Earlier in 2020, reports claimed Rachel McAdams would not reprise her role as Dr. Christine Palmer in Marvel Studios’Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Months later, McAdams is now potentially set to reunite with co-star Benedict Cumberbatch in theDoctor Strangesequel after all.
McAdams' first portrayed Dr. Palmer in the firstDoctor Strange film, where the character was depicted as a fellow surgeon and ex-girlfriend to Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange. Though her screentime was relatively short, Dr. Palmer played a crucial role in the film when she performed an emergency medical procedure on Strange after he sustained critical wounds. It was previously suggestedMcAdam’s role would not fit the mystical direction Doctor Strange tookin outings following the 2016 film.
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Deadline reports McAdams has closed a deal to return for theDoctor Strangesequel, though details on the story and the size of her role remain unknown at this time. McAdams joins a cast of returning stars from the original film that includesChiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordoand Benedict Wong as Wong. Newcomers to theDoctor Strangeseries include Xochitl Gomez and Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch. Production on the sequel will begin with Sam Raimi serving as director once Cumberbatch completes his work on Marvel Studios’Spider-Man 3, in which Strange is said to take the role of Peter Parker’s mentor.
Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige had already confirmedDoctor Strange in the Multiversewill be set up bythe events ofWandaVision.The Disney+ series, slated to debut on the streaming service on January 15, finds Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany’s Vision living a suburban life in a world that emulates television sitcoms. With Marvel Studios' entire slate of 2020 feature films postponed until later in the following year,WandaVisionalso marks the official beginning of the company’s Phase 4.
Doctor Strange’s inclusion in Marvel Studios' Spider-Man 3may explain the abundance of characters from Sony’s defunctSpider-Manfranchises being added to the cast. Among those reprising their respectiveSpider-Manroles are Jamie Foxx, who portrayed Electro inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, andAlfred Molina as Doctor Octopusfrom Raimi’sSpider-Man 2.
Furthermore, bothTobey Maguire and Andrew Garfieldare reportedly appearing in Marvel Studios’Spider-Man 3as their respective incarnations of Peter Parker. With so many actors joining the cast of the film, there is some concern among fans about the potential for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to be lost in the shuffle.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis scheduled to be released on June 28, 2025.
