It was challenging enough to keep up with the 27 movies and a half dozen Disney+ TV shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But now, in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” out Friday, you’ll also need multiple versions of Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), also known as the Scarlet Witch. And who knows who else – it’s the multiverse after all, so there are multiple versions of, well, everyone.
The trailers for “Multiverse of Madness” have made it a crossover event that may not be at “Avengers: Endgame” level, but certainly close. Eagle-eyed fans will have seen connections to “WandaVision”, “Loki” and even zombie versions of a few characters, apparently from Episode 5 of the lesser-known Disney+ animated series “What If…?”, as well as Patrick Stewart’s MCU debut. Professor X, the founder of the X-Men.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by more than three days of MCU content, and of course there’s the bare minimum option to watch the first “Doctor Strange” movie and call it a day. But those who haven’t watched “WandaVision” can be left with “Westview what?” after the new movie.
Here’s a guide to the five movies and series you might want to brush up on before hitting the theater.
‘Doctor Strange’ (2016)
dr. Strange’s solo film debut provides an introduction to how Cumberbatch’s cocky neurosurgeon, Stephen Strange, became a master of the mystical arts, the Sorcerer Supreme and guardian of the Time Stone. It also introduces his rambunctious relationship with Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), making a big comeback in the fourth episode of “What If…?” and also appears in a trailer of “Multiverse of Madness” in a wedding dress (apparently marrying a man who is definitely not Dr. Strange, as he watches from a couch). Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) also makes a trailer appearance, Strange’s former friend became an enemy, as this movie explains.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
in dr. Strange’s ‘Avengers’ debut, he is kidnapped by Ebony Maw, who is after the Time Stone. Tony Stark and Peter Parker eventually save him, and it becomes apparent how much more powerful he has become since “Doctor Strange” as he stands his ground against Thanos, the eternally aberrant warlord, despite only possessing one Infinity Stone compared to Thanos ‘ four. Strange also breaks the rules and looks ahead in time to see all possible scenarios where the Avengers win.
The film plays an important role in establishing Wanda’s backstory as the events are the source of her grief in ‘WandaVision’ and continue to haunt her in ‘Multiverse of Madness’. In the earlier film, Wanda was forced to kill Vision, with whom she was in a romantic relationship, to prevent Thanos from stealing the Mind Stone from Vision’s head.
This retro-aesthetic Disney+ show is hardly peripheral; Paying tribute to 1950s sitcoms such as “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the nine-episode series delivers crucial plot details that prepared the events of “Multiverse of Madness.” Wanda is essentially a co-lead of the new movie, and this series illustrates how her grief over Vision’s death leads her to haunt the small New Jersey town of Westview.
When we last saw Wanda, in the scene after the end credits of the finale, she had just lost the versions of Vision and her twin sons that she had magically created, prompting her to embrace her identity as the Scarlet Witch and to explore the Darkhold. a book of spells that would allow her to reunite with her now nonexistent family.
In “Multiverse of Madness”, a distraught Wanda still struggles to cope with the death of the original Vision in “Avengers: Infinity War”, as well as her attempt to escape it in the fantasy she created in “WandaVision.” In one of the trailers, she is greeted by her sons at their home in Westview, though Wanda’s voiceover only identifies the seemingly joyous reunion as a recurring dream.
‘What if … ?’ (202)
This nine-episode animated anthology series, which tells the stories of alternate versions of MCU heroes in multiple realities, debuted with little fanfare in August, but Episode 4 provides important context for “Multiverse of Madness.” Titled “What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?”, it introduces a variation of Dr. Strange, Strange Supreme, created after Strange lost his girlfriend, Christine, in a car accident and was consumed by dark magic. After disappearing into his arms, the evil Dr. Strange’s reality and he is left alone to tend to his broken heart.
While it initially seemed, from his trailer appearance, that the Strange Supreme variant would be a main antagonist of “Multiverse of Madness,” Cumberbatch said in a recent interview that the character was in fact not Strange Supreme, but an even more menacing version: Sinister Strange. .
There are still other “What if…?” variants that appear to appear in “Multiverse of Madness,” including a live-action version of Captain Carter (voiced by Hayley Atwell in “What If…?”), a Peggy Carter variant who received the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers and appeared in a trailer fighting a variant of the Scarlet Witch. Also returning: the terrifying Zombie Wanda and Zombie Dr. Strange from Episode 5 (“What If… Zombies?!”), which probably explains why “Multiverse of Madness” is billed as the MCU’s first horror film. Episodes 8 and 9 also show Ultron discovering and attempting to conquer multiple realities.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
“Multiverse of Madness” director Sam Raimi has said the new film is a direct continuation of Marvel Studios’ latest blockbuster, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which was released in December. When we got Dr. Strange, he had made sure everyone forgot about Peter Parker’s existence to prevent the multiverse from exploding. This was necessary due to a failed spell that Dr. Strange and it was designed to make everyone forget that Peter was Spider-Man, which in the end just drew Spider-Men and villains from alternate MCU universes to the same one. By the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the spell appears to have worked, but it remains to be seen if and how the ramifications of Dr. Strange will play in “Multiverse of Madness”.
Bonus: ‘Loki’ (2021)
Shall we show up the hopelessly bureaucratic Time Variance Authority, an organization that monitors time travel to avoid branching timelines, to arrest some time travelers in “Multiverse of Madness”? Set in an alternate MCU timeline, the standalone “Loki” series also explains the idea of variants from different timelines (including: Richard E. Grant’s Classic Loki and Alligator Loki).