Have you ever wondered how many personalities are dormant within you and why? And have you ever feared that certain mood swings on special days could be due to health problems? Don’t worry, because that’s all very different we’ll learn if we follow our dear Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In the latest Doctor Strange adventure, Marvel not only introduces a cool new heroine but the Multiverse. And, as the name suggests, this is where it gets multi-faceted and a bit complicated.
The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) is quite complex on its own. Those who haven’t been able to see all Marvel films have a hard time understanding everything here and there. The storylines of the many Marvel heroes are too closely linked. Also, Doctor Strange appeared in other films like Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, and, recently, in the great Spider-Man: No Way Home.
With the Multiverse, however, things get really complex. Because there isn’t just one Doctor Strange, but quite a few. To date, over 70 of these parallel worlds have been discovered. However, not from Doctor Strange, but from a very likable new Marvel heroine, America Chavez. And that’s where we come to the story of the film.
THE STORY OF DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Like pretty much all superheroes, Dr. Stephen Strange has relationship problems. Things are not going well with his great love, Dr. Christine Palmer. However, Doctor Strange doesn’t have time to think about whether he’s really happy. Because young America Chavez is being chased through New York by the one-eyed monster Gargantos. It’s strange that Stephen had a dream about her last night. But America explains to him that this was not just a dream but a kind of reflection of his alter self from another dimension.
Sounds complicated, and it’s slowly becoming so. Like all beings, Doctor Strange lives in each of the dimensions of the Multiverse. All beings? No, because there seems to be only one America Chavez. That makes sense since she alone has the power to travel through the many multiverses. Too bad, she can’t control that power yet. Good thing that it works, at least when America is in danger.
Of course, America’s power attracts figures who want to abuse it for their own ends. And so, Doctor Strange has to learn quickly that his powers are limited. Therefore, he goes to one of the strongest Avengers of all time, Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch to ask her for help. This is how another adventure begins that literally turns everything upside down and takes us on a wild journey through space and time for over two hours.
THE CHARACTERS OF DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
So that it doesn’t get even more complicated on this journey, we’ll introduce you to the most important characters here. Since Marvel also turns things upside down, we’ll start with the ones you probably don’t know or can’t quite place.
PEGGY CARTER AKA CAPTAIN CARTER (HAYLEY ATWELL)
Have you seen the Captain America movies? Then you know Peggy well. She is the love of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. In one of the multiverses that Doctor Strange visits, not only does she have Roger’s powers and loose sayings, but she also has a special shield. If you want to know more about the heroine, you should watch the MCU series What if…?.
MARIA RAMBEAU AKA CAPTAIN MARVEL (LASHANA LYNCH)
Again, Marvel is twisting what we’re familiar with. Actually, the pilot Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) received supernatural powers through contact with the Tesseract. That is how she turns into Captain Marvel. However, in a parallel universe, Carol’s best friend Maria is endowed with her superpower. Lashana, who portrays Maria, recently starred alongside Daniel Craig in the James Bond adventure No Time To Die.
BLACK BOLT (ANSON MOUNT)
He is a member of Marvel’s Inhumans Royal Family. His signature power is his voice. When deployed, Black Bolt unleashes a massive destructive shockwave. With it, he can even raze an entire city to the ground. Doctor Strange meets him too in the Multiverse of Madness.
REED RICHARDS AKA MISTER FANTASTIC (JOHN KRASINSKI)
Even the Fantastic Four are making a comeback with Mister Fantastic’s appearance. Richards is considered the smartest person on earth. During a trip through space, the scientist and his team became superheroes through cosmic radiation. Since then, Richards is an extremely flexible polymath who also mastered all sciences.
We know John Krasinski, the husband of the wonderful Emilie Blunt, mainly from the series Tom Clancy’s Rack Ryan and the two hits A Quiet Place. Next year we can look forward to the continuation of the story.
CHARLES XAVIER AKA PROFESSOR X (PATRICK STEWART)
Doctor Strange also encounters the head of the X-Men in the Multiverse of Madness. As smart as Professor X is, he explains to Stephen that everyone has a place in each of the dimensions of the Multiverse. However, one may have very different personality traits. It goes without saying that this doesn’t bode well for Doctor Strange.
KARL MORDO (CHIWETEL EJIOFOR)
Already in the first part, Doctor Strange, Karl Mordo showed us that it doesn’t necessarily need a Multiverse of Madness to unite completely different characters. The Ancient One’s apprentice was initially Doctor Strange’s companion and eventually became his enemy. How strange that Stephen also meets this adversary in the Multiverse of Madness.
WONG (BENEDICT WONG)
Howsoever, it’s good that there are also real friends, like Wong. Doctor Strange’s sidekick is now Sorcerer Supreme and leader of Kamar-Taj. Here he is training a new generation of sorcerers to protect our world from mystical threats. As in the first part, he is loyal to Doctor Strange with his powers and unique humor.
CHRISTINE PALMER (RACHEL MCADAMS)
Unfortunately, Christine isn’t as loyal as Wong. How could she, with Doctor Strange’s odd lifestyle? Of course, there are many forms of friendship. Because, after all, she helps her admirer wherever she can. Will Christine also be on Doctor Strange’s side in the other dimensions of the Multiverse of Madness?
WANDA MAXIMOFF AKA SCARLETT WITCH (ELIZABETH OLSEN)
She is one of the most powerful Avengers ever. Since her first appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the pretty witch has unfolded more and more powers.
Not for nothing was a series dedicated to her, Wanda Vision. Anyone who has seen the nine-part series can now empathize even better with Scarlett Witch. We will see if she can help Doctor Strange.
AMERICA CHAVEZ (XOCHITL GOMEZ)
America is a teenager from outside of our universe. She has the power to open star-shaped holes in reality. These holes allow her to travel through the Multiverse and, thus, into other realities. However, the brave young girl doesn’t fully realize or know how to control her intense power yet.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduces Xochitl Gomez. She not only had to overcome great challenges in the film. Besides, the young actress, who we know from the Netflix series The Babysitter’s Club, still had to attend school during filming. And she mastered both with flying colors. So, she is a real superheroine.
STEPHEN STRANGE AKA DOCTOR STRANGE (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH)
Did we forget someone? Oh yes, of course, Doctor Strange himself. He isn’t only searching for solutions to the many problems on his journey through the Multiverse of Madness. Rather, he is searching for himself and the question of whether he is really happy. So, in his new adventure, we will see whether this question will find an answer although the madness he is experiencing.
THE DIRECTOR OF DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
SAM RAIMI
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one of the darkest Marvel movies. It even features some horror elements. No wonder, because this is a specialty of director Sam Raimi.
Raimi also has superhero experience. Because he directed the original Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire. However, he celebrated his first major successes with Darkman, the two Evil Dead films, and the actual third part Army of Darkness. No wonder Raimi gave a pal from that era a special cameo in this Doctor Strange adventure.
THE BUDDY: BRUCE CAMPBELL
Since the first Evil Dead film, Sam Raimi has had a longstanding friendship with Bruce Campbell, who has become a cult figure in the horror genre. The ultra-funny film My Name is Bruce was even dedicated to him. During his career, Bruce has always skillfully combined the two H’s, horror and humor. That is also the case in the must-see series Ash vs Evil Dead, which he and Sam Raimi produced.
RESUME
As always, Marvel offers us excitement and action at the highest level. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness perfectly entertains us for almost 130 minutes. You shouldn’t drink too much before or during the film because there is hardly a moment that allows you to visit the toilet.
In addition, the sequel not only introduces new superheroes. Moreover, it also illuminates the well-known characters in more detail. Above all, it’s fun to watch Xochitl Gomez’s fresh acting. We can certainly expect a lot more from her in the near future.
Nevertheless, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness isn’t that easy to understand. Anyone can easily follow the plot. No question. However, the multiverse only really opens up to those who are more familiar with the MCU.
You can look at this critically, but you don’t have to. Because Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a powerful film. It’s full of facets, a lot of humor, cool action, and a lot of surprises. Therefore, it can also be an incentive to delve deeper into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Therefore…
HOMEWORK
So, if you want to fully enjoy Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, you should definitely subscribe to Disney+. Here, cool series like Wanda Vision, What if…?, Marvel’s Inhumans and many more are waiting for you.
Even if it has nothing to do with Doctor Strange, we would also like to recommend the six-part series Hawkeye. Not only because it’s well worth seeing, but also because it introduces a more than cool superheroine.
Now that Captain America has retired, and Iron Man has died, it is rumored that a new Avengers team is waiting for us. Thus, it could be that these series offer us an insight and knowledge platform for future adventures and heroes. In any case, it’s worth delving even deeper into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe or, now, Multiverse.
It’s not over!😊
Text: Marco Kokkot
Bilder: © Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Assistenz: Bethlehem Aregie
