Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is only the second solo movie starring the beloved sorcerer. It’s hard to believe since the original was released all the way back in 2016. The story takes place after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and sees chaos erupt in the streets while Strange is attending Christine’s wedding.
Strange and Wong deal with the crisis and rescue a teenage girl in the process, America Chavez. She can warp into alternate dimensions at will and someone is after her powers. Now, it's up to Strange to help America get through this. That’s the basic plot of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Of the many characters in this latest Marvel movie, some stand out more than others.
Warning. The following list contains spoilers!
8 Christine Palmer
Christine has been absent from the MCU movies in a major way since the first Doctor Strange movie in 2016. She was a love interest of Strange and that was about it. She starts as another love interest in this sequel, or more like a love lost interest, but her character takes a turn in the Earth-838 universe.
Christine is a scientist who is studying the multiverse. She, and her colleagues, are the ones responsible for analyzing multiple dimensions and giving them their names. It’s great that she gets to be more than a pretty face in these MCU movies now.
7 America Chavez
America Chavez was a nice addition to Doctor Strange’s internal world within the MCU. However, her character is held back as she is more like an item than a person. She does get to kick butt in the end, however.
This is like an origin story for her and origin stories in the MCU can often be slow. The best examples are the early entries in this gigantic movie series. Even though she didn’t get to shine fully in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s good to know that she’ll be around for future MCU adventures.
6 Captain Carter
Hayley Atwell’s Agent Carter in the first Captain America movie was one of the movie's best characters. Their love story was tragic but finally had a happy ending by Avengers: Endgame. She also got a big boost with her show and in 2021 with What If.
Hayley got to become that universe’s Captain America, or Captain Carter as they call her in that series and in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It was great that she got to put on the costume in real life instead of just voicing a character in a cartoon. Sadly, this might be the only time she gets to do it. Even though her time in the movie was short, it was pure hype. “I can do this all day” is still a great line.
5 Reed Richards
Like Captain Carter, Reed Richards is from the Earth-838 universe. John Krasinski showing up to play him was a big surprise but he fit the part well. Seeing a member of the Fantastic Four onscreen in an MCU movie was a huge deal. Previously it, along with the X-Men, was owned by Fox.
After Disney acquired Fox, it was only a matter of time before one of the two properties showed up in an MCU adventure. Richards was one of the voices of reason on the Illuminati council. He didn’t get a lot of time to shine, but his presence alone means big things for the MCU. What heroes or villains are coming next?
4 Professor X
For Fox and X-Men fans, Professor X also showed up. Patrick Stewart’s voice could be heard in the trailer leading up to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Fans had figured that out, but it was still nice to have a confirmation when he wheeled himself out. His wheelchair wasn’t like the Fox movies either.
This was a machine that looked similar to the one in the 90s cartoon. When Professor X appears, there is even a little stinger in the score that calls back to the cartoon’s theme song. Out of the Illuminati council members, he gets the closest to achieving something.
3 Wong
One of the biggest revelations in Spider-Man: No Way Home, was that Wong became the Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Strange was gone and someone had to fill the void. The jokes between Strange and Wong in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are great as they bicker between titles.
One of the best jokes involves other sorcerers bowing to Wong. He may not have flashy moves like Strange, but his coolheaded thinking helps save the day in the end. Wong is the best he has ever been in this MCU movie.
2 Wanda Maximoff
This is as close to a WandaVision sequel as fans are likely to get. As much as Strange’s name is on the movie, this is also a movie for Wanda. It’s one of the first times in the MCU where a good character goes full villain. The conflicts in Captain America: Civil War could be argued as the first, but no one was brutally murdered in that movie.
Wanda does some cruel things as the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but it’s easy to see where she is coming from. Wanda lost Vision and she lost her kids. Even though they were imaginary in her universe, them being alive elsewhere tugged at her heartstrings just a little too much.
1 Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange has been a good supporting character in the MCU up to this point. It’s been a long time since he was the central character and it has been well worth the wait. Fans get to see Earth-616 Strange grow as a person. That's not all though. They also get to see many more ridiculous versions of Strange throughout the movie.
The zombie one might be the coolest and the most Sam Raimi concoction in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Strange is charismatic, funny, has a lot of heart, and also shows his weak points in the movie. He goes through a lot and, by the end, he learns a valuable lesson. He doesn’t always have to be the one holding the knife.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in movie theaters now.