Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness does a terrific job diving into the fascinating scientific concept in its title, but Marvel Cinematic Universe fans who have been paying attention know that this isn’t the first time that the franchise has explored the big idea. The idea of infinite realities is also a core concept in Loki – the Disney+ original series starring Tom Hiddleston that premiered last year. In the show, audiences are introduced to the Time Variance Authority, which is a bureaucratic institution created to keep the multiverse in order.
Thinking about the two productions simultaneously, however, one has to wonder: does Doctor Strange (or perhaps Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme) know about the existence of the Time Variance Authority? To get an answer to this query, I went directly to the source: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness screenwriter/Loki head writer Michael Waldron.
When I interviewed Waldron earlier this month, our conversation touched on the changing roster of the Illuminati and the introduction of that awesome mid-credits scene character, but my very first question was about the wizards of Earth-616 and their awareness of the TVA. After some brief consideration, the filmmaker briefly explained why he doesn’t think that either Doctor Strange or Wong know about it:
I think they probably don't. I think if they did know, things would probably cross. I think that maybe... yeah. So that would be my answer.
Michael Waldron’s answer is kind of a funny one when you consider that he was the one who wrote both Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness and Loki, and therefore he must have had at least some of a say in regards to how much the storylines would crossover. From his perspective, the fact that the Time Variance Authority isn’t referenced or acknowledged in the Marvel blockbuster is evidence of Doctor Strange and Wong’s unawareness of it – though the opposite could have been true had Waldron decided to include even just an off-handed line about it.
This is also interesting to consider when reflecting on the end of Loki Season 1, which sees the multiverse go into chaos mode when Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie kills Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains. If neither Doctor Strange nor Wong know about the TVA, it seems we can count them out on being able to do thing to immediately try and help fix the situation.
Even though there evidently is a fair amount of distance between the events of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness and Loki, Michael Waldron did note in my interview that his work on the latter did inform his work on the former. Basically, he got a grasp on how things work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and was able to use that experience in his collaboration with Sam Raimi. Said Waldron,
[Experience making Loki] certainly helped; I was fluent in the language of the multiverse. It helped... On probably what was like my third day was Sam [Raimi]'s first day, and I had to explain the multiverse to him, and it was helpful because I had spent a lot of time on Loki drawing lines on whiteboards. So it was good. I had some institutional knowledge. I carried into this thing with me.
While Marvel fans can watch Loki simply by utilizing their Disney+ subscription, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is currently only playing on the big screen – but it’s playing everywhere, and it’s putting up major box office numbers. To see everything that is ahead from the Marvel Cinematic Universe on both the big and small screens, check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides.
