Deadpool Cameo in 'Doctor Strange 2' Was Discussed, but It 'Didn't Feel Like the Right Place'

"Doctor Strange 2" writer Michael Waldron confirms that a Deadpool cameo was discussed.

After Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield showed up in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” most Marvel fans were bracing for even more game-changing cameos in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” One of the biggest rumors ahead of the sequel’s release was that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool would show up, marking the fan-favorite, foul-mouthed superhero’s long-awaited introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the Disney-Fox merger. That cameo did not happen, but screenwriter Michael Waldron confirmed to ComicBook.com that Deadpool cameo discussions were had before filming.

“Yeah, we talked about it,” Waldron said. “I think we talked about everything in this movie. So, [it] would’ve been crazy to not raise that, but it ultimately didn’t feel like…It just didn’t feel like the right place. But yeah, of course we talked about it.”

For what it’s worth, Reynolds himself denied all of the rumors regarding his expected “Doctor Strange 2” cameo. As the actor told Variety during his “The Adam Project” press tour, “I’m really not in the movie…I’m promising, I’m not in the movie.” Because Andrew Garfield repeatedly lied to the press about his “Spider-Man: No Way Home” cameo, many Deadpool fans held out hope the character would actually pop up in the “Doctor Strange” sequel even if Reynolds was saying it wouldn’t happen. As fans now know, Reynolds was telling the truth.

Marvel fans have also speculated in the days following the “Doctor Strange 2” release that a Tom Cruise cameo was cut for the film. Rumor had it that Cruise shot a scene as Iron Man in a meta cameo, considering Cruise was once courted to play the superhero before Robert Downey Jr. signed on to the first MCU movie.

“Yeah, that was totally made up. I mean, there’s no cut footage of Tom Cruise,” Waldron told Rolling Stone. “But I love Tom Cruise, and I said to [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] at one point, I was like, ‘Could we get Tom Cruise’s Iron Man?’ I remember reading about that in Ain’t It Cool News back in the day, that Tom Cruise was going to be Iron Man. As it was being talked about online, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’d be cool!'”

Waldron said discussions about Tom Cruise’s Iron Man didn’t go beyond that, as the actor is far too busy with his own projects like the “Mission: Impossible” movies. The cameos Waldron and the Marvel team did secure for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” were shocking all the same, including Patrick Stewart reprising Charles Xavier and John Krasinski debuting as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic. Both characters are killed several minutes after they debut.

“That was there in my first draft of the script,” Waldron told Variety about the bait-and-switch cameos. “That was the madness of the multiverse to me, really. You introduced this superhero team that makes the audience feel like they’re finally safe, and then the Scarlet Witch eviscerates them. It was a great way to knock the audience off their feet. And then hopefully, you spend the rest of the movie terrified of Wanda and what she’s capable of.”

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is now playing in theaters.