As hard as it seems to believe given the repeated setbacks and pitfalls to have affected the superhero sequel ever since it was first announced, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is coming to theaters exactly two weeks from today, and the hype is beginning to reach deafening levels.
That’s without even having a clue what the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s mind-bending and reality-warping epic is even about, with the studio doing a phenomenal job of keeping specifics under wraps, although we can infer from the title and premise that things are going to get plenty weird.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s title hero has settled into an MCU mentorship role of sorts, which we first saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and will continue in Multiverse of Madness after he partners up with young superhero America Chavez, a far cry from the arrogant, self-absorbed surgeon we met back in Scott Derrickson’s opener.
Speaking at a photocall to signal the beginning of the press trail, director Sam Raimi teased that the Sorcerer Supreme will continue to jettison his inward-looking ways in favor of opening up to others.
“He starts as a very self-assured person who feels he’s the one that’s best in control…In this chapter of his life, he learns to let go a little bit. That it’s not all about him [and] that he can trust others.”
Based on everything we’ve seen and heard so far, he’s going to need all the assistance he can get, because Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness promises to tear the MCU as we know it apart at the seams unless the motley crew of heroes can piece it back together.
