Every Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cameo explained

Major spoilers follow for Doctor Strange 2. You have been warned.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has landed in theaters. And yes, the rumors are true: there are a whole host of character cameos in the latest Marvel movie.

Given the film's two-hour runtime, there aren't as many as we initially expected. However, diehard Marvel fans – whether you're a comic book aficionado or a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fanatic – will get a kick out of who turns up in the Marvel Phase 4 project. 

There may be some of you, though, who aren't clued up on who these individuals are and want to find out more about them. That's where we come in. Below, we run through every character who makes a cameo appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, including where they crop up, which actor portrays them, whether they're alive at the end of the superhero film, and more. Oh, and if you want a breakdown of what happened in the film's climax, check out our ending explainer article.

Unsurprisingly, we're about to dive into major spoiler territory for Doctor Strange 2. Don't scroll past the image below if you haven't seen it yet, otherwise you'll ruin the surprise. Or, rather, surprises.

Billy and Tommy Maximoff

Actors: Jett Klyne and Julian Hilliard.

Do they survive? Yes, the duo are alive at the film's end.

After initially appearing in WandaVision, Wanda Maximoff's twin boys make a few appearances throughout Doctor Strange 2. We see them alive and well in an alternate universe with a Wanda Maximoff variant in a number of key scenes, including the one where Scarlet Witch realizes she's become a monster in her quest to become reunited with them.

It's unclear if we'll see Billy and Tommy again in the MCU. After all, Scarlet Witch seemingly sacrifices herself at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Given that she destroys Chthon's castle on Mount Wundagore and eradicates chaos magic from the multiverse, there's no way for anyone (America Chavez aside) to traverse the multiverse and track them down. So their fates are currently up in the air.

Black Bolt

Actor: Anson Mount

Does he survive? No. Scarlet Witch alters reality to remove his mouth during her confrontation with the Illuminati. Screaming inside his own head out of shock and fear, he blows his own brain out with his quasi-sonic scream, killing himself.

Reprising his role as Black Bolt from the much maligned Inhumans TV show, Anson Mount appears as part of the Illuminati on Earth-838. We only hear him speak once – he says "I'm sorry" to Supreme Strange as he kills his friend on Titan after the Illuminati defeat their universe's version of Thanos. But, while he doesn't (or, rather, can't) say much, it's cool to see Mount portray Black Bolt in the MCU, even with his 1990s-style, comic accurate spandex wingsuit.

Will we see him again? Maybe not for a while, but we're sure Marvel Studios will want a do over on its previous attempt at a live-action Inhumans TV series.

Captain Carter

Actor: Hayley Atwell

Does she survive? No. She's cut in half by her own vibranium shield by Scarlet Witch during the latter's battle with the Illuminati.

Hayley Atwell is an established MCU actor at this point. We've seen her in a couple of Captain America solo movies, her own TV show (which originally aired on ABC in the US), and heard her voice an animated Captain Carter in Marvel's What If...? anthology series.

It's highly satisfying, then, to see her portray a live-action version of Captain Carter, complete with a United Kingdom-embroidered suit, shield, and jetpack. She more than holds her own against Wanda, too, until the latter gets hold of Carter's weapon of choice and slices her in two. As big fans of Atwell, here's hoping we see another variant of Captain Carter in the future.

Captain Marvel

Actor: Lashana Lynch

Does she survive? Maybe. Her fate is undetermined after her bruising encounter with Scarlet Witch.

Lashana Lynch's Maria Rambeau didn't have a major role in 2019's Captain Marvel. And, by the time we saw her daughter Monica all grown up in WandaVision, Maria had died after a long battle with cancer.

So it's equally pleasing to see Lynch portray an alternate universe's version of Captain Marvel. She certainly has a more serious demeanour about her than Brie Larson's Carol Danvers and, just like Atwell's Captain Carter, she goes toe to toe with Wanda during the latter's fight with the Illuminati.

The fate of Lynch's Captain Carter is unclear following her one-on-one with Wanda, too. Sure, Scarlet Witch drops a giant statue on her, so chances are she perished alongside her fellow superheroes. But, as any film fan will know, unless you see someone actually die on screen, there's a chance that they're still alive. Maybe we'll see Lynch's Captain Marvel appear in the superhero's second solo outing, which arrives in July 2023. You know, if The Marvels ends up being another multiverse-centric movie.

Clea

Actor: Charlize Theorn

Does she survive? Well, considering she appears in the film's mid-credits scene, yes.

A sorcerer like Doctor Strange, Clea makes her live-action debut in the MCU in the Multiverse of Madness' first post-credits stinger.

The character, who has major ties to the Sorcerer Supreme in Marvel comics, turns up in the MCU to locate Stephen Strange, who she accuses of causing an Incursion Event. You can read more about that in our ending explainer article, which is linked in the introduction of this piece.

Clearly, Clea will have a big supporting role in Doctor Strange's third solo flick, but it could be a while before we see her in action. Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed (via IGN) that he's taking a break from acting, so don't expect Doctor Strange 3 to arrive in theaters any time soon.

Master Mordo

Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor

Does he survive? Yes. He's still alive after his fist fight with Doctor Strange.

This isn't much of a surprise, given that Chiwetel Ejiofor's Master Mordo appeared in the film's many trailers and TV spots. Still, it's cool to see the actor play a variant of his character from Doctor Strange's first solo movie, albeit one who has equally nefarious plans as his MCU counterpart.

Unless Lynch's Captain Marvel survived her ordeal with Scarlet Witch, Master Mordo is the only Illuminati team member who is still alive after Scarlet Witch's attack on the supergroup's headquarters. So we'd expect him to assume total control of the Illuminati's research and the Sanctum Santorum. You know, unless Earth-838's Christine Palmer has anything to say about that...

Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards

Actor: John Krasinski

Does he survive? No. He's turned to spaghetti and then killed by Wanda at the Illuminati's headquarters.

Marvel fans have long called for John Krasinski to play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in the MCU. And, with Doctor Strange 2's arrival, those fans have had their wishes answered by Marvel Studios.

Like Mount's Black Bolt, Krasinski's Reed Richards doesn't play a big part in proceedings. He's one of the few Illuminati members who is honest with Doctor Strange (about Supreme Strange and other multiverse aspects), and seems to have his universe's best intentions at heart.

It's a shame, then, that he's unceremoniously killed off by Scarlet Witch when she rocks up at the Illuminati's headquarters. He's the only one who tries to reason with her but, after she kills Black Bolt, he realizes she can't be talked down. Krasinski's Richards doesn't even get to use his powers properly before he's turned to spaghetti and has his head popped by Wanda, too. Fingers crossed that Krasinski is officially cast to play the MCU's Reed Richards for Marvel's Fantastic Four movie, then, so we can see more of him in action.

Pizza Poppa (also in post-credits scene)

Actor: Bruce Campbell

Does he survive? Yes, he's never in danger of dying – despite the fact that he punches himself in the head.

The long-time collaborator of director Sam Raimi has a cameo appearance in Doctor Strange 2. Disappointingly, though, Campbell doesn't play a major character. Instead, he portrays a simple street vendor going by the name of Pizza Poppa, who winds up getting more than he bargained for when he runs into Doctor Strange and America Chavez.

Accusing Chavez of stealing food from his stall, Pizza Poppa verbally lashes out at the duo. Not standing for his rudeness, Strange casts a spell that causes Pizza Poppa to repeatedly punch himself in the face for "around three weeks". It's an amusing moment, but we would've liked to see Campbell have a greater role in proceedings.

Professor X

Actor: Patrick Stewart

Does he survive? No. Scarlet Witch snaps his neck after he tries to stop her rampage.

The legendary Patrick Stewart reprises his role as the iconic leader of the X-Men for the first (and potentially last) time in the MCU. Stewart had played Professor Charles Xavier in Fox's X-Men universe, and it had seemed that he'd hung up Cerebro for the final time after 2017's Logan.

Clearly, though, he was brought back for one last outing – returning to the role he'd inhabited for nearly 20 years – in Doctor Strange 2. Like Krasinski's Reed Richards, Professor X seems to think Doctor Strange is worth keeping alive. He's the one who tells Strange to go in search of the Book of Vishanti to try and stop Scarlet Witch's rampage across the multiverse, buying the sorcerer time when he goes to confront Scarlet Witch as she attacks the Illuminati's headquarters.

And he's almost successful in stopping Wanda, too. Using his powers to enter Wanda's mind, Professor X nearly rescues Earth-838's Wanda from the Scarlet Witch's dreamwalking spell. However, Scarlet Witch overpowers Professor X, snapping his neck inside her mind and in the real world. Who's going to pop wheelies in his yellow chair now...

Rintrah

Actor: Adam Hugill

Does he survive? Yes. We see him at the end of the film helping to rebuild Kamar-Taj.

Like Master Mordo, we knew that Rintrah – a magic minotaur who's an ally of Doctor Strange in the comics – would appear in the Multiverse of Madness. He has more of a bit-part role than we initially thought, however, and only appears for a couple of brief moments at Kamar-Taj.

Given how powerful the extraterrestrial R'Vaal magician is in Marvel's source material, it's a pity he isn't utilized to full effect here. With the sheer amount of other characters who crop up, plus the manner in which the film's plot plays out, it shouldn't be a major surprise to see Rintrah only have a small role in proceedings. We'd definitely like to see him appear in Doctor Strange's third flick, though, and maybe have a greater say in what may play out during that superhero flick.

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