Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened the door for new Variants of characters from all across the MCU's Multiverse, even though many of them didn't last long thanks to the Scarlet Witch's rampage. Included on the victim list was the entire Illuminati council from Earth-838, which ended with Lashana Lynch in her comeback as a new version of Captain Marvel.
Having originally played Carol Danvers' best friend, Maria Rambeau, in 2019's Captain Marvel, Lynch got an unexpected chance to return in Doctor Strange 2 alongside Variants like Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter and John Krasinski's Reed Richards.
Although this new Captain Marvel held out longer than the rest of the Illuminati, Wanda's power was too much for her to handle, with the Scarlet Witch bringing a giant statue down on Maria to take her out of the equation.
Now, for the first time since Doctor Strange 2 came to theaters, Lynch broke her silence on the experience she had coming back into the MCU.
Captain Marvel Star on Doctor Strange 2 Death
Speaking with Empire, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Lashana Lynch addressed her return as Captain Marvel for the first time since the film's release, even making a joke about coming back again in a future outing.
Calling it "a wild one," Lynch admitted that she didn't see this return in her future before it came to fruition, especially after already knowing about her fate before it was shown in WandaVision:
“It was a wild one. [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige had messaged me, letting me know about Maria’s demise. [Characters] spoke of it in WandaVision, which I’m glad that they did because at least that’s good context.”
Lynch got a call from a producer on Captain Marvel telling her about the idea to have characters like hers return through the Multiverse, with the news shocking her that she'd come back as a hero:
“One of the producers of Captain Marvel called me and said they had this idea to bring all these new versions of characters back together and they wanted to bring Maria back. I was like, ‘Great, okay, she’s gonna be an ancestor.’ ‘No, she’s gonna be Captain Marvel.’ It blew my mind.”
The star reflected on how crazy the experience was finding out about this plot detail on a Zoom call with Hayley Atwell, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, even describing Maria as a "super-mum" to the team:
“Hayley, Benedict, Chiwetel, a group of us were on Zoom just staring at each other going, ‘What is happening?!’ I embraced Maria as a ‘super-mum’, having a chance to flex in this very new but already existent way. It felt like it was meant to be for her.”
Lynch also spoke about Maria's death in Doctor Strange 2, which came as the last one in the Scarlet Witch's massacre of the Illuminati. She had a funny idea about Maria coming back in the same way that the King T'Chaka did in the Ancestral Plane, laughing as she said that her character "could be by a tree somewhere:"
“Listen, I’ve already mentioned to Kevin about ancestors. I was like, ‘You know in Black Panther when the dad is a panther in the tree? Maybe Maria could be by a tree somewhere!’”
Will Maria Come Back After Doctor Strange 2?
Maria Rambeau's return in Doctor Strange 2 was one of the movie's earliest revealed twists, with Marvel revealing her role in the movie during the second full trailer that debuted during the Super Bowl. And according to Lynch, this return was as shocking for her as it was for the fans watching everything unfold, giving her an exciting chance to take on a version of Maria that hadn't been seen in the MCU yet.
Although she only got about 10 minutes of screen time, Lynch's new role as Captain Marvel allowed her to show off some incredible powers as she went toe-to-toe with the Scarlet Witch in the Illuminati's headquarters. It gave fans a taste of just how powerful any version of Captain Marvel is, something that Lynch didn't expect to do as she returned for her second MCU appearance.
Now, having died twice in the Marvel story, it's unclear whether Lynch will get a third round of action as Carol Danvers' closest friend. And while the joke about Black Panther's ancestral plane will bring some laughs to readers, an actual comeback would likely be much more meaningful than humorous.
Rumors teased that she may play a role in next year's The Marvels, although her presence will undoubtedly be felt as Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau takes on one of the three leading roles in that story. But thankfully, through the use of the Multiverse, there is always a chance for a new story to develop.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now streaming on Disney+.
