Fans who went to see Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters were offered an early look at the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer this week before Marvel released it online. Circulating earlier this year, there was talk of Doctor Strange 2 being the first horror movie to come to the MCU, although fans had their doubts about how scary a Disney-affiliated project could really be.
Now that the first Multiverse of Madness trailer is available to everyone, the movie seems to be a lot darker than fans were expecting. Although the film probably won’t be very heavy on the blood and gore, it does have the potential to be a psychologically mind-bending story that will shock viewers with every twist and turn.
The trailer itself is pretty dark in visual terms, offering shots of the world literally ripping itself into pieces as multiversal chaos strikes. There’s some glimpses of a desolate and decrepit Sanctum Santorum, while Strange walks through the ruins looking utterly hopeless.
It does seem, however, that Mordo is finally getting his due and he is clearly sticking with his plan from the original Doctor Strange post-credits scene, targeting those who have some sort of magic. Mordo was a huge adversary for Strange in the Marvel comics, so their newfound MCU rivalry has plenty of content to draw on from.
At one point in the trailer, Mordo says that the greatest threat to the universe is Strange himself. At first, it sounds like Mordo is simply rambling on about his extremist anti-magic ideals, but when the big reveal comes around, viewers can see that Mordo might actually be telling the truth. In a surprising turn of events, Doctor Strange is confronted with an evil version of himself, implying that either there are multiple variants of Doctor Strange in the multiverse or that there’s a new villain coming his way with the power to shapeshift at will.
The idea of there being more than one Doctor Strange was first hinted at over the summer when Marvel released a What If…? episode featuring a showdown between a good Strange and an evil one. The sorcerers end up seriously damaging the world because of Evil Strange’s refusal to accept the death of Christine Palmer, which does confirm Mordo’s belief that Strange can be a huge danger to the universe.
During the trailer, Strange can also be heard saying that “it was the only way” and that he “never meant for this to happen,” referencing either the destruction that can be seen in the Multiverse of Madness trailer, his actions in Spider-Man: No Way Home in which he tore apart the fabric of time and space with his wonky spell, or maybe even something he did in an earlier film.
Strange did convince Tony Stark to sacrifice himself during Avengers: Endgame, because he said it was the only thing the Avengers could do to stop Thanos. Perhaps the events of the Infinity Saga will be coming back to haunt Strange, much like they did for Clint Barton during the Hawkeye series.
Based on the small bits of information given during the two-minute video, it’s hard to know exactly what Strange is talking about when claiming that whatever he’d done was the “only way." Regardless, Doctor Strange 2 is definitely going to be intense. Strange’s demeanor throughout the entire trailer proves that beyond the unsettling visuals, the sorcerer will be battling it out with himself as he attempts to reconcile the damage he’s done to the multiverse, while also attempting to save the people of the world.
Wanda finally makes her comeback after the Westview incident, as well, rocking her new Scarlet Witch gear and casting spells to aid Strange in his quest to restore balance to the multiverse. It’s no secret that Scarlet Witch is also considered a high-risk individual when it comes to the fate of the universe, which was revealed by Agatha during Wandavision, but the team-up between her and Strange has been long-awaited by fans.
Despite the Scarlet Witch prophecy, Wanda’s powers and her desire to do good will certainly come in handy when it comes to fixing the multiverse. She made it very clear that she’s not afraid to cross certain lines when necessary, so now that there’s now an evil Strange lurking about, she’s probably the best choice to help fight fire with fire. Or in this case, dark magic with dark magic.
Even with the help of Wanda, though, Strange will have to put in some serious work if he’s going to save the multiverse. Beating himself, both literally and metaphorically, will certainly be the most challenging thing Strange has done thus far, as he’ll have to wrestle with his own demons while attempting to defeat a new version of himself.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters May 2022.
