Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Everything you need to know before watching the film

The wait for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the most mysterious addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally over. The Sam Raimi directorial is headlined by Benedict Cumberbatch who reprises his role as the titular Doctor Strange and Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff. The film which also casts Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Xochitl Gomez and more is set to unleash chaos as the MCU forays further into the multiverse. At this point, the possibilities are endless. Between the Defender Strange, evil Wanda and a long list of speculated cameos, the film’s trailer has divulged a bunch of details sparking some wild fan theories. Amidst all the anticipation and everything going on elsewhere in the MCU (try keeping up with 27 films and 5 shows), remembering key details can get tricky.

Doctor Strange 2 is a lot of things aside from the biggest movie release of the month. It’s a sequel to the 2016 film that introduced the character. It’s a follow-up to WandaVision and more importantly, it chronicles the aftermath of the mind-bending events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is also an opportunity for Spider-Man director Sam Raimi to flex a little and infuse his signature horror into the MCU. Before heading into theatres to experience magic and madness, here’s a quick glance at key details you must know.

What You Need To Know About Doctor Strange And Wanda Maximoff

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness spotlights MCU’s top magic users – Strange and Wanda. So knowing their whereabouts is essential, duh. While Benedict Cumberbatch’s last appearance was in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Elizabeth Olsen led WandaVision. The former was dealing with the fallout from a miscast spell while the latter was seen living in isolation. That’s where they left off in the MCU. The two haven’t shared screen space before but they have a bunch of things in common. Apart from magic, they fought alongside the Avengers in the Battle of Earth against Thanos. Wanda and Strange both go up against the Mad Titan in crucial scenes so it isn’t a surprise that they already know each other (or at least know of each other) and Strange reaches out to her for help with his little multiverse problem.

Doctor Strange Is Not The Sorcerer Supreme, That’s Wong!

If you paid attention while watching Spider-Man: No Way Home, you will know that Doctor Strange currently does not hold the title of the Sorcerer Supreme. Yes, he is a genius neurosurgeon-turned-sorcerer with an unparalleled mastery over the mystic arts. He was also instrumental in saving the world. Technically he checks all the boxes to take over the role after the Ancient One but he also vanished for five years after Avengers: Infinity War as fans will remember. In the meantime, Wong got the title and is expected to keep it after the events of No Way Home.

Wanda Is Grieving The Loss Of Vision And Her Sons Tommy And Billy

If you did not watch WandaVision, we recommend watching the show ahead of the upcoming movie. The MCU series unpacks Wanda’s tragedy. After the death of Vision at the hands of Thanos, she uses her powers to create her own world (or the hex as it is called) in which Vision exists and they’re happily married in a little suburban town called Westview. The sitcom-esque series follows Wanda enjoying domestic bliss with Vision and their twin sons Tommy and Billy. Eventually, Wanda has to confront her devastating reality and it takes quite an emotional toll.

Wanda Has Transformed Into The Scarlet Witch And Possesses The Darkhold

This bit about Wanda’s transformation into the Scarlet Witch is significant to the plot of Doctor Strange 2. The character was already powerful but by the end of WandaVision, Wanda discovers the Darkhold, an ancient book that contains spells from the Dark Dimension. It also has a part dedicated to the Scarlet Witch. While Multiverse of Madness will further explore her grief (the return of the twins has been teased in the trailers) it will also expand on her powers as she possesses the knowledge of chaos magic. In the teasers, we also see her fingers turning black just like Agatha’s. The combination of Wanda missing her boys and gaining more power is pretty dangerous, making her part in the film all the more intriguing.

Marvel’s Multiverse Has Been Broken Before

The multiverse cracked open quite recently in Marvel’s phase 4 but it was initially teased by the Ancient One in the first Doctor Strange movie which was the origin story for Stephen Strange. Since then the concept has been explained in Loki, the 2021 series that introduced variants and the Time Variance Authority. In the show’s finale, the “sacred timeline” breaks with alternate realities rapidly branching out. When Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror warns of a multiverse war, Sylvie kills him. However, the multiverse wasn’t fully fleshed out in the series and we’ll likely learn a lot more of its rules in the upcoming film. The concept also pops up in WandaVision, What if…? and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Doctor Strange’s spell started it all

It all leads up to the final moments of Spider-Man: No Way Home. When Peter Parker seeks Doctor Strange’s help to make the world forget that he is Spider-Man, Strange casts a spell that accidentally cracks the multiverse. The result was the arrival of characters from other universes. After it was presumably over, Strange enlists Wanda for help understanding the multiverse.

Doctor Strange 2 is a direct follow-up to No Way Home. The film will see two very powerful characters reflect on their journeys and explore the mysteries of the multiverse. The film arrives in cinemas on May 6.