This Tiny Detail In The Doctor Strange 2 Poster Hints A Fan-Fave May Return

Ever since the start of Phase 4, fans have been anticipating the big event that will change the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever: the opening of the multiverse. When it finally came in Spider-Man: No Way Home, bringing the Spider-Men of old with it, it was an extremely satisfying reveal. But the movie ended with the multiverse closed back up and the world returning to normal... or did it? The new trailer for the Doctor Strange sequel suggests otherwise, and the poster hints at even more possibilities, like Peggy Carter being in Doctor Strange 2.

The Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness trailer, which debuted during the 2022 Super Bowl, all but confirmed the film will bring in one of Marvel’s most anticipated cast of characters, the X-Men. Fans have been eagerly anticipating their emergence ever since the MCU regained the rights to the characters in 2019 as part of the Disney-Fox merger. Speculation has run rampant since Wanda Maximoff gained her Scarlet Witch moniker in WandaVision over how the MCU would tackle it. Complete recasting? Current actors from the Fox franchise continuing in their roles? From the sounds of the trailer, the answer may come in the form of a cameo appearance from the original 1999 The X-Men film’s beloved Professor X, Patrick Stewart*.

*Point of order: It’s only Stewart’s voice in the trailer; he could be playing a different character** here.

**Counter-argument: Not bloody likely.

But the Doctor Strange poster reveals the potential X-Men introduction is only the tip of the iceberg.

Fans already identified Evil Doctor Strange from Disney+’s animated What If...? in the first Doctor Strange 2 trailer. Now, the poster suggests another What If...? variant on a fan-favorite is heading to the live-action big-screen world. Eagled-eyed fans have noticed the Union Jack-bearing shield of Captain Carter, aka the version of Peggy Carter that drank the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers, down on the right-hand side of the image.

Since Evil Doctor Strange is already crossing over from What If....?, it’s not a far stretch to assume others from the series might turn up as well. Multiple sources suggested the Loki variant from Disney+’s Loki will make a cameo appearance in the film. Why not variants of other characters as well?

And speaking of other characters...

It’s very faint, but if you look carefully at the center shard floating just the right of Evil Doctor Strange, there’s a familiar red-clad mask that’s not Spider-Man. Fans are convinced it’s Deadpool, hinting the Merc with the Mouth could be on his way to the MCU as well.

Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness arrives exclusively in theaters on May 6, 2022. WandaVision, Loki, and What If...? are all streaming on Disney+.