Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dropped a Super Bowl trailer that appeared to feature Patrick Stewart as Professor X. Since then, Stewart has played coy about whether Professor X will appear in Doctor Strange 2, but he may have confirmed the X-Men hero's MCU debut while promoting Picard.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes place after the recent Spider-Man film, which also teased the concept of the multiverse. Doctor Strange 2 will feature the sorcerer trying to undo what was done when Spider-Man interrupted his spell and caused catastrophic issues in the universe.
In the Doctor Strange 2 trailer, it sounds as if Stewart is talking as Professor X at one point. During an interview with Ethan Alter, Stewart pretended not to know who Doctor Strange was when asked if that was actually him in the trailer, but Stewart later seemed to confirm he was on the Multiverse of Madness set during a conversation with Jake's Takes. "I actually didn’t recognize my own voice, it sounded different," Stewart said. "Whether I had a cold or something at the time, I don’t know. But I was astonished, and all they saw was the back of my shoulder, and I think my earlobe, nothing else. There would have been so many connections made. But, uh, it pleased me."
His voice is easily recognizable and many think that this will serve as Marvel Studios' version of the Illuminati. The comic counterpart of the Illuminati was a gathering of different heroes who met in secret. Black Panther is usually seen as one of the members, along with Iron Man. How they will pull this off is currently unknown, and whether they'll incorporate a different version is also unclear. All that fans can hope for is that this delivers something that honors what the comics did before them, regardless if it's accurate or not.
The creators have a heavy task before them, and seeing as how this Doctor Strange 2 will feature a lot of special effects and went through a lot of re-shoots, it shouldn't be surprise fans that it is being promoted heavily. Spider-Man: No Way Home featured the first Doctor Strange 2 trailer as a post-credits scene, so Spidey's latest flick will definitely lead into the film that features the famous magician.
It's also important to note that Doctor Strange 2 teases the evil Doctor Strange who was prevalent in Marvel Studios' What If...? series. With that being said, this would make the animated series become canon by having one of the characters make their way into the live-action world. How the X-Men can make it into the MCU is very unclear, on the other hand. Although with Spider-Man: No Way Home there may be one obvious clue. It was revealed that the Avengers don't exist in every universe, which means that it makes sense why the X-Men don't exist here. With that being said, Marvel Studios may create a brand-new universe where both teams co-exist.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be in theaters on May 6th, 2022.
Source: Ethan Alter, Jake's Takes