After the MCU's exciting run of project releases in 2021 comes to a close, 2022 is set to begin in the theatrical department with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in March. The Sorcerer Supreme is set for one of his most daring adventures to date alongside Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff following his multiverse-bending ride in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The magical sequel will pave the way for numerous new heroes and villains that will find their way into the MCU narrative for the first time. Xochitl Gomez will introduce fans to the dimension-jumping antics of America Chavez, who will reportedly team up with Strange and Wanda to fight off the villainous Shuma-Gorath as the alien tries to steal her powers.
All in all, Multiverse of Madness has a great deal of responsibility on its plate, even though Marvel Studios is far from done bringing newcomers into the story.
The film's leading man recently shared his own thoughts on who he's fantasized about interacting with himself.
Doctor Strange Meets the X-Men?
MCU star Benedict Cumberbatch spoke with Variety about the MCU's future with the X-Men and having the mutants cross over into already established franchises. This conversation came about during the press tour for his new movie The Power of the Dog, which features X-Men's Nightcrawler actor Kodi Smit-McPhee alongside the Doctor Strange actor.
Cumberbatch revealed that he and Smit-McPhee have "talked about this" when asked about the potential for a crossover. Although he admitted that it would come with "a different vibe," he seemed excited by the idea of this happening:
“We’ve talked about this. We loved working with each other, so we would love to do that jam. Of course it’d be a very different vibe, but yeah.”
Smit-McPhee interjected by agreeing with Cumberbatch on wanting to make this happen within the MCU, commenting that "it would be great" to work together in a new capacity:
“It would be so cool. It’s an honor to play both sides of the spectrum, but it would be even more an honor to cross paths again with someone you grew so close with on something so theatrical, something like this, and then to go to something fun like that — it would be great.”
Two Marvel Actors Down To Cross Paths Again
Kodi Smit-McPhee took on the role of Nightcrawler in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, which also starred future Moon Knight leading man Oscar Issac, before making a quick cameo in Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool 2 and then having a supporting role in 2019's Dark Phoenix. While the reception to Apocalypse was a mixed bag of good and bad, it seems that Smit-McPhee grew fond of being in the Marvel universe during his time filming the movie.
Right now, Marvel Studios has no explicit plans for an X-Men movie other than Deadpool 3, although rumors have pointed to The Mutants currently being in development for release sometime in the next few years. However, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has made it clear that the team will make their debut sooner rather than later after the Fox/Disney merger.
No matter when this debut for the X-Men comes, it's clear that established MCU stars are looking forward to the mutants' long-awaited debut.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will release in theaters on March 25, 2022.
