Marvel Cinematic Universe mastermind Kevin Feige has indicated that the highly anticipated Doctor Strange sequel will see the introduction of some unexpected characters. During a recent talk at the New York Film Academy, Feige further teased Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which he previously revealed will be the MCU's first horror movie.
"Sometimes you're choosing title hero, choosing which main character or main team you want to bring to the screen and often times, it's as you're making and developing the movie, [asking] 'Who will come into it?' and 'Who will fit into it?'" he explained to students at the academy at the 35-minute mark of the talk.
"The next Doctor Strange film, for instance, features some new MCU characters which will be making their debut in that movie," Feige continued. "You won't expect or won't guess who it is, but we found a cool way to make it work because we want to make a particular type of movie, and there was a character who we always wanted to do something with who will fit really well there."
While he didn't reveal who fans can expect to make their debut in the next Doctor Strange, Feige did also talk about what other genres the MCU might want to explore going forward. "Shang-Chi [and the Legend of the Ten Rings] is going to be so much more than a kung-fu movie," he teased at the 45-minute point. "But it has elements of that, which we're excited about."
Feige also shot down the idea that the Doctor Strange sequel will explicitly be a horror film, but he did say it will be scary. "Multiverse of Madness is the greatest title we've ever come up with, by the way. ... And I wouldn't necessarily say that's a horror film, but it is as Scott Derrickson, our director, has pitched it—it'll be a big MCU film with scary sequences in it. "
Feige likened their approach to "horrifying sequences" in Steven Spielberg-directed/produced classics such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Gremlins.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to hit theaters May 7, 2021.
