So let me say that I saw Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And boy, do I have some questions.
From the moment this film started, I knew I was going to be getting myself into a multiverse world of many questions, but little did I know how many would truly pop up in my mind as I watched Doctor Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) sail across the multiverse with his companions in one of the 2022 movie releases.
Out of all the Marvel movies, this is one that I feel has truly left me hanging with many questions - and today, I’m going to go over some of the biggest ones.
And, obviously, a big ol’ SPOILER WARNING for those who haven’t seen the film yet.
So… Is Wanda Really Dead?
I’m a huge fan of Wanda Maximoff (played by Elizabeth Olsen). I think she’s the epitome of a badass and I was here for her villain era after her huge breakout role on WandaVision.
So, color me surprised when she decided to not only destroy her universe’s version of the Darkhold, but every version of the Darkhold across the multiverse by supposedly killing herself. I was not super pleased.
I mean, there’s this classic unofficial rule of Marvel that if you don’t see the body, the person is never really dead, and we didn’t see Wanda’s body after she destroyed everything. All we saw was a flash of red amongst the destruction and nothing else. Elizabeth Olsen has hinted at her excitement for the future of Marvel, including X-Men and many other big teams that Marvel fans all know and love - but whether or not Wanda is officially gone will remain unknown for the foreseeable future.
Is Doctor Strange Corrupted By The Darkhold? Or Is That Another Version Of Doctor Strange?
Okay, can we talk about the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ending, because I am still so confused as to what exactly happened with Doctor Strange, that third eye, and the Darkhold.
A big part of the Darkhold overall is that it will corrupt whoever uses it, and of course, Doctor Strange used it to dreamwalk back into his reality in order to fight Wanda through the corpse of another version of himself from another universe.
Everything seems alright at first, but near the end, we see Doctor Strange as he’s leaving the Sanctum fall down on the ground in pain before a third eye emerges from his forehead - like the other version of Doctor Strange featured in the film. However, in the post-credit scene, it seems as if Strange has somehow made peace with the eye.
I don’t know, man. I’m not entirely convinced that Doctor Strange (at least the one that we know) is still all there. Either he was really corrupted by the Darkhold, or this is a whole new version of him that we don’t know about. Could be anyone!
Why The Heck Didn’t Wanda Search For Another Version Of Vision?
For real, though. Why didn’t Wanda look for the person that she loved more than anything in this world?
There are an infinite amount of universes out there and yet during the whole film, she was focused on trying to find her children. It’s as if Vision sort of went out the window for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We don’t even know for sure if Vision will be back in the MCU, but this film would have been the perfect way to do it. I’m still so confused as to why she didn’t even bother to look for him.
Also, Why Didn’t Wanda Search For A Universe Where Their Wanda Had Died?
Again - infinite universes. But, you’re saying she couldn’t find one where her kids were orphans or something like that?
I feel like for a good amount of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda is so focused on chasing Doctor Strange in the Earth-838 universe that I don’t personally think she did her own research to try and find a world where her children didn’t have a mother. It probably would have saved a lot of drama in the meantime if she had.
Why Is There Only One Version Of America Chavez?
The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast has plenty of stars, but a newcomer to the MCU is Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez, a teenager who is able to travel between dimensions. It’s said in the beginning of the film that there’s only one version of her in the entire multiverse, because she never dreams.
But, like, why?
It’s never quite explained as to why she’s the only version of this character except for the fact that she never dreams, and it makes me wonder how she came to this conclusion. She said she’s looked, but who’s to say that another version isn’t still out there, just in another dimension somewhere? Just because she doesn’t dream? That logic sounds a little sketchy, in my opinion.
What Does Clea Have To Do With The Next Tale Of Doctor Strange?
For those who were confused when they saw Charlize Theron rip a hole in reality and demand Doctor Strange come with her during the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness post-credit scene, that character is Clea, someone who acts as the Sorcerer Supreme in the Dark Dimension, and is a close ally of Doctor Strange’s in Marvel Comics.
In her post-credit scene, she says to him that his meddling in the multiverse has lead to an incursion, a word that was mentioned several times throughout the movie, defined as a cataclysmic event, and that she needs his help. What exactly does this mean for Doctor Strange moving forward? Is this going to be the plot of the inevitable Doctor Strange 3?
Also, this is when he has that third eye - is this even the right Doctor Strange? So many questions, so few answers!
Is John Krasinski’s Reed Richards Going To Return In Any Way?
Let me tell you, I was so happy when John Krasinski showed up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - only for me to watch him get torn to shreds like spaghetti a few minutes later.
But, that doesn’t mean that we'll never see John Krasinski in the MCU again. If anything, with the multiverse officially being a big deal now, we just might see him pop up once more as Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four film, for all we know, and that might take place in another universe.
Or, he could pop up on Earth-616 at some point. All I’m saying is that I’m not giving up hope just yet, dang it!
Will The X-Men Officially Join The MCU Now That Charles Xavier Made An Appearance?
Lastly, we need to talk about X-Men, because with Charles Xavier making an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, that basically confirmed that yes, mutants do exist in this world. So where the heck are the X-Men?
Combining the worlds of X-Men and the MCU has been an ongoing conversation for many years, and with the Disney acquisition of 20th/21st Century Studios, it seemed fitting for that to happen soon. They’ve already put all the films on Disney+ - it was only a matter of time before one of the characters popped up in an MCU movie.
And boom, in comes Patrick Stewart's iconic character, Charles Xavier. But, with this inclusion, does that mean that it won’t be long before we possibly see a new X-Men movie? Will we get to hear Wanda utter that famous line, “no more mutants?” Only time will tell.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was certainly a fun time from start to finish, but I can’t help but wonder what the fate of the MCU is now that all of this universe hopping has taken place. All I can say now is that I’m eager to see what comes next.
