Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Steven Strange, the trailer teased the impact of his tampering with the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
From familiar villains to new heroes, and even the unexpected return of an iconic character, here are all of the most shocking reveals in the trailer for Sam Raimi’s return to the superhero genre.
Sinister Strange
The first teaser trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was originally revealed as a post-credit scene for Spider-Man: No Way Home and in it the sorcerer was met with his most fearsome enemy yet: himself.
Sinister Strange, who also appeared in What If…?, is seen facing off against our version of Dr. Strange (or perhaps it is the opposite way around) where he says that “things just got out of hand.”
The darker version of the character appears to feature later in the trailer too when the sorcerer is shown using his magical abilities to tamper with dark forces and gain more power.
The trailer’s final shot of Sinister Strange, or perhaps Dr. Strange, sees the character absorb demonic creatures that form monstrous wings and multiple arms along his back.
Wanda Embraces the Scarlet Witch
WandaVision shared the possibility that Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) would be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) next big villains, and the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems to also suggest this.
After her fight against Agatha Harkness in WandaVision Wanda finally embraced her powers as the Scarlet Witch, and she is shown doing the same in the new MCU film, and even wears her new costume.
One scene sees two versions of Wanda appear in the same scene, with the “normal” Wanda comforting an upset Scarlet Witch.
She also appears to have been forced into a villainous role in the MCU, as Wanda tells Dr. Strange that it “doesn’t seem fair” that he is considered a hero for breaking the rules when she “becomes the enemy” for doing the same.
Patrick Stewart’s Return as Professor X?
The trailer also saw the surprising return of one actor to the superhero genre, Sir Patrick Stewart.
While his face isn’t shown, nor is it confirmed that he is returning as his X-Men character Professor X, Stewart’s distinct voice is heard when Dr. Strange is forced to stand trial in front of a mysterious council.
Stewart’s familiar lilt sees him say that “they should tell him the truth,” in reference to the handcuffed Strange standing in front of him.
Although it isn’t certain that Stewart is portraying Professor X once more, it wouldn’t be the first time that a former X-Men character has appeared in the MCU because Evan Peters reprised his role as Pietro Maximoff in WandaVision.
He Who Remains’ Domain
The trailer began with Dr. Strange reflecting on his ominous dreams, saying he has the same dream night after night before waking up to a living nightmare.
As he discusses these dreams a number of scenes are shown, including one that presents the domain of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) that was first seen in Loki.
The scene is only brief, but it would certainly make sense for Strange to visit the realm given the events of Loki led to the multiverse being prised open, and he could well meet with a variant of He Who Remains.
Whether that variant would be the foreshadowed Kang the Conqueror is unclear because the character is only currently expected to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Photon and Wanda
Another brief scene in the trailer appears to show Monica Rambeau’s Photon (played by Teyonah Parris) go head-to-head with Wanda.
In a blink-and-you’ll-miss it moment, it seems that Photon is fighting against Wanda by using her newfound powers. Though for what reason is yet to be seen.
Fans of the MCU have also speculated that the person fighting Wanda is a variant of Monica’s mother Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), with some suggesting that she could well be an alternate version of Captain Marvel.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is out in theaters across the U.S. on Friday, May 6, 2022.
