We’d recognise that voice and even the tiniest glimpse of that shiny bald head anywhere
The Super Bowl trailer dump is an annual event in its own right and there was plenty on show for fans to be shouting about – but arguably the biggest buzz is surrounding a pretty big reveal in the new Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer.
While you might not get to see his full face, we’d recognise that shoulder, those dulcet tones and that shiny bald head anywhere. That’s right, it looks like Patrick Stewart is reprising his role as Professor X and is making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
Watch the full trailer below:
As you can see in the first full look at this year’s Doctor Strange sequel beyond an extended post-credit scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home – the film that, Into the Spider-Verse aside, launched the MCU into a multidimensional world – we only catch a short glimpse of Stewart’s voice and silhouette, but it is instantly recognisable.
Stewart first played Professor Charles Xavier, leader of the mutant resistance, in director Bryan Singer’s X-Men in 2000 and has continued to appear in almost every mutant outing since. The 81-year-old actor’s last stint in his iconic chair was in 2017’s Logan which was thought to be the final chapter in both Wolverine‘s story and his own.
However, anything’s possible when it comes to the multiverse.
Given what we know of the concept through the comics and No Way Home, the general consensus seems to be that Strange will be met by a variant version of Professor X from a different universe/timeline – which begs the question, what other cameos could we see?
Meanwhile, there also seems to be a character resembling Iron-Man in there too, as well as a key role for Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlett Witch. The entire look of the film seems a lot darker and leaning into horror – no surprise given its director is Evil Dead mastermind Sam Raimi – so this could make for a very different Marvel movie than most.
Oh and there’s also speculation that Strange’s sequel could introduce Marvel’s take on the Illuminati, a multiverse-spanning supergroup designed to help protect Marvel’s many worlds from a growing number of threats.
In the comics, this team consists of Xavier, Iron Man, Black Bolt, Reed Richards, Beast, Namor, Strange, Black Panther and Captain America however as of yet, there’s still no confirmation on who the Illuminati will be – or even if they’ll make their big-screen debut later this year.
If only we could read minds, Professor X-style.
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