The long-awaited sequel of Doctor Strange finally came to big screen and it gave fans more insight about the Multiverse and a taste of what could happen next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The MCU does not disappoint, and it has continued to deliver more crossovers than ever thanks to the Multiverse. Its concept was first introduced in Doctor Strange (2016) before being explored more deeply in Phase Four of the MCU.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Doctor Steven Strange, the Master of the mystic arts and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, who is no stranger to Marvel movies and who plays a key role in the plot of this movie. The Multiverse of Madness starts after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The forbidden spell done by Dr. Strange opened the doorway to alternate versions of not only himself, but other characters of the MCU, which led to the events happening in this new movie.
In this new adventure, Dr. Strange, with the help of his trusted friend Wong (Benedict Wong), take on the role as protectors of America Chavez, a newly introduced character played by Xochitl Gomez. The actress has stolen the hearts of many fans because her role is the first Latino and LGTBQ+ character to have a major role in the MCU. America Chavez is a teenager who possesses the ability to leap between universes and is revealed early on in the movie that she is being hunted for her powers.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was directed by Sam Raimi, known for having directed the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, the Evil Dead franchise and Drag me to Hell. Even though Doctor Strange 2 is placed as a Fantasy/Action movie, Sam Raimi went ahead and added some scary elements to this movie which resulted in a sort of horror film.
Westview, cameos, and the other versions of Doctor Strange
As mentioned before, Wanda Maximoff has an important role in this movie and her storyline takes off right after the events that happened in the Disney limited series, Wanda Vision. After the tragic death of her love, Vision, Wanda took control of a town called Westview. The events that happened there led to her becoming the Scarlet Witch, which meant she was stronger and interested in the Darkhold, a collection of all evil spells.
In the official trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Scarlet Witch can be seen saying to Strange, “You break the rules and become the hero. I do it, I become the enemy. That doesn’t seem fair”. Those words give an idea on what her role becomes throughout the plot of the movie, and Elizabeth Olsen did an excellent job at portraying two complete opposites, Wanda Maximoff, and the Scarlet Witch.
Another thing to point out from the movie trailer is the presence of other superheroes. Marvel fans were able to recognize Charles Xavier’s voice (Sir Patrick Stewart), Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and even Captain Marvel. Doctor Strange 2 did not disappoint and showed not only the previously stated characters, but many more including Doctor Strange’s long-lost love, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). As to the main character of this movie, the presence of different versions of Doctor Strange may seem overwhelming at times but it truly is connected to the whole storyline and fans will understand why this route was taken.
Previous MCU movies like Black Widow, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home all had an estimate cost of $200 million, and even though the production costs of Doctor Strange 2 have not been revealed, it is currently the 14th highest grossing MCU movie worldwide, making over $900 million globally.
As mentioned before, Sam Raimi did include many horror elements to this movie, which might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but by no means it will make you run out of the cinema.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is worth watching because of its acting, storyline and special effects, an experience worth having at the cinema. The movie also offers post credit scenes, a common thing with all Marvel movies, so you better stay sited to get a glimpse at that what might happen next with Doctor Steven Strange.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available in theaters and will be soon streaming on Disney+.