MCU: ‘Doctor Strange’ Star Rachel McAdams Talks About Her Potential Return

When you’re an actor, the moment you join some gigantic franchise or cinematic universe, there’s a good chance you might be called again to reprise the role, regardless if it’s a main or supporting role. MCU is known for bringing back characters whose roles only seemed like a one-time thing. For example, after WandaVision concluded, how many of you thought Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha would return, let alone in her own spin-off series?

Rachel McAdams, a Canadian actress known for starring in the Sherlock Holmes movie series starring Robert Downey Jr. and Tom McCarthy Spotlight, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016. She starred as Doctor Christine Palmer, the titular character’s love interest in the Doctor Strange movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

McAdams reprised the role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022, where she also played an alternate Christine Palmer from a different universe, while Christine from the MCU’s mainstream universe married Charlie. The 2022 sequel showed that Christine and Stephen never worked out. Although he admitted to the alternate Christine that he loves her in every universe, Strange eventually got over it, which suggests that McAdams’ role in the MCU is concluded, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if she wouldn’t return in future MCU projects.

Rachel McAdams talks about her possible return to the MCU.

However, even if that might be the case, McAdams admitted after the Multiverse of Madness premiere that she’d eventually be up to reprise the role. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, she said you could never know when it comes to MCU. Her answer sounds pretty vague, but if there are plans to bring her into any future MCU projects, it seems that she would be ready to do it any day.

“You never know what’s going to happen with the MCU, right? It’s vast and endless, so — to be continued. What I took away from it is that green-screen acting is hard. And that you have to be really fit to make a Marvel movie. I had to really tap into my figure-skating, sporty side from another life.”

Rachel McAdams for Empire Magazine

Many actresses joined MCU to play the love interests of the main heroes. Of course, some of them were heroes as well, like Gamora, so they repeatedly returned to their roles. The difference with Christine Palmer is that she found herself a new life in which Doctor Strange can be present only as a friend, which means she will probably stay away from Strange’s superhero life, which theoretically might prevent her appearances in future Doctor Strange-related projects.

Let’s not forget that the Multiverse of Madness’ mid-credit scene also introduced the Sorceress Clea, played by Charlize Theron, who is also Doctor Strange’s wife in the source material. Doctor Strange 3 hasn’t been officially announced yet, but given the story setup and the commercial success of Multiverse of Madness, it’s highly likely that the threequel will find its way to Phase 6’s release slate.

Both Doctor Strange movies are now streaming on Disney+.