Prior to various COVID-related delays, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse on Madness was actually supposed to come out before Spider-Man: No Way Home. But flipping the films around in the schedule has proven to be very fortuitous, since No Way Home has given the Doctor Strange sequel a very compelling lead-in. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was foolish enough to meddle with the fabric of the multiverse itself when he tried to help Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Now, the bill has come due.
Marvel Studios has released a new video featurette for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that features Cumberbatch and fellow cast members Elizabeth Olsen and Benedict Wong sharing a few teasers about what’s to come. Sam Raimi, the director of the first three Spider-Man movies that starred Tobey Maguire, returned to the Marvel fold to helm this sequel. And his comments in the video are also very intriguing.
“Telling these stories was such a gigantic endeavor,” said Raimi. “It had to be large, because we had to not only paint a picture of our universe, but of multiple universes. It was a great opportunity to pair two of the most powerful superheroes together. We wanted the fans to go, ‘Oh, how cool!’ That really was our goal. We wanted to give the fans what they wanted, just not exactly what they expected.”
Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff was last seen in the Disney+ original series, WandaVision, where she came into her powers as the Scarlet Witch. The teasers have indicated that Stephen and Wanda will both encounter alternate versions of themselves through their journey into the multiverse. And they may not be able to trust each other, especially since their multiverse duplicates are almost identical to them.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is reprising his role from the first Doctor Strange as Karl Mordo, a former ally who has turned against Strange. Also returning from the first film are Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and Michael Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West. Xochitl Gomez is making her MCU debut in the film as America Chavez, a teenage girl with the ability to travel throughthe multiverse at will.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters on Friday, May 6.