Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the next big thing for Marvel Studios' Phase Four. The film is set to open up the multiverse beyond what we've seen in previous projects like Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel Studios is set to introduce and reintroduce us to characters we've seen in previous films and this is all possible thanks to some amazing storytelling. The film is written by Loki scribe Michael Waldron so you can expect some interesting twists and turns. During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, director Sam Raimi praised Waldron and his abilities.
"Wow, that guy is great. He brought an incredible imagination and absolute awareness of Marvel history. So he really is as an expert in these characters, their interactions, and their backstories. I would be dead without that. But then he brought a super-fertile imagination," Raimi told Rolling Stone. "He loves to have the characters interact with each other, and really show them for who they are and what their problems are. So he's like a novelist, writing a Marvel comic book. And it's great because that's what's so unique about Stan Lee's Marvel superheroes — it's the human aspect of them, their flaws, their mistakes, their personality quirks. Michael loves that Doctor Strange is a little bit of an egotist and has a problem with insecurity."
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The Doctor Strange sequel focuses on the multiverse pretty heavily, and it seems as if the writer of the film thinks we should proceed with the multiverse very cautiously. While speaking with SFX Magazine via Gamesradar, the Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer explained how Marvel Studios' use of the multiverse is a double-edged sword.
"The danger is you can expand your scope too wide, and you can actually reduce the stakes if you don't make it personal as you go bigger and wider. But the opportunity in the multiverse is to have characters confront literal 'What ifs?' and alternate versions of themselves and perhaps others in their lives. It's an interesting way to hold up a mirror to characters," Waldron said. "In every way, it shapes the emotional heart of the story. It has to. The multiverse isn't just a MacGuffin where we're like, 'Okay, this is just a kitschy thing that we're playing within this movie.' If you're faced with alternate realities and with alternate versions of yourself that has to become the emotional heart, exploring who you might be if you were a different version of yourself if you made other choices, the right choices, or the wrong choices. It's complex stuff, emotionally, and that's exactly why it's so thrilling and so great for a cast as dramatically talented as this one."
Marvel Studios describes Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as follows: "To restore a world where everything is changing, Strange seeks help from his ally Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Avengers' most powerful Scarlet Witch, Wanda. But a terrible threat looms over humanity and the entire universe that no longer can be done by their power alone. Even more surprising, the greatest threat in the universe looks exactly like Doctor Strange."
The film is directed by the legendary Sam Rami and will star Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch, Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on May 5th, 2022!
