By Aaron Brown
Marvel Studios’ second trailer drop for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” leaves infinite room for theories and future possibilities. The trailer provides emotion, high stakes and stunning visuals potentially leaving some fans more excited for it, than the release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
While enticing, the visuals provide a lot of insight and references as to what fans can possibly expect will be in this film. The most obvious feature is Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen, “Kodachrome”) large role in the film. There is a significant contrast of color between her and Doctor Strange, (Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power is the Dog”) as Wanda’s red chaos separates her from Strange’s blue undertones, most likely representing a difference in their mental state. In addition, the trailer is filled with many references to the Disney+ show “Wandavision.” Some easter eggs were more noticeable than others, but a subtle one that fans might have missed was the “book of the damned” from “Wandavision.” The trailer shows Strange casting a spell while levitating above the book, to which his magic is now red, similar to Maximoff’s.
The madness continues with the endless possibilities of how many Doctor Stranges there are in the trailer. The trailer showed a darker version of Doctor Strange standing before the protagonist, but what was not so clear was the Doctor Strange in a different getup, seen earlier in the trailer. Strange is seen in different apparel, with a new hairstyle and pattern before waking up from a dream. Why does this matter? The answer is in the mise en scène.
Strange’s hands are not scarred, he has a tablet on his bed and coffee filtering into test tubes at his side table. This leads fans to believe that this could be a Dr. Strange from a different universe.
As if the madness could not get any more spontaneous, the trailer introduces new faces, familiar faces and new familiar faces. Throughout the trailer we see new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU.) American Chavez, (Xochitl Gomez, “Roped”) and a green minotaur, Rintrah (Adam Hugill, “1917.”) Mordo, (Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”) makes his return from the first film, along with Wong, (Benedict Wong, “Raya and the Last Dragon”) and Christine Palmer, (Rachel McAdams, “Game Night.”)
Among the many reveals, Marvel brings in a new and familiar voice. The man is not revealed, but is voiced by Patrick Stewart (X-Men), who played Professor X in the original X-Men franchise. The introduction of Stewart’s Charles Xavier depiction confirms that Marvel is in fact adopting the other storylines of the franchises recently acquired to incorporate in future MCU projects. Stewart amongst other characters can possibly be from separate realities leaving many things up to fan interpretation.
“Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” is set to release May 6. The trailer seems to have opened plenty of doors for the MCU, and with the acquisitions of the other Marvel franchises, the studio is sure to have a lot in store for fans down the road.
Image from Marvel Entertainment via YouTube
