WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, in theaters now.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Elizabeth Olsen revealed she never actually met John Krasinski or Patrick Stewart, who played Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Charles Xavier, respectively, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
In an interview with CinemaBlend, which you can watch below, Olsen was asked about interacting with the Illuminati on screen, and she explained the version of the Scarlet Witch that killed the team wasn't actually at full strength. She was then asked about working with Krasinski and Stewart and welcoming them to the MCU. "I've never met them," Olsen replied. "Movie magic!"
Set after the events of 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home and WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees the titular sorcerer, once again played by Benedict Cumberbatch, meeting America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a woman with the power to traverse the multiverse using star-shaped portals. However, Chavez soon becomes the target of Scarlet Witch. Following the end of WandaVision, Scarlet Witch was corrupted by the Darkhold, and she wants to use Chavez's power to get her children back. While trying to escape Maximoff, Strange and Chavez end up on Earth-838. There, the duo meet the Illuminati, which is made up of Xavier and Richards as well as Peggy Carter/Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Blackagar Boltagon/Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Maria Rambeau/Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch) and Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Commercially, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has proven a success for Marvel Studios and Disney, having thus far earned more than $450 million at the worldwide box office. Critically, though, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has not fared as well as its predecessor, 2016's Doctor Strange. While the first movie holds an 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel only has a 75 percent on the review aggregator.
At this time, it's not clear when, or if, Stewart and Krasinski will next appear in the MCU. The appearance of the characters in the first place was made possible due to Disney acquiring key assets from Fox in 2019, which gave the House of Mouse the film rights to the X-Men, Fantastic Four and a number of other Marvel characters who'd previously been sold.
Directed by Sam Raimi from a script by Michael Waldron, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters now.
Source: CinemaBlend