Yesterday, reports surfaced which claimed that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see the Scarlet Witch squaring off with a character from Fox's now-defunct Marvel Universe. It was later reported that this mysterious individual will be Professor X, a potential game-changer for the MCU depending on how his debut is handled (particularly when it comes to the introduction of mutants).
We've all been wondering who will play this version (Variant?) of Charles Xavier, but Variety's Kris Tapley has since strongly hinted that it will be Patrick Stewart. This actually lines up with previous comments from the actor after he talked about meeting with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
@ViewerAnon (who has become something of a semi-reliable scooper on social media in recent months) has also weighed in, saying: "Wanda is the villain of the movie and she does have a confrontation with Xavier (and Captain Carter among others)." Interestingly, he adds that Hugh Jackman was wanted for this role "[to] get his ass decimated" by Wanda, but those talks didn't pan out.
He's also shared some insight into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' plans to introduce the Illuminati, claiming to have learned which characters will make up that group in the MCU.
Apparently, it will consist of Professor X, Captain Carter, Balder the Brave, Monica Rambeau, and Mordo. We're not entirely sure about this one, as it's hard to imagine how all those characters could be brought together in the Doctor Strange sequel (especially as we've never seen Balder before now).
We'll see. As always, everything you read here is just a rumour for now and should be taken with a pinch of salt. Still, it's hard not to be excited about what could be the MCU's craziest movie to date.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to be released in theaters on March 25, 2022.