Before the COVID-19 pandemic shuffled the release schedule of the MCU films in Phase Four, there was a time when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was supposed to arrive in theaters first before Spider-Man: No Way Home.
However, the respective films' ended up reversing the order with No Way Home heading to theaters first in late 2021 before the release of the Doctor Strange sequel months later in early summer of 2022.
The two films shared a similar DNA as they both explored the concept of the multiverse in the MCU and, most significantly, the appearances from Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange.
As we learned previously, Tom Holland's Spider-Man was also supposed to appear in both films. Now, we have the details of what his cameo in Multiverse of Madness would have looked like and how it could have changed the trajectory of No Way Home.
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The Original Plan for Tom Holland's Doctor Strange 2 Cameo
An interview with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness costume designer Graham Churchyard recently surfaced online (via The Direct) where he shared a tidbit on Marvel Studios' original plans for Holland's cameo in the film.
He explained that Holland's web-slinger was supposed to make a brief appearance in the sequel that would have connected to the events of No Way Home with America Chavez also joining along the ride in the following film.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home was supposed to come out after Multiverse [of Madness] and then with COVID scheduling it came out before," Churchyard said.
"So Doctor Strange and his new costume and America Chavez were supposed to go into Spider-Man [No Way Home], and Spider-Man was supposed to come into - for very a brief cameo appearance - into Multiverse [of Madness]. But then COVID just shook it all up."
Insider @CanWeGetToast added more context on the scoop where they claimed that, if Multiverse of Madness came out first, America would have been the one who summoned the other Peter Parkers as she was already studying at Kamar-Taj.
As we all know, that did not end up happening and an accidental spell from Doctor Strange in No Way Home became the way for them to bring the other Peter Parkers and the villains into the MCU.
Holland also did not end up appearing in Multiverse of Madness since it could have opened up some story loophole since the world had forgotten who Peter Parker was by that time.
This just shows how the pandemic has significantly altered Marvel's plan for Phase Four as it forced them to make some changes to the story due to the release date shuffling that they had to do in response to what the theatrical market was during that time.
So far, Holland's return to the MCU has not been official yet while Cumberbatch has already hinted at this next appearance a while ago. Who knows, the two could team up again in the upcoming Avengers movies alongside many heroes.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available to stream on Disney+.
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