Chaos unleashed: 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' teaser
What's the story
Marvel Cinematic Universe is well deep into its Phase-IV and has now dropped the teaser for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Strange gets his second solo venture after 2016's Doctor Strange and will be dealing with the mess that a multiverse can unleash. Of course, this clip had been shown in the post-credit scenes of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Here's our breakdown.
Context
Why does it matter?
In order to understand the teaser, one must get the context of the multiverse in MCU currently. Introduced in previous shows like Loki, the concept of multiple universes existing simultaneously surfaced full-fledged in the latest Spider-Man movie. There, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell which then goes astray, opening the multiverse. He will suffer the consequences now.
Teaser
'Don't cast the spell': Opening multiverse comes with consequences, obviously
The 2:11-minute-long clip begins with Sorcerer Supreme Wong's (Benedict Wong) voice booming in the background: "Don't cast the spell. It's too dangerous." Then we hear Mordo's voice (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), who we saw in the prequel. He reminds Strange that his actions "will not go unpunished." Understandably, things go very bad as Strange pleads, "I never meant for any of this to happen."
Team
Dr. Strange gets help from another sorcerer, Wanda
Then we find Strange seeking out Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) to find out more about the multiverse. Wanda, last seen in the Disney+ Hotstar show WandaVision, is repentant about what she did with the people in Westview (watch WandaVision to get the reference) and agrees to help Strange. So, we will finally see two of the greatest sorcerers in MCU teaming up in this movie.
Expectation
Will Loki appear too? Marvel doesn't reveal it just yet
As our protagonists learn more about the multiverse, a voice ominously informs us (and Strange) that the "greatest threat to the universe" is Strange himself (or at least a darker version of him that shows up at the end). Buzz was around that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) will be in this movie but Marvel isn't teasing that yet. The film releases on May 6, 2022.
Theory
Was the other Strange 'Strange Supreme'?
While we don't know who the antagonist Strange is, a viable guess is he is Strange Supreme, introduced in the animated series, What If...? Different from the Strange we know, this Strange became Master of the Mystic Arts after losing his girlfriend Christine Palmer to a car crash. He goes dark to turn back time and save Palmer, thereby leading to the universe's end.