(TC) Rachel McAdams ‘s off-screen role in “Doctor Strange 2: Multiverse of Madness”

Rachel McAdams teases Christine Palmer’s more active role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. McAdams made her Marvel Cinematic debut as Christine Palmer in 2016’s Doctor Strange, seeing her fall out with and then aid her former lover/co-worker all while (mostly) wearing scrubs. Following Loki, What If..?, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange’s sequel, Multiverse of Madness, dives deeper into Phase Four’s ever-evolving multiverse, promising appearances by at least a couple of Marvel Studios’ newly acquired characters from Fox.

Sam Raimi’s Multiverse of Madness sees McAdams, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor all reprise their roles from the first film. They are joined by Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Xochitl Gomez making her MCU debut as America Chavez—a superheroine who can open portals to other universes seemingly at will. With a script written by Loki creator Michael Waldron, the film follows Strange as he becomes wrapped up in the eponymous madness. The first official trailer for Multiverse of Madness was released earlier this year, revealing Christine in a wedding dress, scrubs, multiple Strange variants, and Patrick Stewart’s MCU debut as Professor X.

In a recent interview with Empire Magazine (via The Direct), McAdams opened up about her role(s) in Multiverse of Madness. According to the actress, she’ll have a much larger role in the sequel. McAdams said “[Christine isn’t] just wearing scrubs this time around” and is “certainly a part of things I’ve never seen on screen.”

When Doctor Strange 2 was first announced, it was reported that McAdams would not reprise the role of Christine Palmer in the MCU. However, those reports proved false as McAdams went on to voice her character in Disney+’s animated series, What If…?. In episode 4, “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?,” audiences visit a universe(s) where Strange loses Christine over and over again as he descends into madness attempting to undo her death. At the end of the episode, Doctor Strange Supreme emerges, who then goes on to play a major role in season 1. Not only may that Strange variant appear in Multiverse of Madness, but Strange’s love for Christine will be tested yet again as he’s forced to watch her marry someone else in the primary timeline.

Details regarding McAdams’s overall role in Multiverse of Madness are, of course, being kept under wraps. However, she will presumably be playing at least two different characters and/or versions of Christine. Trailer footage and released images have shown McAdams wearing an outfit comparable to that of Marvel Comics’ Night Nurse inside a facility run by the Illuminati— who are confirmed to detain Strange in the film. Other images show McAdams’ character working with Strange and America Chavez. It seems likely McAdams will also be playing a variant of Christine who helps Strange escape the Illuminati. While the Christine who gets married may not be involved in the film’s multiverse plot, this Night Nurse variant will. It remains to be seen if that theory comes to pass when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases in theaters on May 6, 2022