When the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home dropped earlier this year, the behavior of a certain Sorcerer Supreme instantly aroused suspicion. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange acted very out of character by performing risky spells at the behest of a teenager, leading to much speculation about his true motivations.
As is contractually obligated to be the case with any Phase Four project, Mephisto was touted in some circles as having potentially usurped the Master of the Mystic Arts and stolen his place, influencing Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to deliberately open the doors to the multiverse.
That probably isn’t the case, but last night’s second promo generated even more questions among the fanbase, especially when it appeared to hint that Doctor Strange is actively urging Spidey to murder all of the multiversal interlopers wreaking havoc on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s New York City.
This particular plot point is going to be kept under wraps until Spider-Man: No Way Home comes to theaters next month, but it could always turn out to be a simple case of the pragmatic Stephen Strange urging his web-slinging cohort to do what he thinks is both necessary and right to save the world and restore order. Or is it?