Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer points at Strange’s dark side and shows characters from alternate universes.
The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer is proof of Strange’s worst nightmare taking shape. The trailer delves into the different facets of the multiverse as Strange will face it. And it is nothing short of a ride in an amusement park for us.
Watch: Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Official Trailer
Before we start breaking down the trailer, let’s talk about the poster that came out (below) alongside it. We see the faces of the different characters in the pieces of shattered glass from the New York Sanctum Santorum. However, there are four pieces, one in the bottom right, one in the top right, and two in the top left that are of special interest.
The glass in the bottom right reflects a shield with the union jack. This seems to confirm the arrival of Captain Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, whom we last saw in What If…? And we are really excited to see Hayley Atwell reprise her sharp character, right?
Now, the one on the top right (right to the glass piece that has Mordo screaming) has the star from Steve Rogers’ suit. Thus this signifies that we might also be getting a cameo from the character i.e. Captain America AKA Chris Evans.
However, the two that should spark the most interest are the ones on the top left (left of screaming Mordo’s piece and just to the left of the small piece that has Strange casting a spell with his fingers). This one has a mask that pretty much resembles the one on the top left just on the right of the glass that has Strange pointing his finger towards us. Zoom in close and you will figure out Deadpool in his popular finger-on-the-lips mode. So yes, Deadpool too is in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Fair is Foul for Wanda
We last saw Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision where she became the Scarlet Witch, the Chaos Magic prime, and the owner of the secrets of the Darkhold. Strange, after realizing the risks of his tampering with time in Spider-Man: No Way Home, approaches Wanda to seek her help regarding knowledge of the multiverse. But Wanda is not quite in the mood to help. She finds it unfair that Strange broke the rules and became a hero (evident from his statue in New York that we see in the trailer) while she was deemed an enemy for doing the same. This is what will probably lead to their long-time rumored stand-off.
The Return of Mordo
Mordo returns to take revenge on Strange, something that we had anticipated at the end of Doctor Strange. He had warned Strange that his use of the Time Stone to defeat Dormammu will bear grave consequences. And he is back to remind him of that. “Your desecration of reality will not go unpunished.” Indeed, it will seemingly turn out truer than Strange, and we, could have expected.
Ultron Bots or Iron Legion?
There is a scene where we see Strange in handcuffs and being escorted by a group of androids inside a facility of some kind and presented in front of a tribunal. These androids are either Ultron bots or Iron Legion, Tony Stark’s own “suit of armor around the world.” Furthermore, we also see a statue of what seems to be Iron-Man, Superior Iron-Man to be more precise. So, it seems that we will be getting a Tony Stark variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after all. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether the variant is the great Tom Cruise himself.
Professor is in the House (of M)
One of the members of the tribunal speaks in the trailer. And the voice is one that anybody who is a fan of superhero movies will be able to guess. It is that of our very own Patrick Stewart AKA Professor Xavier. What establishes it further is the next OTS (over the shoulder) shot where we see him transition smoothly in front of the camera thanks to his wheelchair, his bald head, and that classic blue suit.
Now, we know that the House of M event brought Professor Xavier face to face with Scarlet Witch. Whether Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will incorporate it is something worth pondering on. It is important to mention here that we did see two versions of Wanda in the trailer, one in her Scarlet Witch avatar and another in a civilian dress. In the House of M event, Scarlet Witch introduced a new version of herself as a fail-safe protocol, Layla Miller. Is the civilian then Layla? Maybe.
VERY IMPORTANT: The tribunal clearly has 4 people. We have already figured out two of them, Tony Stark and Professor Xavier. This itself is proof that the tribunal is but the Illuminati. We also see two other people sitting, the one on the extreme left is a man while the one on the right is a woman. Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic was one of the core members of the Illuminati in the comics And there was a rumor of his presence in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So probably it is him (thus our stress on Doctor Doom in the poster). As for the woman, she is still a mystery. We leave it up to you to find out her identity. Either way, the mere presence of Professor Xavier is a sign that the mutants aren’t very far from their MCU arrival.
Who is Wanda Fighting?
There is a scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer where we see a being fighting Wanda. If the energy is what it seems i.e. photon energy, then it is a captain Marvel variant. Or, it can also be the Superior Iron-Man variant we spoke of earlier. It can be Nova aka Richard Rider who works for the Nova Corps, the intergalactic police force. Or it can be Monica Rambeau aka Spectrum who also gained energy-based powers in WandaVision.
Doctor Strange Supreme, Zombie, and Defender
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will draw quite a lot from What If Episode 4, proof of which is the last scene in the trailer. We see a demonic Doctor Strange Supreme and all those hands correspond to all the demons or dark souls he may have killed in or imbibed from the Dark Dimension. However, we can only speculate as to why this happens. Does Strange try to change an absolute point in time, like Christine’s death? Or does he borrow help from multiple dimensions, including the Dark Dimension, to face the Scarlet Witch? We also have a zombie Strange as well as Defender Strange in the trailer.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will release exclusively in theatres on May 6, 2022.
