Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness: A Catastrophe for a New Beginning

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Writing team: Adham Adyatma, Aisyah Eka Aprilia, Yerisha Maharani Putri
Editor: Sanjaya Ferryanto

After being thrilled and spoiled with Spiderman: No Way Home last December, Hollywood film enthusiasts and die-hard Marvel Studio fans were once again surprised for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surely, KLovers who have watched Spiderman: No Way Home in theaters have caught a glimpse of the latest MCU film that will be released in May, yup, Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness!

Marvel Studios decided not to give their fans a breathing space by releasing the first teaser of Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness during the post-credit scene of Spiderman: No Way Home. The two-and-a-half-minute teaser was able to make fans hysterical in the movie theater. In addition to the first teaser that excited Marvel enthusiasts around the world, Marvel Studios also released 1 trailer and 2 posters.

Previously, it was known that Doctor Strange played an important role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe story. Starting with Doctor Strange and the other Avengers being on Titan to stop Thanos from getting all the infinity stones. Then continuing when Doctor Strange helped Peter Parker erase people's memories that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. From these two appearances of Doctor Strange, a red thread can be drawn that shows the existence of the Multiverse. In the film Multiverse of Madness, it is likely that the existence of the Multiverse, which has been briefly introduced in films involving Doctor Strange, will be further explained.

After 1 teaser, 1 trailer, and 2 posters have been released, fans are speculating and anticipating what Kevin Feige and the team will present for the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film in 2022. Here are the possibilities and things to look forward to in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness: 

1. Main Character Variants

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After releasing teasers, trailers, and posters within a span of 5 months, many fans assumed that on the first poster released on December 22, 2021, where there were 2 Stephen Stranges and 2 Wanda Maximoffs, they were not the same characters, but rather variants of both characters. Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will be very familiar with the term variant, which was first introduced in the Loki series (2021).

Some fan theories speculate that there will be a good and 'evil' version of Wanda Maximoff. In addition, for our main character played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange will also have many variants that will appear in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness. One of them is 2 variants that appear in the animated MCU series What If (2021). 1 variant where Doctor Strange loses his lover, Christine Palmer, and another where Doctor Strange becomes a zombie.

2. X-Men or Illuminati?

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In the first trailer released through Marvel Entertainment's official YouTube account, it is shown that Doctor Strange is being escorted by a small group of soldiers like Ultron to a room where a character with a very familiar bald head appears, Charles Xavier or Professor X, the leader of the X-Men team. Some fans assume that X-Men will finally debut in the MCU through the Doctor Strange sequel, only with the presence of Professor X in the trailer.

However, there is another mature theory that it will not be the X-Men who will join Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff, but the Illuminati. Based on the comics themselves, the Illuminati is a group of representatives from Marvel Universe teams consisting of 7 people, namely Namor (Representative of Atlantis), Reed Richards or Mr. Fantastic (Representative of the Fantastic Four), Tony Stark or Iron Man (Representative of the Avengers), Charles Xavier or Professor X (Representative of the X-Men), T'Challa or Black Panther (Representative of Wakanda), Black Bolt (Representative of the Inhumans), and then there is Doctor Strange (as the Sorcerer Supreme of the earth).

This is speculated because there is a scene in the trailer where there are several high chairs when Doctor Strange is escorted to a room. Fans assume that the place is the Illuminati meeting room. However, it is unknown whether all six members will be present or whether there will be changes to align with the MCU multiverse theme.
So, which storyline are you more interested in, KLovers? X-Men or Illuminati?

3. Prediction of Multiverse of Madness with one of Marvel's fans

Marvel Studios

According to one interview with a long-time fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU, expectations for the Multiverse of Madness film will once again contain fanservice but not as much as previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

This surprise or fanservice is considered the strongest weapon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for its fans during phase 4. This is what makes hardcore fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe always anticipate what will be the surprise to make them nostalgic.

MCU fans believe that some aspects presented in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness, in terms of visuals and story, will be more mature than previous films.

In addition, according to one fan we interviewed, the strongest prediction for a character that will appear and is anticipated by Marvel Cinematic Universe fans is Professor X. Professor X or Charles Xavier himself is one of the leaders of the X-Men team, which consists of mutants. Professor X is a mutant who can teleport and communicate with other mutants on Earth.

This prediction is considered very strong because, after the release of the first trailer for Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness, where Doctor Strange is captured and has to face several robot bosses like Ultron, it is shown, although not clear, that it is Professor X played by Patrick Stewart with his distinctive voice.

This strengthens fans' expectations that Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness will feature the mutant universe that has not been seen for years since the last few years in the X-Men: The Dark Phoenix (2019) film by 20th Century Studios.

"I expect that the 'mutant' universe will be included in the Multiverse of Madness film," explained the fan.

"The Multiverse is likely to be an anti-climax of the multiverse conflict, where Multiverse of Madness seems to solve the multiverse problem but actually becomes the beginning of the next phase of the Marvel story, which is about the multiverse," explained the fan.

It can be seen that the Multiverse of Madness film will actually be the beginning of the problem of the multiverse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The Multiverse of Madness film is also touted as the gateway for old series like X-Men, which have not been seen or heard of in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though X-Men is still part of the Marvel universe itself.

4. Unique Theories among Marvel Cinematic Universe Fans

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According to interviews with fans, there is a strong theory that Wanda Maximoff will be the main villain in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness. This theory is related to the WandaVision series released in 2021, which tells that in the end, Wanda has to lose Vision and their two children, Billy and Tommy. "From the trailers that have been released, I understand that Doctor Strange will try to find out about the Multiverse from Wanda Maximoff because the Multiverse is something that is least known, even by a group like the Sorcerer Supreme," said the fan.

According to circulating theories, the presence of America Chavez, who has the power to travel across universes, will be a help to Doctor Strange in learning about this multiverse issue, besides seeking help from Wanda Maximoff. However, this will become a new problem because it could be an opportunity for Wanda Maximoff to meet her children from another universe. So it is rumored that Wanda Maximoff will kidnap America Chavez to exploit her powers.

In addition, the clip where Doctor Strange is captured by a group of Ultrons and has to face several people, who according to theory are the Illuminati group, is a reward for Doctor Strange who continues to cross several forbidden universes. It is suspected that Doctor Strange will actually help the Illuminati in eradicating this multiverse problem.

Not just one or two theories circulating among Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, but dozens of theories can speculate to welcome the second film in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In the second poster of Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness, several shards of glass can be seen around Doctor Strange. Some fans have analyzed what can be seen in the shards on the poster, and one of them is a shield in the bottom right corner.

What makes it different is that it is not just any shield like the ones commonly seen in Marvel Cinematic Universe films, where the original owner of the shield is Steve Rogers or Captain America. Instead, this shield will not be unfamiliar to fans or casual viewers who have followed the series What If (2021).

So, do you know who the owner of this shield is, KLovers?

Yes, it's Captain Carter! Captain Carter or Peggy Carter. The character who was Steve Roger's love interest in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) has a different story in the series What If (2021) in the first episode. In this episode, the person who becomes the test subject for Dr. Abraham Erskine's super serum injection is not Steve Rogers, but Peggy Carter herself, making her Captain Carter.

So, how about you KLovers? Are you ready to help Doctor Strange solve the Multiverse problem in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness?

(kpl/frs)