Marvel fans have all seen the trailers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and made the connection to the Disney Plus series What If…? The second the evil Doctor Strange from the animated series made the crossover into the real world, the Multiverse became more a reality than it had been thus far. Producer Richie Palmer has finally opened up about potentially picking up where things were left of in What If…?
While fans assumed that the evil version of Stephen Strange, who has now been labeled “Sinister Strange,” in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer is the one they last saw in What If…?, there could possibly be some disappointment coming their way. It turns out that the team behind the much-awaited film loved What If…? episode 4 and simply hope to recreate some of the madness in the upcoming sequel.
Palmer opened up about that episode of What If..? being an inspiration in an interview with Disney’s D23 Magazine (via The Direct). In the animated Disney Plus series, Doctor Strange destroys the universe he lives in while on a path to gain enough power to stop Christine from dying. “Things get pretty trippy. We love that episode of What If...?, and we hope to do it justice,” said Palmer. However, the producer never confirms whether "Sinister Strange" is in fact the same character making his first live-action appearance. “If he was capable of that, for a selfish reason, is that something that our Stephen would be capable of doing, too?”
Whether it is the evil Strange from What If…? or not, Doctor Strange would potentially have to deal with Sinister Strange in the upcoming film. Additionally, the second trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did make some obvious connections to the animated series. Fans have already seen glimpses of zombies and some keen-eyed fans claim to have spotted Captain Carter’s shield, too. Even if the film isn’t a direct tie-in to What If…?, it definitely would take a leaf out of its book.
Another aspect of the film that fans are extremely excited about is a possible tie-in to the X-Men universe. Ever since Disney acquired Fox, Marvel fans have been waiting for an epic crossover. While it was assumed that bringing the X-Men and Marvel heroes together will be a challenge, the latest Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer has raised fans’ hopes once again. What appears to be Sir Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, makes a brief appearance in the trailer. Even though the actor has denied his involvement in the film, fans are convinced that this movie will bring the two universes together. Marvel is known for lying about plot theories. Look at Spider-Man: No Way Home for example.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released in theaters on May 6th, 2022.
Source: D23 Magazine (via The Direct)
