This eye-opening Spider-Man: No Way Home concept art reveals that a major new MCU character we’re about to meet in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could have also appeared in the Tom Holland threequel. Benedict Cumberbatch’s sarcastic sorcerer already plays a key role in the movie, creating a strong tie between No Way Home and Doctor Strange 2, but it seems like Marvel originally planned for the two films to be even more interlinked.
Spider-Man: No Way Home spoilers ahead
Some unused pieces of concept art from Maciej Kuciara, that are going viral on Twitter, reveal that Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez would originally have had a cameo in NWH and Miss America’s reality-warping portals would have been how Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spideys showed up for the big third act. Check out the evidence for yourself below:
This artwork reminds us that, before the many delays that have hit the Sam Raimi sequel, Doctor Strange 2 was initially scheduled to open in theaters before No Way Home. Specifically, its first release date was May 2021, with NWH then arriving in the summer. As it happens, Multiverse of Madness ended up being pushed back by an entire year. What likely happened is that when the order was switched around, America’s part was deleted and the ability to open multiversal portals was given to Ned (Jacob Batalon) instead.
To be honest, America being the one to facilitate the other Spideys’ arrival would’ve made more sense, given her power-set. However, it probably worked out for the best as Ned being surprisingly capable of sorcery opens the door to so many possibilities for that character in the franchise’s future. Likewise, there were enough cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home as it is without adding Miss America, too.
Gomez makes her MCU debut as America Chavez when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness finally drops this May 6.