A report in 2020 from Variety claims that Rachel McAdams won't be returning to reprise her role as Christine Palmer in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. However, several months later, a report from Deadline confirmed that McAdams' exclusion was all fake and that the actress would join Benedict Cumberbatch again in the sequel, though her role remains a mystery.
Fans quickly spotted McAdam's character, Christine Palmer in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer, attending a wedding but apparently, not with Stephen Strange. Marvel Producer Richie Palmer also says that the two have not rekindled their love for the sequel and confirmed that Christine and Stephen Strange are not back together in the film. The producer explained, “They are not back together, unfortunately... as we saw at the end of Doctor Strange, he chose to stay in the Sanctum, meaning he cant entertain his selfish desires. He would've loved to stay with Christine at the end of that movie, but he did the hard thing. He said, 'No. I'm going to be a Super Hero and defend our reality. I have to move on. Our movie shows him dealing with the decisions he's made. He might regret how things ended with Christine; he still carries a torch for her.”
Now, in an interview with Empire Magazine (via The Direct), Rachel McAdams spoke about her expanded role in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The actress opens up that she will have a bigger role compared to the 2016 film and that she "wasn't just wearing scrubs this time around" for 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."
Well, its good to know that McAdams will have more screentime for the Doctor Strange sequel compared to the 2016 film, where she was barely seen. Considering that McAdams played the love interest for Doctor Strange, the actress had only 12 minutes of total screentime for the entire film which made the fans furious.
Casting an A-list actress such as McAdams would be doubtful if the actress won't play a more significant role aside from being the hero's love interest. With Jane Foster being hinted at as Lady Thor for Thor: Love and Thunder, McAdams might also get a significant role for the MCU.
Leaks about the sequel claim that a Christine Palmer variant from another universe will be playing as Clea. Clea is originally the love interest of Doctor Strange in Marvel Comics, and with Palmer getting married to someone unknown as evidenced from the trailer, Doctor Strange needs to find someone new, with the multiverse in mind, perhaps another variant of Palmer.
While Rachel McAdams' involvement with the MCU remains a mystery, given the actress' acting career achievements and having her only for a side character role for the MCU won't really do her justice. Introducing McAdams as Clea is something the fans would never anticipate.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit the big screens on May 6.
Also Read: Ms. Marvel Star Iman Vellani Has the Most Adorable Reaction to the Series Trailer Release
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