Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is bringing back Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, which has made way for many rumors about other Marvel characters that could show up in Doctor Strange’s new solo adventure. Among those is Wolverine, and that specific rumor actually supports a big theory about Professor X’s appearance. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is moving forward with its Phase 4, which is bringing back already established characters, introducing new ones, and exploring new concepts, most notably the multiverse.
Avengers: Endgame showed that the MCU now has different timelines, but the multiverse as it is and its many dangers weren’t explored until the TV series Loki and later Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which the gates to the multiverse were opened. The MCU will go deeper into the multiverse in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, set after the events of No Way Home that brought villains from other universes as well as the two other Spider-Men to the MCU. Doctor Strange 2 will see Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) dealing with the consequences of the multiverse chaos in No Way Home, which will bring him face to face with new and mysterious threats. With the help of old friends, like Wong (Benedict Wong) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and new allies like America Chavez (Xochilt Gomez), Strange will have to save the multiverse from madness while encountering some of his variants.
The second trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was packed with action and surprises, the biggest one being Strange being taken by the Illuminati to be judged for his “desecration of reality”, and among them is Patrick Stewart’s Professor X. Although the subtitles in the trailer refer to him as a “mysterious voice” and a clear look at him isn’t offered, fans were quick to recognize his voice. Professor X’s appearance in Doctor Strange 2 doesn’t only make mutants officially canon in the MCU but it also makes way for many theories on which other characters from Fox’s branch could show up in this movie, and unsurprisingly, Wolverine is rumored to be one of them – though not Hugh Jackman’s version, which in turn supports a theory about Stewart’s Professor X not being the same from the X-Men movies.
Spider-Man: No Way Home took a huge step into integrating past Marvel movies into the MCU by bringing back villains from the previous Spider-Man movies along with the Peter Parkers played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, so Doctor Strange 2 being a bigger movie exploring the multiverse at a deeper and more chaotic level makes it possible for characters from the Fox branch to debut in the MCU – however, that doesn’t mean that these will be the same versions seen years ago. It has been theorized that the Professor X in Doctor Strange 2 isn’t the same one as in the Fox movies, meaning this will be a variant, which makes it possible for other mutants to appear without retconning their arcs, as is the case of Wolverine.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine died in Logan, and it was a perfect ending for the character, so bringing him back in Doctor Strange 2 would be unfair to what Logan built. Wolverine can be part of the MCU without Hugh Jackman and be introduced as a variant, just like Professor X, thus building a new story for both in the MCU instead of just bringing them back from past movies. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is surrounded by rumors and theories, and it’s to be seen if Marvel will decide to reveal more surprises before the movie’s release or if it will keep a couple of them for the big day.
