After nearly six years away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Rachel McAdams is set to make a somewhat surprising return to her role as Dr. Christine Palmer in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Although her path in the upcoming sequel is still largely a mystery, she's been seen in more than one trailer for the sequel ahead of its release on May 6.
Outside of the massive superhero action, McAdams' character is set for some major milestones in her life, as both full trailers showed her at the altar during her wedding with Strange looking on in (feigned) joy. The movie will make it clear that Strange and Palmer remain broken up, as they were at the start of 2016's Doctor Strange, but she's set to be more than any kind of love interest in her second go-round.
Along with the footage of Christine that remained in the trailers, a later promotional spot actually removed her from a key scene where Strange looks out into some kind of Multiversal abyss alongside Xochitl Gomez's America Chavez.
Recently, McAdams addressed that mystery, admitting that it worried and got her excited at the same time.
Rachel McAdams on Doctor Strange Trailer Removal
MCU star Rachel McAdams spoke with ExtraTV about her Christine Palmer being removed from promotional footage for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Joking around by calling it a "mystery," McAdams didn't know what exactly happened with this adjusted shot that took her out of a scene with Doctor Strange and America Chavez:
“Even I don't even know what this means. Am I being erased? Oh, God, am I in this movie? I don't know. I know, I mean, it's tough… that I am in the multiverse, but you wanna keep exactly what kind of person, in the multiverse, sort of a secret, so maybe that's why they took that out.”
Even so, she understands the secrecy behind it, and she heaped praise upon fans for their enthusiasm for the material in which she plays a role:
“I mean, I love that kind of enthusiasm. It's like you could go to school and take a course on Marvel… They could teach me a few things about myself and the movie I'm in… It's cool. It's neat.”
The actress also touched on Christine's complicated relationship with Doctor Strange, settling it by saying that "they are still working it out." Even though they're not dating anymore, their experiences together have helped to build "this deep, profound love" for each other that won't go away anytime soon:
“I think they're still figuring out where they land in terms of love and friendship, and this incredible shared history they've had which has become even more complicated since the first film. So trying to pick up those pieces and assess the landscape, and then I think they just have this deep, profound love for one another which will transcend time and universes.”
She also noted how Strange's ego is still as big as it ever was, calling it "hard to kill" and something that he'll have to continue to work on:
“It's hard to kill an ego like that. It kind of, I think it can sneak back up easily. It's a lifelong journey to work on that, so I think he's still in therapy.”
McAdams closed by tackling the question of whether Christine will have any powers, only saying that she'll be "different" this time around. While lamenting the fact that she doesn't get to wear the incredibly comfortable hospital scrubs anymore, she only vaguely teased the idea that "doctors have powers" and looked forward to the new kind of action in this movie:
“I think doctors have powers. Yeah, she definitely does more action than in the first, or different kind of action than the emergency-room action. She's out of the emergency room, she's out of her scrubs, which is too bad for me cause those were the most comfortable costume I have ever worn, especially the shoes.”
Trailer Magic Teasing More for Rachel McAdams?
Considering how many massive power players are rumored and confirmed for this movie, Rachel McAdams' return came as something of a surprise, even though it was certainly a pleasant one. However, more so than almost any core character confirmed in the main cast, there is no way to predict what's actually coming for her in this story, especially after this trailer incident.
Seeing her character standing next to the franchise's masters of the Multiverse, it's becoming abundantly clear that she'll be deeply involved with the plot in some form or another. It's still a mystery whether she's actually in the aforementioned scene, but considering she was there during the film's first trailer in December 2021, her inclusion seems more likely than not.
Along with getting married, Christine will find herself in the Illuminati's headquarters on some kind of mystery mission, and she's been seen surrounded by Ultron bots in other pieces of footage. No matter where Doctor Strange 2 takes Christine, she'll be an important piece of the Multiversal puzzle to watch out for.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will debut in theaters on May 6.
