Who’s Ready for Chaos?

By Lauren D’Ambra

Summer and blockbuster superhero movies have gone hand in hand for years now and it’s looking like this summer will be no exception. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on May 6th and expectations are high (not quite Avengers: Endgame high, but still up there). Of course, the general aura of mystery that’s currently surrounding the film is only adding to the intrigue and hype, and if the past few Marvel flicks have taught us anything, we really don’t know what to expect. That being said, we figured it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the biggest questions fans have going into the movie. Let’s go!

What Even is the Multiverse?

Basically, the multiverse is a collection of numerous alternate realities that cause a multitude of problems when they interact. Marvel fans got their first tease of this nebulous concept back in Spider-Man: Far From Home. However, this mention turned out to be a lie fabricated by Mysterio in order to gain the trust of Earth’s heroes, much to the disappointment of Marvel fans. Then, in Spider-Man: No Way Home, we discovered that there actually is a multiverse after all (for those that need a quick refresher, Doctor Strange, at the request of Peter Parker, accidentally botched a spell and brought several notable Spider-Man villains from other universes to their world). So, in spite of anything that’s been said or happened before, it’s looking like the multiverse will be appearing in its full, crazy glory for this film!

Are the events of the movie related to the events in No Way Home?

Most likely. This was sort of touched on in the paragraph above but Spider-Man and multiverse schemes have gone hand in hand for the past few movies and it’s looking like the events of this movie have to be at least slightly related to No Way Home. Fans have guessed that this is the most likely reason Doctor Strange appeared as a minor character in No Way Home. Let’s just say that a Spider-Man rewatch is probably in order before going to see this movie.

How many Stranges are there?

A bunch of different versions of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange have made their appearance in trailers (presumably, each one is tied to a different reality) and you don’t have to be a Marvel movie expert to know that multiple version of the same person in one place at the same time is never a good idea. So, let’s do a head count. At the moment, we have normal Strange, Defender Strange, Supreme Strange, very scary evil looking Strange (Sinister Strange maybe?), and zombie Strange. There’s also rumors floating about that the version of Strange from the Disney Plus series What If…?  Will be making an appearance. At the very least, it’s looking like we’ll get to see the full range of Benedict Cumberbatch’s acting skills!

What other Marvel projects will be referenced?

I mean, who even knows at this point. Anything after Avengers: Endgame is definitely fair game. We can guess that the events of WandaVision are going to play a big role. If you’ve gotten a chance to investigate the first movie poster released, you might have seen Captain Marvel’s star and Captain Carter’s shield hiding in the random shards of mirror. Marvel has also been teasing lots of special cameos and appearances, so be prepared for anything.

Is Wanda a villain now?

I mean, I certainly hope not, but maybe? Elizabeth Olsen has been teasing a “dark twist” for Wanda in the future of the MCU, but this tease could be alluding to just about anything (it is Marvel after all). This theory first cropped up after the release of the first trailer, in which Wanda says “ You break the rules and become the hero. I do it and I become the enemy. That doesn’t seem fair.” (Quick recap: Wanda has been under fire from constant criticism since the events of Captain America: Civil War with her most recent accident occurring in WandaVision). Everyone is currently guessing that this quote is her finally saying enough is enough and potentially starting a villain arc. There does appear to be a scene in the latest trailer showing Doctor Strange and company getting ready to fight something flying above them, and Wanda flying around those same skies, but who’s to say Wanda isn’t up there getting ready to fight whatever is coming their way? I guess we’ll have to see.

Is Charles Xavier Really Going to Make an Appearance?

For anybody who has absolutely no clue what I’m referring to, one of the trailers has a scene where Doctor Strange looks up at someone on a throne, and due to the very brief appearance of a bald head, everyone is now expecting Patrick Stewar’s Charles Xavier to show up. I know everyone is hoping for this, but I’m personally of the opinion that they’re going to go the Evan Peters and WandaVision route (aka: the “same actor but not all related to any of their previous Marvel roles” route). Then again, Marvel has done a pretty fantastic job of surprising us in the past, so who knows?

Be sure to catch Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness in theaters May 6th!