We're beginning to lose track of all the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness rumours, but X-Men: Apocalypse star Kodi Smit-McPhee is indeed among the actors who have been mentioned as possibly appearing. While we wouldn't say no to seeing more of his Nightcrawler, it's not a rumour we took that seriously at the time, and it's now been debunked.
Talking to Variety about co-starring in Netflix's The Power of the Dog with Benedict Cumberbatch, Smit-McPhee shot down reports he could be among the Variants we see in the sequel.
"I had this conversation with Benedict on the set when he was still method acting as well. I was like, ‘Listen, I know you’re the dude in the boots right now with the rope, but you need to tell me, am I in the contract moving forward?’ And that guy doesn’t let out a secret," the actor recalled. "I was actually slightly insulted. He doesn’t let out a secret, he’s really protective of that stuff."
"I can obviously transparently tell you I have nothing to do with the universe of madness that’s coming out," Smit-McPhee added, confirming that he won't be reprising the role of Nightcrawler in the movie.
Marvel Studios' plans for the X-Men franchise remain unclear. While Sir Patrick Stewart looks set to return as Professor X in the Doctor Strange sequel, there's been nothing to suggest that will be more than just a one-off cameo. As a result, we're not necessarily expecting to see actors from the previous movies return as their respective mutants, though it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility.
As for Smit-McPhee, we'd definitely say he's worthy of getting another chance after being underutilized during his handful of appearances in Fox's X-Men Universe.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to be released in theaters on May 6.
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