Spider-Man 3 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are linked, Marvel confirms

Speculation about a live-action Spider-verse has been flying since Jamie Foxx was reportedly cast as Electro in the upcoming Spider-Man 3. The theorists hit their peak after news broke that Alfred Molina will be reprising his role of Doctor Octopus, while reports indicate that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield could be back as their versions of Spidey, with Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone potentially returning as MJ and Gwen Stacy respectively.

We also know that Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing Doctor Strange in Spider-Man 3, replacing Iron Man as Peter Parker’s mentor after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Considering the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel is titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, this makes the prospect of seeing multiple Spideys seem a lot more realistic.

At Disney’s Investor Day event, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the as-yet-untitled Spider-Man 3 are linked. The film, which will co-star Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Elizabeth Olsen, was also announced to currently be in production in London. Plus, we found out that America Chavez will be making her MCU debut in the movie, played by Xochitl Gomez.

It definitely looks like the Spider-verse is getting bigger, and while there’s still no official confirmation of some of the casting, a multiverse scenario seems practically a certainty at this point. Disney also describes Doctor Strange 2 as a “mind-bending adventure,” which isn’t all that surprising considering Scarlet Witch will be along for the ride. Doctor Strange, directed by Sam Rami, reaches cinemas March 25, 2022, a few months after Spider-Man 3, which touches down December 17, 2021.

With WandaVision set to make use of Scarlet Witch’s reality-twisting powers, we can expect the MCU to get a whole lot stranger as Marvel Phase 4 goes on. How exactly all these projects will link up is uncertain at the moment, but there’s not long to wait for WandaVision – it hits Disney Plus on January 15, 2021.

There were tons of other massive reveals at the Investor Day event to check out too, including the news that 10 new Star Wars and 10 new Marvel TV series are on the way.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. 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.