The trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness debuted at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home as the movie's second post-credits scene, but it was finally officially released yesterday.
The footage has given us the opportunity to take a deep dive into this first look at Sam Raimi's return to the Marvel Universe, and there are some undeniably interesting moments and reveals. It honestly feels like we've been shown just a small taste of what's to come, especially as the madness that ensues when Doctor Strange enters the Multiverse is only really teased.
That is the whole point of a preview like this, of course, and just because Marvel Studios hasn't fully pulled back the curtain on the movie, that doesn't mean some very deliberate hints and clues weren't included to whet our appetites. It's those we're going to be exploring a little further in this feature.
So, to take a look through this trailer breakdown, simply click on the "Next" button down below!
5. Who Or What Broke The Multiverse?
Given its placement, Marvel Studios obviously had to find a way to make the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer relevant to Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, it still sounds like the sequel directly deals with the fallout from the web-slinger's latest solo adventure and there may well have been a good reason Wong warned Strange not to cast the spell.
After it went wrong, beings from other realities started finding their way into the MCU and the Multiverse itself nearly broke at one point. Strange even acknowledged that most of what was happening shouldn't be, and the fall of the Time Variance Authority in Loki could explain much of that.
If the voiceover at the start of this teaser is any indication, Strange's actions in Spider-Man: No Way Home have contributed to why reality seems to be collapsing in on itself. However, we'd be remiss not to point out that this appears to be a live-action adaptation of What If...?'s Strange Supreme walking out of the Sanctum Sanctorum and seeing New York break down into black mist...
4. That's Not Stephen Strange's Wedding
At first glance, it looks a lot like Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer have finally realised they're meant to be and are tying the knot. What If...? showed just how much she means to the hero, but between the Blip and everything else that's been going on in Strange's life, that's sadly highly unlikely. Oh, and look who's next to Stephen: Nicodemus West, played by Michael Stuhlbarg.
Plot leaks have suggested (be warned that we're getting into SPOILER territory here) that Christine is marrying someone else and actually dies when the wedding comes under attack. This trailer goes some way in legitimising those claims, as do the reappearance of Rachel McAdams later in the trailer; given her attire and location, we're betting that's a Multiversal Variant: Clea.
Rumours have swirled about the actress taking on that role, and it would be a great way to give her a meaty, meaningful role in the MCU that, due to the first movie, Palmer doesn't really fit.
3. WandaVision Fallout...Or Not
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has said the Disney+ TV shows will be just as important as what we watch in theaters. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will arguably be the first movie to prove whether that's the case as the fallout from WandaVision and Loki is surely set to be addressed.
Weirdly, when Strange tracks Wanda Maximoff down in this trailer, he doesn't seem at all concerned about what happened in Westview or the fact she's the Scarlet Witch now. The sequel appears to gloss right over her actions in that New Jersey town, but we think this is more misdirection than Marvel Studios being worried about confusing anyone who hasn't watched the series. We're also guessing that the sorcerer turns to Wanda because he needs the Avenger's power.
Wanda's ears definitely perk up when Strange mentions the Multiverse, and after hearing the voices of Billy and Tommy while delving into the Darkhold, this feels like her chance to find them. With that in mind, don't be surprised if the Scarlet Witch has her own mission in the Doctor Strange sequel.
2. Fantastic Beasts
At first glance, you might think that's Shuma Gorath or the beast from What If...? (who we believe are, in fact, one and the same), but merchandise has confirmed it's actually Gargantos.
In the comics, he's a sea monster at the command of Naga, a member of the Homo mermanus species who was born five hundred years ago in Lemuria, a submarine continent in the Pacific Ocean. This could connect the Doctor Strange sequel to Namor the Sub-Mariner, though we're guessing Gargantos will be reimagined as a Multiverse monster that interrupts Christine's wedding.
Elsewhere in the trailer, we get our first look at Rintrah. He's been a rumoured part of the Doctor Strange sequel's cast for a while now and, on the page, he was an extradimensional being who repaired the Sorcerer Supreme's Cloak of Levitation after it was damaged in battle. Later, he'd serve as an apprentice to Strange, so the character is one with plenty of potential.
1. Doctor Strange Supreme?
For anyone who missed Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home helped introduce moviegoers to the concept of beings from other realities entering the MCU. It also showed us different versions of familiar faces, so ending this trailer with an "evil" Doctor Strange does make sense and plays into the concept of the sort of craziness fans should expect from Sam Raimi's Marvel return.
The big question is, have we met this Doctor Strange Variant before? The similarities to What If...?'s Doctor Strange Supreme are hard to ignore; he had the same pallid complexion and way of talking, but appears more villainous than the Strange who seemingly found redemption working for The Watcher. It's easy to forget that this Sorcerer Supreme destroyed an entire universe, though, and who knows what else he's been through since potentially escaping his prison.
Throughout the trailer, it's hard to say for sure which Strange is providing narration at times, and it would be nuts for this to just be a random Variant rather than one we're already familiar with. What role he'll play in proceedings is hard to say, but rather than being some sort of big bad, we're wondering if Mordo will use him to explain the sort of damage Strange is capable of unleashing on reality.