By Huw Fullerton

Published: Sunday, 01 May 2022 at 12:00 am


It feels safe to say that Spider-Man: No Way Home was a bit of a hit with audiences, breaking box office records as fans delighted in the shock twists and huge cameos that littered the Marvel/Sony movie.

And according to one of its stars, follow-up Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – which picks up some of the threads established in No Way Home – will be just as stuffed with Easter Eggs and callbacks. In fact, he predicts that the ecstatic fan reaction to the Spider-Man adventure will only continue in Doctor Strange 2, hinting at some major crowd-pleasing moments that are likely to have audiences on their feet.

“I can’t say anything can I, because they’re still holding half of my wages in an account until these press junkets stop,” Benedict Wong, who plays Strange’s fellow sorcerer Wong (including in No Way Home) told RadioTimes.com.

“But you know, Easter is still upon us, and all the eggs are still in this film. I think, you know, you kind of get a nice warm fuzzy feeling when you come across all these lovely surprises.”

He added: “There was a lot of ‘whi-whooing’ and screaming and shouting in No Way Home – and I think you’ll find that everyone’ll be joining in [here too].”

While No Way Home had cameos from former Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, Doctor Strange 2 has already hinted at parallel-universe versions of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, with more familiar yet altered characters rumoured to play a major part in the film’s story.

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Rachel McAdams, Benedict Cumberbatch and Xochitl Gomez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Marvel Studios

Based on Wong’s hints, it sounds like there’s plenty more to come – and audiences have got to be ready.

“You just have to fasten your seatbelts really, and just hold on,” he told us. “It’s all so multi-layered, you know? As I said before, it’s converged from WandaVision and No Way Home. And it’s just leading to this now.

“Just sit tight and er…don’t expect a shock. You’ll just get one.”

Read The Big RT Interview with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi on RadioTimes.com this Saturday.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness comes to UK cinemas on the 5th May. For more, check out our dedicated Movies page or our full TV Guide.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.