Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Carolina De La Rocque
Recap
Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness is the first interface to the coexistence of parallel universes all at once. We are set to follow Dr. Stephen Strange after the events of Avengers: Endgame and WandaVision, where he now needs to face Wanda Maximoff to protect America Chavez, who has the power to open portals across the multiverse.
Review
If Loki explains the multiverse from a broader perspective, this film shows what can happen once characters begin travelling between realities. Wanda Maximoff’s restless pursuit of the children she had to give up after WandaVision shows how dangerous multiversal interference can become. Through practices of dreamwalking and using the Darkhold — the ‘Book of the Damned’ —, Maximoff becomes a villain in Strange’s story. Her arc is “concluded” in this film with her suicide after the realization she will never have her children “back”. However, there is significant speculation about her return in Avengers: Doomsday or in Marvel’s ongoing television series, VisionQuest (which Comic Watch is also covering weekly).
Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness introduces viewers to the concept of Incursions — the catastrophic sci-fi phenomenon that refers to the collision of two or more universes resulting in their devastation and destruction. This is expected to be the central defining threat to the worlds that will collide in Avengers: Doomsday, as already shown by one of the added scenes in the rerelease of Avengers: Endgame.
One aspect of the December cinematic event that will be similar from this release is the crossover between universes and the — literally — unearthly amount of fan service. During a visit to Earth 383, Stephen Strange meets the Illuminati secret council, and the scene features cameos including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, John Krasinski’s Reed Richards, and Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter. Before all being slaughtered by a corrupted Wanda Maximoff, they deliver some iconic callbacks and moments of pure fan service.
In the end scene, Stephen Strange is shown to have acquired a third eye from using the Darkhold and, in the post credits, Clea comes to get him for having caused an Incursion, saying that they will fix it. This can create all sorts of theories regarding Strange’s role in Avengers: Doomsday. One thing is certain, though: Dr. Stephen Strange will return, although he is not featured in the official cast announcement.
Final Thoughts
Apart from questionable CGI and a plot regarded by many as confusing and overcrowded, Multiverse of Madness does work well as an introduction to a lot of multiverse-related topics, characters, and complications. We can expect to see a return from Dr. Stephen Strange in Doomsday, and perhaps even other characters from this movie (including Maximoff and Chavez).
The Road to Doomsday Part 10 — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021)
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 7/107/10
- Acting - 8/108/10
- Music - 7/107/10
- Production - 7/107/10
