The first full trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is here, and MCU fans probably all have the same question right now - is that really Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier? This whole multiverse thing is really taking off.
Let’s take a deep dive into this new footage to address that burning question and see what else it reveals about the MCU’s first true horror movie.
Let’s get the big question out of the way first - yes, that does appear to be Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Professor Charles Xavier. This would make Chuck the first major X-Men character to appear in the MCU.
What’s less clear is which version of Xavier Stewart is playing this time. Obviously, it’s not the one we saw die brutally in 2017’s Logan. Xavier appears to be wearing a black robe or cloak, reminiscent of his uniform in 2014’s Days of Future Past. Is this a version of Xavier from a universe where that timeline was never undone?
This is the multiverse we’re talking about, so this may be a completely different version of Professor X than we’ve seen before. But the real takeaway is that he seems to be part of a group of heroes keeping watch over the multiverse. At this point in the film, it appears that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange has been taken prisoner by this group and is being forced to answer for his crimes against time and space.
Marvel Studios has been rumored to be introducing the Illuminati, a clandestine group of heroes who have taken it upon themselves to protect Earth by any means necessary. We may well be seeing the Illuminati here, though this version has apparently been reworked to protect the entire multiverse rather than any one version of Earth.
Who else is serving alongside Xavier? We don’t get a good look at any other members, but we do see a group of Ultron drones escorting Strange through this bizarre headquarters. Does that imply a version of Tony Stark and/or Bruce Banner are Illuminati members?
We also see what appears to be a version of Captain Marvel battling Scarlet Witch. However, we don’t know if this Captain Marvel is Carol Danvers or another character like Monica Rambeau. Monica has gone by both Captain Marvel and Photon in Marvel’s comics. Monica may also be more likely given how closely this sequel is tied to the events of WandaVision.
The newly revealed poster for Multiverse of Madness also features the vibranium shield of Captain Carter, who recently debuted in the animated series Marvel’s What If…? Has this super-powered version of Peggy Carter joined the Illuminati since we saw her last?
More than ever, it’s clear What If…? Is required viewing before watching Multiverse of Madness. We just hope that means Jeffrey Wright’s Uatu the Watcher will be making his live-action debut here.
One of the big takeaways from this trailer is that Stephen isn’t quite as carefree as he was in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The events of that near-disastrous brush with the multiverse seem to be weighing on him. We also see Wong scolding his old friend for not heeding his advice.
It’s probably safe to assume that Strange is now dealing with some unexpected fallout from the events of No Way Home, forcing him to turn to both Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez for help.
Based on some of the early marketing and toy releases for Multiverse of Madness, we know that at least three versions of Doctor Strange will appear in this sequel. One of these is known as “Defender Strange.” We don’t see this more comic book-inspired version of the character in the trailer, though the bronze statue in the trailer may be depicting Defender Strange in his home universe. That scene suggests our Doctor Strange may be feeling a little depressed at seeing the hero he could have been.
The other version, however, is a Doctor Strange we’ve seen before. We see a bit more of Strange Supreme in this trailer, another character first introduced in What If…? This twisted version of Strange destroyed his entire universe in a doomed attempt to save his Christine Palmer. And towards the end of the trailer, we see what appears to be the many demons Strange Supreme has absorbed into his body fighting to escape.
That may be Strange Supreme’s version of the Sanctum Santorum we see in the opening shot of the trailer. It’s a lone brownstone standing in a sea of nothingness. We also can’t help but be reminded of the palace of He Who Remains seen in the Season 1 finale of Loki. It’s a building seemingly frozen in time. We have to wonder just how closely this movie will be tied to the events of Loki, especially given that the series was responsible for bringing the Marvel multiverse into play in the first place. That’s right, we have Loki to thank for Professor X finally making his MCU debut.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the plot of Multiverse of Madness, especially when it comes to the villain. If we’re to believe Chiwetel Ejifor’s Karl Mordo, Strange himself is the real bad guy here. Though that begs the question - which Strange is he even talking to?
We do know Strange will battle Gargantos, the Lovecraftian squid monster who appears to be Marvel vs. Capcom fan-favorite Shuma-Gorath by another name. One shot suggests Gargantos is specifically hunting America Chavez, a character whose power allows her to hop between universes.
However, the trailer also suggests Wanda could wind up becoming the main villain of the film. Thanks to the end of WandaVision, we know she possesses the Darkhold and is peering through the multiverse to find a world where her children still exist.
This shot suggests she may even find that universe, only to discover an alternate version of herself already enjoying domestic bliss.
Wanda also laments the fact that Doctor Strange is hailed as a hero when he tampers with time and reality, whereas her magic gets her branded as a villain? Between that and the shot of Captain Marvel battling Scarlet Witch, Wanda could very well become the MCU’s version of Harvey Dent here - a hero who lives long enough to become the villain instead.
That all being said, plenty of Marvel movies have hit us with unexpected twists on the villain front. Even the original Doctor Strange culminated in a battle not with Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius, but Dormammu. It’s possible there’s another powerful, supernatural villain pulling everyone’s strings here.
We definitely see some mysterious foe attacking the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj. And you’re wondering who that green minotaur is, that’s Rintrah. He’s already got his own action figure and everything.
The trailer may even be teasing that reveal when Stephen refers to his waking life as “a nightmare.” That may be a clue that we’re about to meet Nightmare, a demon who feeds on the psychic energy of dreaming mortals. Or maybe not. Between Strange Supreme and the Scarlet Witch, this sequel may have all the evil firepower it needs already.
That’s all we were able to glean from this epic new trailer. Let us know if we missed anything in the comments below. And be sure to check out our full breakdown of the first teaser trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, as well as IGN's roundup of all the best Super Bowl trailers and commercials.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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Let’s take a deep dive into this new footage to address that burning question and see what else it reveals about the MCU’s first true horror movie.
Professor X in the MCU
Let’s get the big question out of the way first - yes, that does appear to be Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Professor Charles Xavier. This would make Chuck the first major X-Men character to appear in the MCU.
What’s less clear is which version of Xavier Stewart is playing this time. Obviously, it’s not the one we saw die brutally in 2017’s Logan. Xavier appears to be wearing a black robe or cloak, reminiscent of his uniform in 2014’s Days of Future Past. Is this a version of Xavier from a universe where that timeline was never undone?
This is the multiverse we’re talking about, so this may be a completely different version of Professor X than we’ve seen before. But the real takeaway is that he seems to be part of a group of heroes keeping watch over the multiverse. At this point in the film, it appears that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange has been taken prisoner by this group and is being forced to answer for his crimes against time and space.
Marvel Studios has been rumored to be introducing the Illuminati, a clandestine group of heroes who have taken it upon themselves to protect Earth by any means necessary. We may well be seeing the Illuminati here, though this version has apparently been reworked to protect the entire multiverse rather than any one version of Earth.
Who else is serving alongside Xavier? We don’t get a good look at any other members, but we do see a group of Ultron drones escorting Strange through this bizarre headquarters. Does that imply a version of Tony Stark and/or Bruce Banner are Illuminati members?
We also see what appears to be a version of Captain Marvel battling Scarlet Witch. However, we don’t know if this Captain Marvel is Carol Danvers or another character like Monica Rambeau. Monica has gone by both Captain Marvel and Photon in Marvel’s comics. Monica may also be more likely given how closely this sequel is tied to the events of WandaVision.
The newly revealed poster for Multiverse of Madness also features the vibranium shield of Captain Carter, who recently debuted in the animated series Marvel’s What If…? Has this super-powered version of Peggy Carter joined the Illuminati since we saw her last?
More than ever, it’s clear What If…? Is required viewing before watching Multiverse of Madness. We just hope that means Jeffrey Wright’s Uatu the Watcher will be making his live-action debut here.
The Three Versions of Doctor Strange
One of the big takeaways from this trailer is that Stephen isn’t quite as carefree as he was in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The events of that near-disastrous brush with the multiverse seem to be weighing on him. We also see Wong scolding his old friend for not heeding his advice.
It’s probably safe to assume that Strange is now dealing with some unexpected fallout from the events of No Way Home, forcing him to turn to both Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez for help.
Based on some of the early marketing and toy releases for Multiverse of Madness, we know that at least three versions of Doctor Strange will appear in this sequel. One of these is known as “Defender Strange.” We don’t see this more comic book-inspired version of the character in the trailer, though the bronze statue in the trailer may be depicting Defender Strange in his home universe. That scene suggests our Doctor Strange may be feeling a little depressed at seeing the hero he could have been.
The other version, however, is a Doctor Strange we’ve seen before. We see a bit more of Strange Supreme in this trailer, another character first introduced in What If…? This twisted version of Strange destroyed his entire universe in a doomed attempt to save his Christine Palmer. And towards the end of the trailer, we see what appears to be the many demons Strange Supreme has absorbed into his body fighting to escape.
That may be Strange Supreme’s version of the Sanctum Santorum we see in the opening shot of the trailer. It’s a lone brownstone standing in a sea of nothingness. We also can’t help but be reminded of the palace of He Who Remains seen in the Season 1 finale of Loki. It’s a building seemingly frozen in time. We have to wonder just how closely this movie will be tied to the events of Loki, especially given that the series was responsible for bringing the Marvel multiverse into play in the first place. That’s right, we have Loki to thank for Professor X finally making his MCU debut.
The Villain of Multiverse of Madness
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the plot of Multiverse of Madness, especially when it comes to the villain. If we’re to believe Chiwetel Ejifor’s Karl Mordo, Strange himself is the real bad guy here. Though that begs the question - which Strange is he even talking to?
We do know Strange will battle Gargantos, the Lovecraftian squid monster who appears to be Marvel vs. Capcom fan-favorite Shuma-Gorath by another name. One shot suggests Gargantos is specifically hunting America Chavez, a character whose power allows her to hop between universes.
However, the trailer also suggests Wanda could wind up becoming the main villain of the film. Thanks to the end of WandaVision, we know she possesses the Darkhold and is peering through the multiverse to find a world where her children still exist.
This shot suggests she may even find that universe, only to discover an alternate version of herself already enjoying domestic bliss.
Wanda also laments the fact that Doctor Strange is hailed as a hero when he tampers with time and reality, whereas her magic gets her branded as a villain? Between that and the shot of Captain Marvel battling Scarlet Witch, Wanda could very well become the MCU’s version of Harvey Dent here - a hero who lives long enough to become the villain instead.
That all being said, plenty of Marvel movies have hit us with unexpected twists on the villain front. Even the original Doctor Strange culminated in a battle not with Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius, but Dormammu. It’s possible there’s another powerful, supernatural villain pulling everyone’s strings here.
We definitely see some mysterious foe attacking the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj. And you’re wondering who that green minotaur is, that’s Rintrah. He’s already got his own action figure and everything.
The trailer may even be teasing that reveal when Stephen refers to his waking life as “a nightmare.” That may be a clue that we’re about to meet Nightmare, a demon who feeds on the psychic energy of dreaming mortals. Or maybe not. Between Strange Supreme and the Scarlet Witch, this sequel may have all the evil firepower it needs already.
That’s all we were able to glean from this epic new trailer. Let us know if we missed anything in the comments below. And be sure to check out our full breakdown of the first teaser trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, as well as IGN's roundup of all the best Super Bowl trailers and commercials.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Continue reading...