Doctor Strange 2 reportedly originally had Daniel Craig playing *that* cameo

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That major cameo was reportedly almost played by someone else entirely

Daniel Craig in new James Bond movie No Time to Die
(Image credit: MGM)

One of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's major cameos was reportedly almost played by Daniel Craig. Major spoilers ahead! 

In the Marvel movie, the MCU's version of the Illuminati is introduced. The secret superhero group consists of Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter, Lashana Lynch's Captain Marvel, Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo, Anson Mount's Black Bolt, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, and John Krasinski's Mr. Fantastic. 

It's that last major appearance that was almost played by the James Bond actor. Despite Krasinski being a popular fan cast for the role, it turns out he reportedly wasn't top of the list. 

According to Deadline's Justin Kroll: "Fun fact, Krasinski wasn't the first choice, the actor originally set to play the role was all set to shoot but when there was an uptick in COVID cases, he backed out as he was living in London and didn't think the quick shoot [was] worth risk of bringing back COVID to the fam." If that all sounds too vague, he accompanied his tweet with a GIF of Craig. 

Fans rejoiced to see Krasinski in the role, so maybe the change was for the best – though it would've definitely been a huge surprise to see Craig suited up as the super stretchy hero. It also would have meant a mini No Time to Die reunion with Lynch, who played the new 007 Nomi in Craig's final movie as Bond.

Unfortunately for Mr. Fantastic, though, he didn't make it out of Doctor Strange 2 alive. Elizabeth Olsen's fully powered up Scarlet Witch ended up killing every single member of the Illuminati bar Mordo, so it remains to be seen if Krasinski will return to the role for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. 

Doctor Strange 2 is in theaters now. For much more on the movie, check out our guides to: 

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.