale; not only that, but they'd even finalized a deal with Cumberbatch, which shows just how close the cameo came to making it to the screen. Feige added that the commercials peppered throughout WandaVision would have been revealed to be messages from Doctor Strange to Wanda as he attempted to reach her and snap her out of the Hex. As for why the Doctor Strange cameo didn't come to pass, Feige explained that they decided late in the game that they didn't want to shift focus away from Wanda.
Some people might say, ‘Oh, it would’ve been so cool to see Doctor Strange. But it would have taken away from Wanda. We didn’t want the end of the show to be commoditized to go to the next movie – here’s the white guy, ‘Let me show you how power works.'
Production on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was directed by Sam Raimi, wrapped up last month, and Elizabeth Olsen has teased that the sequel is a "bonkers movie" and that "they're definitely going for that horror show vibe." I'm down. In addition to Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also stars Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mardo, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez. The film is slated to hit theaters on March 25, 2022.