Marvel Studios has released the second official trailer for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness and the stakes are higher than ever before. With one-eyed tentacle monsters, tons of magic and director Sam Raimi on their side, it's quite possible that Doctor Strange 2 will be one of the best MCU movies fans have ever seen.
It’s been no secret since the first trailer dropped in the No Way Home post-credit scene that new hero America Chavez will be coming to life on the big screen. But now, beyond the uniquely dark tone and incredible clips of timeline-hopping chaos, the new trailer confirmed even more appearances by major characters with familiar faces in the Doctor Strange sequel.
Captain Marvel
Starting off with one of the most obvious, yet surprising, superhero cameos is the return of Carol Danvers in a (literal) blaze of glory. What's even more shocking is that she and Wanda are battling it out, despite Wanda having realized her mistakes and turned over a new leaf after the events of WandaVision.
Although the circumstances of their brawl aren't very clear, seeing two of Marvel’s most powerful heroes on opposing ends will surely cause a rift in whichever dimension they’re parading around. The rumors surrounding Multiverse of Madness have been extremely far-fetched, however the arrival of Carol Danvers was a shock to many fans. Given the fact that fans managed to sniff out Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s role in No Way Home months before the movie hit the big screen, it seems as if Marvel managed to keep a much tighter lid on the cameos for Doctor Strange 2.
"Evil Wanda"
MCU viewers were hyped about the introduction of an Evil Doctor Strange once the first Multiverse of Madness trailer was released, especially those who watched What If…? And were exposed to the idea of multiple Stephen Stranges long before No Way Home even hit theaters. Thanks to the Super Bowl trailer Marvel released yesterday, Multiverse of Madness upped the ante by confirming there will now be 2 Scarlet Witches in the upcoming sequel.
Given how powerful Wanda is, having two of her could either be the absolute best or absolute worst thing for the rest of the universe. On one hand, she does try her best to be a hero and save others. With more than one Wanda as the Earth’s protector, it's quite likely nobody would even want to challenge the witches and the world would never see another ounce of danger.
On the other hand, Wanda can cause some major damage to others without even trying. In the event that not one, but both Scarlet Witches are upset, the result could very well be catastrophic. Based on what fans can see in the trailer, the version of Wanda wearing her Scarlet Witch gear is going to be turning dark side. She's expressed her thoughts over the fact that it's unfair for her to be deemed a villain, and in a brief moment where both versions meet, it appears as if “normal” Wanda is trying to comfort Scarlet Witch Wanda, who is crying on the floor in a moment of vulnerability.
Ultimately, it will be difficult to pin down the 2 witches as either good or evil, given the nature of Wanda’s character, but this new Wanda certainly seems to be much more spiteful than the original fans have come to love.
Professor X
This particular cameo simultaneously gave fans the most and the least, all at the same time. To be perfectly clear, Professor X never once showed his face in the Multiverse of Madness Super Bowl trailer. He did, however, speak.
Based on the similarities between the voices of the faceless man in the trailer and Professor X from previous X-Men movies, it was indisputably Patrick Stewart speaking on the screen. Even if the only thing viewers could see was the back of the faceless man’s bald head, that tiny nod to the Professor’s classic look (in combination with the short voice cameo) was more than enough to tell Marvel fans everything they needed to know.
As of this year, the X-Men will now officially be part of the MCU. Deadpool’s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe meant that the X-Men were MCU canon by extension, but Multiverse of Madness will be the first step in getting the original beloved characters to step back into the superhero limelight.
Whether Professor X is residing in a different dimension, if he's a variant, or any other detail most likely won't be explained until the movie is out in theaters. Regardless, MCU fans have been waiting a very long time for the X-Men to hop on board, and now that the moment is finally here, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will change the Marvel Universe forever.
Doctor Strange 2 hits theaters this May.