Some of these were expected and some of these were genuinely a huge surprise...
Spoilers.
This is Doctor Spoilers and the Multiverse of Spoilers.
You have been warned. Instead of reading any further, simply watch our spoiler-free interview with Doctor Strange himself Benedict Cumberbatch and then head off on your merry way...
Still here?
Okay, then we assume you've just watched Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and you've got some questions.
Who built that huge mountainous throne for Wanda centuries before she even existed? If there was another way to defeat Thanos - which this movie visually shows - how come Strange didn't see that during his 14 million six hundred and five reality trips in Infinity War? If Wanda created her kids and wants to be reunited with them, can she not simply... create them again?
We can't answer any of those unfortunately, but we can tell you who all of those big new arrivals (or re-arrivals) are to the MCU. Starting off with...
Karl Mordo (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor)
Having been set up at the end of the first Doctor Strange movie to be the sequel's primary antagonist, Mordo is entirely absent from Strange's story until he hops through the Multiverse to an alternate New York. Here, Mordo is a member of the Illuminati, completely (and, it turns out, reasonably) distrustful of Strange, locking him and America Chavez up until they've all decided what to do about the situation.
Charles Xavier/Professor X (played by Patrick Stewart)
The first proper trailer for the Doctor Strange sequel featured Stewart's voice and the back of his head, so a lot of people were already fully prepared for Professor X's arrival. Still though, it was great to see the actor back in the role, here as the only member of the Illuminati who believes this version of Strange can be trusted with saving the Multiverse. He isn't the same Xavier that we know from the movies, but actually the live-action version of the X-Men cartoon, hence the floating yellow hoverchair. Either way, he probably should've known better than to try to mess with Wanda's mind...
Peggy Carter/Captain Carter (played by Hayley Atwell)
As we saw in the What If...? show, in some realities, it is Peggy Carter who is infused with the super serum, effectively making her the First Avenger. She's equipped with a Rocketeer-esque jetpack here, making her an even more effective fighter. Again, it is great to see Atwell again in the MCU, even if it is (literally) short-lived.
Maria Rambeau/Captain Marvel (played by Lashana Lynch)
The last we saw of Maria, she had faded away during the five-year blip in WandaVision, much to the horror of her now-grown daughter Monica. We see No Time To Die star Lynch taking up the role occupied by Brie Larson in other universes, and she appears to have a much shorter fuse than Carol Danvers does. Maria puts up the biggest and best fight against the all-powerful Scarlet Witch, but in the end, she's undone by some heavy-handed interior design.
Blackagar Boltagon/Black Bolt (played by Anson Mount)
Comic book fans might have seen this coming, but this is arguably the best surprise of the lot. The leader of the Inhumans – a much-hated Marvel TV show from 2017 that you've probably never even heard of – Bolt's fine-tuned power of a massively destructive voice is what initially saves his own universe from Strange. Alas, it ultimately results in his own undoing, giving us the best death in the movie. Or maybe second best...
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (played by John Krasinski)
So, does this mean that Krasinski is officially headlining the upcoming Fantastic Four movie? Not necessarily, but damn, does Krasinski look good in that outfit. He nails the pathos and calming tones of Reed, and is more than willing to spring into action when necessary. Of course, being one of the first over the top of the trenches simply puts you directly in the line of fire, and Reed gets a comically nightmarish offing here.
Clea (played by Charlize Theron)
Not a member of the Illuminati, but popping up during the mid-credits sequence, Theron appears from nowhere with a reality-cutting blade tearing a hole in the universe, and on the other side we see the Dark Dimension, with Dormammu lying in wait. Her interaction with Strange here smacks of that Vulture/Morbius scene, like it was filmed in a hurry at the last minute. But it also sets up an interesting future relationship, as in the comics, Clea eventually becomes Strange's wife and takes over as the Sorcerer Supreme herself.
We wonder what the current Sorcerer Supreme might have to say about that...
