In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Stephen Strange issued a stark warning: “The Multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little.” Now, the price of Strange’s folly comes due in the newly released trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And the good doctor is way out of his depth as the consequences of his arrogance come back to haunt him. Strange truly believed that he could escape unscathed. However, his misguided notion may have far-reaching implications for the MCU.
Benedict Cumberbatch, of course, returns as Strange, and there’s a reason he approaches Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff shortly after the events of WandaVision. The newly crowned Scarlet Witch believes that Strange is there to punish her for what she did in Westview. And while Strange is fully aware that Wanda’s power turned that town into a TV wasteland, he’s not concerned about that. Instead, he needs Wanda’s help as he faces the danger ahead.
Strange’s old ally-turned-adversary, Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), is also glimpsed in the new trailer. And over time, Mordo’s position has become more sympathetic. He was last seen in the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange stripping the magical abilities away from a novice sorcerer because he believed that there were too many magic users in the world. Another intriguing sequence in the trailer shows us a world where Strange found happiness with Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), his ex-flame in the MCU. That world could prove to be very tempting, even to Strange.
Additionally, viewers of Marvel’s What If…? animated series may recognize the Supreme Strange, an alternate version of Stephen Strange who abused his power and tried to remake his timeline after Christine died. Supreme Strange may have been the Watcher’s ally, but he could be Doctor Strange’s most powerful adversary to date. Because as formidable as Strange is, the Supreme Strange is more so. He also has a ruthless streak when dealing with anything in his way.
Cumberbatch is once again reprising his role as Dr. Stephen Strange alongside Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo, and Benedict Wong as Wong. Xochitl Gomez is also making her MCU debut as America Chavez, a reality-hopping heroine of immense power.
Sam Raimi, the director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, has returned to the Marvel fold to helm Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film will hit theaters on Friday, May 6.
