Disney's cavalier attitude towards their diverse roster of Marvel characters has raised the question of why the MCU continues to leave out the Agents of SHIELD, the Runaways, Cloak and Dagger, and all the other live-action heroes who exist within the same general universe. They're members of the Disney-Marvel conglomerate, so they should be able to appear in the prime timeline. The problem is that separate timelines and dimensions have made them converging in one place difficult. Fortunately, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might offer a convenient workaround.
Based on what we know, the Doctor Strange sequel will take the Sorcerer Supreme to other worlds. He may also find himself staving off villains from distinct realities while dealing with unknown superhumans on his home turf. Acting legend Jamie Foxx's Electro is in the film, and he alone could cause quite the disturbance. Of course, Electro is the least of Strange's worries. He has many potential foes to contend with, some of who might be too strong for him by himself, like say Scarlet Witch (a character Doctor Strange was supposed to run into on WandaVision). The Avengers are out of commission—except for Captain America—leaving Strange with few options. He could turn to Earth's mightiest if worse comes to worst, although any of their deaths could irreparably damage the timeline. A risk that Strange can't risk making. The Sorcerer Supreme may, however, search the multiverse for allies with abilities suited to the situation. And that's where characters like the Runaways and SHIELD Agents come in.
Possible Cameos
If true, a couple of heroes are best suited for handling multidimensional trouble: Robbie Reyes and Nico Minoru. Ghost Rider and the Runaways' witch are both well-versed in traveling between worlds, along with fighting entities from distant plains. Their experience makes them invaluable allies who Strange could recruit.
Reyes, especially, has the best chance of making an appearance. Gabriel Luna would've reprised his role as Ghost Rider in a Hulu series, but the streamer abruptly pulled out of the project due to creative differences with the production team. Luna's character is in a limbo-like state with no appearances in his future, but that's precisely why a Doctor Strange cameo works perfectly.
The other reason an MCU appearance makes sense is it could lead to a permanent stay. Disney is investing in supernatural characters like Blade and Moon Knight in the coming years, so perhaps this is an appropriate time to bring Ghost Rider in, too.
There's also the potential for Cloak and Dagger to get dragged into the fight. Tyrone Johnson, specifically, uses his cloak abilities to teleport from one place to another. The thing is, when he does, he's traveling between dimensions. Thus, making him a beneficial ally to have along for the ride.
It's worth mentioning, though, that we could be getting way ahead of ourselves. Doctor Strange 2's cast is already massive as it is, especially considering the movie will add characters from different cinematic universes to the fold. The notion of even more cameos might be expecting too much. But, at the same time, audiences shouldn't be surprised to see some old faces make massive returns.
