Doctor Strange 2 Director Sam Raimi Teases Unexpected Marvel Cameos

Expect the unexpected in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The multiversal cast of Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange sequel includes characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe prime — sorcerers Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong) return alongside Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), the Scarlet Witch — and Marvel heroes from other universes. They include America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teen with the power to open portals and travel through the Multiverse, and the Illuminati, a council of interdimensional defenders that counts Charles Xavier (X-Men's Patrick Stewart) and other familiar faces as members. 

An Illuminati-centric teaser has already confirmed some of the Marvel superheroes showing up in Multiverse of Madness, but director Sam Raimi says unannounced cameos will surprise when the film opens exclusively in theaters on Friday.

"[The cameos were] all done to titillate the fans and surprise them, to make them gasp, to give them — not exactly what they expected — but something that they would love," Raimi teased in an interview with Collider

In a separate interview, screenwriter Michael Waldron said the sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange "has to be Stephen Strange's story above all else," even when encountering variants on a mind-bending trek through the Multiverse

"This is a Doctor Strange movie, and it's his story. It's a continuation of his emotional journey, picking up not just where the first movie left off but really where the last Marvel movies left off, now finding himself in a place where, in many ways, he's the anchor of the MCU in a post-Endgame world. So we let Stephen Strange's story be our North Star," the Loki writer told Black Film and TV. "As far as the other stuff... cameos, multiversal stuff. All that stuff is window dressing if it's not affecting our main characters in an emotional way. It's only exciting in so much that it's affecting the central human story of Stephen Strange and Wanda and all them." 

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stühlbarg and Rachel McAdams, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens May 6.

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