Now, with endless possibilities and speculation regarding Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness running wild, I’ve assembled 20 potential characters from Marvel’s history (and even unproduced pictures) who could make waves with an appearance via the MCU’s multiverse.

For all intents and purposes, Chris Evans hung up the shield as Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame, but knowing Evans’ playful streak and willingness to do sillier cameos in the MCU (see Thor: The Dark World and Spider-Man: Homecoming), it’s not quite impossible that Evans would reprise the role of Johnny Storm for an one-time-only gag.

Though it would be great to give Alexandra Shipp one more opportunity to kick butt as Storm, there’s no denying that an appearance of Halle Berry as Storm in the proper Marvel Cinematic Universe would send shockwaves across Marvel fans (no pun intended).

It’s no secret that The Punisher is a role Thomas Jane has held dearly, having reprised the role in Marvel’s 2005 video game and the 2012 short film Dirty Laundry. I’d assume most people would prefer Jon Bernthal to jump back into the role of Frank Castle, but an opportunity for Jane to give his grizzled, older Punisher a proper send-off would absolutely be a moment worth cheering.

After a number of starring vehicles that stalled at the box office, Eric Bana has been keeping a low profile in Hollywood, starring in acclaimed independent movies throughout Australia. However, I know I wouldn’t be the only one who might appreciate Bana’s Hulk briefly showing up to smash more stuff in the multiverse of the MCU.

If the behind-the-scenes photographs are any indication, it appears Nicolas Cage had a lot of fun playing Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider. While Cage and Hollywood haven’t necessarily seen eye-to-eye in the past few years, his return in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and his upcoming role as Dracula in Renfield could inspire Marvel to knock at Cage’s door for a final chance to fire up the MCU as the hot-headed hero.

As far as newer Marvel fans are concerned, some may not even know that the eccentric Terrence Howard initially played James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the first Iron Man movie, considering how quickly and definitively he was replaced thereafter by Don Cheadle. However, if the MCU can get three different Peter Parkers, there could always be the unlikely chance that the multiverse could cause Cheadle’s War Machine to come into contact with another universe’s War Machine that could more closely resemble Howard’s portrayal of the character.

While there have been many hints that Patrick Stewart may be reprising his role as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, don’t forget that the Avengers have enabled time travel via the Quantum Realm in Avengers: Endgame. With this in mind, it may not be entirely surprising to see multiversal appearances from throughout time, including an unexpected appearance from James McAvoy as the younger Professor X, especially since Deadpool 2 hinted at the characters cohabitation with future MCU addition Wade Wilson.

Colin Farrell may have most recently wowed audiences as The Penguin in The Batman, but let us not forget that the actor previously cut his teeth in the superhero genre with a wired, scenery-chewing performance as Bullseye in Daredevil. Though the MCU technically has a version of the character in the Daredevil Netflix series, the multiverse could technically bring back Farrell to the Marvel fold when we least expect it.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer wasn’t exactly a smash with audiences or critics, but one highlight was Doug Jones’ physical performance as the Silver Surfer. Though his voice was dubbed over by Laurence Fishburne, I don’t think anyone would be opposed to Jones’ getting his due with an opportunity to once again embody, and finally lend his voice to, the fan favorite cosmic warrior.

As Marvel die-hards know, Channing Tatum almost joined Fox’s X-Men universe as Gambit in an ultimately doomed solo movie. However, should Tatum want to bring his iteration of the celebrated Cajun to the screen in some way, shape, or form, the MCU’s multiverse might open the door for a shocking appearance or even something more substantial.

Though we all wait with baited breath for Mahershala Ali’s take on Blade, there’s a collective feeling among many Marvel fans that Wesley Snipes never got proper closure as Marvel’s first big-screen powerhouse, as Blade: Trinity remains a fiasco of a finale for that version of the character. If a situation ever arose for Snipes to enter the multiverse and fight side-by-side with Ali, I know I wouldn’t be the only Marvel fan losing it in the theater.

The New Mutants has gotten the short shrift in the superhero genre, as the ambitious, horror-based X-Men film was on the shelf prior to Fox’s sale to Disney. Out of place in the X-Men continuity and released to little fanfare in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, The New Mutants may not have a lasting impact on any cinematic universe, but it would still be very cool if Anya Taylor-Joy’s punk sorceress Magik ever showed her face in Marvel’s core canon, especially as Phase Four dips deeper into darker material.

Josh Brolin has already made an impact in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his motion-capture performance as Thanos, but with Deadpool’s incoming appearance in the MCU, fans would likely embrace Brolin returning as Deadpool 2‘s Cable, this time trying to save the world he’d previously tried to destroy.

Of all the villains who returned to Marvel in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the most notable exception was Harry Osborn, who has yet to appear in Tom Holland’s Spider-verse in any capacity. However, Dane DeHaan’s version of the Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 would not only be a great shocking return in Sony’s current Spider-verse, especially as it plants the seeds for the Sinister Six, but could absolutely work as another multiverse-spanning villain raising hell outside of New York simultaneous to the events of No Way Home.

Legion‘s trippy visuals and art house aesthetic certainly made it not accessible for all Marvel fans, but out of all the possible X-men characters that could possibly make appearances throughout the multiverse, one that would be among the most shocking (and have the most potential ramifications) would be Dan Stevens as Professor X’s powerful and ultimately villainous son; funny enough, Legion was among the first Marvel properties to address the multiverse on-screen, so it’d be fitting for him to return as such, if even for just a moment.

Alan Cumming’s one-off appearance as Nightcrawler in X2 remains one of the most acclaimed singular performances in any superhero film, though the extensive make-up process was enough reason for the actor to not return to the role for subsequent sequels. Of course, should Cumming’s Nightcrawler appear in some capacity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would be a long overdue, yet incredibly welcome, homecoming for this iteration of the character and actor alike.

Though Edward Norton’s split from Marvel was not quite amicable, time often heals all wounds in Hollywood, and anything is possible in Marvel’s multiverse. If Marvel truly wanted to bring in a massive shocker of a surprise with their universe-jumping adventures, having Mark Ruffalo and Edward Norton come face-to-face as alternate versions of Bruce Banner would no doubt send fans into a tizzy.

Élodie Yung may have been the most recent performer to bring Elektra Natchios to life, but few would deny that it would be pretty cool to see Jennifer Garner re-establish herself as the butt-kicker that she is as the old-school version of Elektra in the MCU.

This may be a pipe dream considering Jackman has been steadfast that his time as Wolverine has passed following his heartbreaking performance in Logan, but if there’s any appealing situation that could get the actor to don the claws one more time, a chance to canonize his version of the character in the MCU just might do it. Never say never!