If you stuck around for the not one but both end credit sequences for Spider-Man: No Way Home then what you saw was the first trailer for the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and it was impressive to say the least. So impressive that it requires a breakdown.
Let’s get a few things out of the way and it should be clear at this stage in the MCU, that each film with few exceptions requires watching past entries or series in the franchise and the trailer alone gives indication that a couple movies will be required at the minimum to get an understanding of what’s happening.
- WandaVision: Every episode
- Marvel’s What If: The episode titled “What if Dr. Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands”
- Spider-Man: No Way Home: Given how the multiverse was introduced here this should be clear
The trailer opens with several voiceovers of Dr. Strange lamenting his efforts while tampering with the timeline as well as the multiverse as they seem to be coming back to bite him. Although the trailer was brief, we see several poignant scenes and can infer plot points in the upcoming sequel:
- The multiverse is definitely going to be a major factor thanks to the big clue in the title but several scenes that clearly look like they belong to another version of Stephen Strange mainly what appears to be a wedding ceremony between himself and long suffering love interest Christine Palmer played by Rachel McAdams. There’s also an appearance from the dark version of the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange Supreme as he gets the last words in the trailer as he creepily confronts his Avengers counterpart.
- We also see the return of Baron Mordo, Strange’s ally turned enemy who is intent of ridding the world of rogue sorcery following the events of the first film in the series. Some time has passed since the character’s last appearance as his hair grown significantly and ominously warns Strange that he has become the worst villain in the multiverse.
- Speaking of returns, Wanda Maximoff, who has now fully embraced her powers as the Scarlet Witch and is now one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU teaming up with Dr. Strange to fix whatever he has broken within the multiverse. How she’ll factor into the plot is unclear at this time but it is exciting to see two powerful wizards team up and fight new enemies.
Although brief, we also see America Chavez will make her MCU debut in The Multiverse of Madness and with Sam Raimi taking over the director’s chair from Scott Derrickson, it’s also likely we’ll see horror elements finally introduced to the MCU and The Multiverse of Madness could finally expand on concepts that were introduced in Loki and hopefully give us a clearer idea of what to expect from this Phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madess is due to release in theaters on May 6, 2022. It is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Xochitl Gomez and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Featured Image Credit: EW