Doctor Strange 2’s Weird New Character Can Perfectly Set Up Beta Ray Bill

New characters and monsters are set to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which creates the perfect opportunity for the MCU to have its iteration of Beta Ray Bill. Directed by Sam Raimi (in his triumphant return to Marvel adaptations), Doctor Strange 2 will see the multiverse in jeopardy once more, but Stephen Strange and Wong will have additional allies in the Scarlet Witch, America Chavez, and what appears to be Rintrah, a minotaur-like creature from the comics whose appearance can allow for Beta Ray Bill to show up in a future MCU property.

First appearing in a 1983 issue of Thor, Beta Ray Bill is a Korbinite (an equine humanoid species) who was worthy of Mjolnir and wielded it, gaining the powers of Thor in the process. Bill was eventually given the Uru hammer Stormbreaker (a far more similar weapon to Mjolnir in the comics), allowing him to retain his powers. Beta Ray Bill is one of Thor’s more bizarre but memorable allies from the comics.

Rintrah appears to be in Doctor Strange 2’s trailer, bracing himself from several explosions alongside what may be other Masters of the Mystic Arts. Given Rintrah’s minotaur-like appearance, he’s likely an almost completely computer-generated character. With sophisticated CGI bringing a character like Rintrah to life in Doctor Strange 2, the MCU can use similar effects to bring Beta Ray Bill into a future Thor film.

Computer-generated imagery has grown increasingly sophisticated as the MCU progressed. By the end of the Infinity Saga, environments like the mirror dimension in the first Doctor Strange film and characters like Thanos made excellent use of digital effects, making the fantastic look all-too-real. Rintrah looks to be the latest example of the franchise’s improving CGI effects. If the digital imagery used to bring Doctor Strange’s minotaur-like ally to life pleases viewers, the desire to see a character like Beta Ray Bill may increase.

Beta Ray Bill nearly appeared in the MCU previously, in Thor: Ragnarok, but was ultimately dropped from the final cut. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige felt that such an iconic character deserved more time and attention than what the Ragnarok script originally planned for him, so he opted to have the alien hero saved for another time. Still, a statue of Bill’s head appeared on Sakaar, indicating that he’d once been a champion there. His homeworld of Korbin was also referenced in Avengers: Endgame as a world that Thanos conquered in 2014.

Considering the references to Beta Ray Bill in recent MCU films and Kevin Feige’s interest in him, it’s only a matter of time before he makes his live-action debut. If the technology used to depict Rintrah is successful, fans should expect Thor’s alien successor soon. Ragnarok and Endgame may have already set up the MCU’s Beta Ray Bill, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can provide an early glimpse of the visual effects used to bring him to life.