Hayley Atwell's Red Carpet Appearance Confirms A Major Doctor Strange 2 Rumor

Hayley Atwell appeared with the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" cast on the red carpet for the premiere of the new movie in Hollywood, and that's a big reveal unto itself.

Atwell, who plays Agent Peggy Carter across several Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, most recently appeared in Season 1 of the Disney+ animated series "What If...?" as a version of the character who took the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rodgers during World War II, becoming the world's first superhero, Captain Carter, in the process. Carter proves an important figure in the multiverse-exploring anthology series, as its final arc shows The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) bringing her and other characters across the multiverse — including Doctor Strange Supreme — to come together as the Guardians of the Multiverse and stop an Infinity Stones-wielding Ultron from taking control over the entire multiverse. Of course, they succeed, and Carter is returned to her universe at the end of the series.

That said, Atwell's appearance at the "Doctor Strange" world premiere finally delivers on just one of the rumors that have swirled about plot developments, character appearances, and twists that the multiverse has in store for Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). As the movie has drawn closer and closer, the Illuminati's involvement has been confirmed, and Atwell's red-carpet appearance alongside Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Olsen, Rachel McAdams, and Xochitl Gomez can help MCU fans put two and two together on another character's inclusion, too.

Hayley Atwell's appearance at the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" premiere confirms that a super-powered Peggy Carter — or at least, a version of her — will appear in the multiverse-traveling movie. Rumors have swirled about potential cameos in the "Doctor Strange" sequel, which catches Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) diving into the unknown to travel through different universes. Atwell has not appeared in a live-action MCU project since she and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) finally enjoyed a lifetime together in "Avengers: Endgame," but it appears she's back for a new take on Captain Carter in live-action form.

Marvel Studios has slowly rolled out promotional material and teasers about cameos in the movie, from Patrick Stewart's trailer reveal to posters that outright tease Carter's presence via her Union Jack shield. Final television spots advertising the new movie show even more of Captain Carter's shield, directly suggesting that Carter will appear as a member of the Illuminati alongside Stewart's potential variant of Charles Xavier. Even as Marvel Studios has run more and more blatant hints toward the character's appearance, the studio has been careful not to show Carter's face: Atwell's red-carpet appearance finally confirms that she will, indeed, reprise her role as Peggy Carter once more.

Since Kevin Feige has teased Captain Carter's ongoing importance to the multiverse already, Atwell's incoming appearance may make re-watching "What If...?" worth it for MCU fans before "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" drops on May 6.