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Watch Daniel Craig try to deny his rumored Doctor Strange 2 cameo

Published Dec 24th, 2022 10:33AM EST
Strange and Wanda talking about Avengers and the multiverse
Image: Marvel Studios

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A running joke about Doctor Strange 2 suggested we’d continue to hear about Multiverse of Madness cameos long after the film’s release. And now the joke has come true. Daniel Craig is one prominent actor who should have appeared in Marvel’s Doctor Strange 2, according to reports that followed the film’s premiere. That makes his recent attempt to deny the rumored role all the more hilarious, considering that his MCU role didn’t pan out. You can watch the entire thing below, but beware that some Marvel spoilers might follow.

Well after the Multiverse of Madness premiere, we heard that Daniel Craig was supposed to appear in the highly anticipated Marvel movie. But COVID got in the way, and the actor pulled out of the project.

Craig would have played a superhero from a different reality. He would have been one of the Illuminati team members that we got to meet in the sequel. Specifically, he’d have taken the Balder the Brave role, a character who appeared consistently in Doctor Strange 2 rumors. Like No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness leaked thoroughly in the months preceding the movie’s release.

Doctor Strange 2 storyboard art shows a different Illuminati team.
Doctor Strange 2 storyboard art shows a different Illuminati team. Image source: Soren Bendt

But then Balder the Brave wasn’t on the Illuminati roster, and maybe it’s for the better. Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) killed almost everyone on that team. Those were Illuminati from a different reality, but there’s no telling when they’ll show up in the MCU again. We’re in Marvel’s Multiverse Saga saga.

More recently, we saw concept art from Doctor Strange 2 that teased a different Illuminati team than we got on the screen. Balder the Brave was one of those members.

Will Daniel Craig show up in the Marvel universe soon?

Daniel Craig was the guest of Josh Horowitz ahead of the Netflix premiere of Glass Onion. But this was a wide-ranging interview, with the two talking about various of Craig’s roles. Toward the end of the interview, Horowitz asked the actor about the Marvel rumors.

“Have you ever heard of the character Balder the Brave?” Horowitz asked, with Craig delivering an immediate “No” response. But you can almost see that Craig is struggling to keep it together.

Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion.
Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion. Image source: Netflix

Then the host goes on to recap the Doctor Strange 2 rumor, prompting a hilarious reaction from the actor. Craig picked up his cup and hid behind it rather than give a straight answer about his involvement with Marvel. Craig couldn’t help laughing as well, as he was hiding behind that cup.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Craig finally answered, as the audience laughed.

Asked whether he’d be interested “in theory” in joining a Marvel movie, the actor said he would take any job as long as the hours are good.

Does that mean Daniel Craig will appear in a Marvel movie down the road? The hilarious exchange, available in the clip below, isn’t enough to confirm anything. But since the two parties have already agreed once on a potential cameo, it might happen again. After all, we still haven’t seen Balder the Brave in the MCU.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.