In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Doctor Strange stated that the multiverse is a concept about which very little is known. Let’s try to decode what he meant.
Doctor Strange, former Sorcerer Supreme, tries to help Peter by making the world forget Spider-Man. But Peter’s interference botches the spell that brings over different enemies of Spider-Man from the multiverse. This movie is more of a wrong step for Strange that leads him to the repercussions of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Both Strange and Peter should be held responsible for this. But then again, Peter paid the price by the end of the movie itself, while Strange will face the consequences in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
At the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Strange tries to send all the Spider-Men and the villains back to their respective universes. However, a pumpkin bomb, thanks to Norman Osborn, AKA Green Goblin, blows up the Macchina di Kadavus and breaks the spell. This is when we see the multiverse break open, and all the people who know Spider-Man start to come through. While Strange does manage to close the cracks before they could actually enter, we don’t really know what happens to him after that. All that we get is the trailer for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” at the end of the credits of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.“
Strange warns Peter that we know frighteningly little about the concept of the multiverse, and thus, it is obvious from this warning that there is a possibility of the collision of multiple universes, or in other words, a potential secret war event. But other than this, we don’t really know why Strange goes to Wanda, but it cannot be just to know about the multiverse. Strange must certainly have seen, felt, or realized something that made him reach out to perhaps the only other sorcerer who knows about the multiverse, i.e., the Scarlet Witch.
From the “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” trailer, we find that Strange is put in handcuffs and taken to what is now rumored to be the MCU Illuminati, a secret organization of super-powered beings who, in the comics, take upon the responsibility of preventing any threats to the multiverse, a unanimous decision taken after the Kree-Skrull War. The members include Doctor Strange, Charles Xavier, Iron Man, Reed Richards, and Namor. From the trailer, it seems that Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier will enlighten Strange further about the multiverse, much like Wanda, if not more. Perhaps this is how the film might show a House of M event, since it is this event that connects Wanda Maximoff and Charles Xavier in the comics.
Also, we must not forget that multiple universes mean multiple versions of Doctor Strange. This is something we saw in “What If.” The trailer for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” itself shows Defender Strange as well as Strange Supreme. Thus, we will probably see interactions between them.
The question that remains dormant in our minds is whether we will see Spider-Man. It is not impossible. There is a rumor that we will see Tobey’s Spider-Man in the movie, be it due to the story or as a part of Raimi’s direction. After all, the duo gave us the Spider-Man of our childhood. As for Tom Holland, his appearance is more unlikely than likely. We might see Strange bump into him once or twice. But he will not contribute to the plot.
From the looks of it, we might see Christine’s death, which Strange will want to prevent by turning back time, something he did in “What If.” This is probably why we have Shuma-Gorath and more monsters whose powers Strange will need to absorb to cast the spell that will alter an Absolute Point in time. America Chavez will be of assistance due to her ability to create portals to other universes. This will allow Strange to travel across the multiverse and is probably what will bring him to the Illuminati. The fact that he has handcuffs seems to mean that he must have done something wrong or unusual, like trespassing into alternate universes without proper knowledge of the same. It may be that it is Xavier who tells him just why the multiverse can be frightening.
In the final fight in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” we will probably see Strange take on the Scarlet Witch. Xavier’s chances of taking part in the fight, alongside Strange, are too good to be true since he is supposed to have no more than a cameo. Be that as it may, Strange will probably become a member of the MCU’s Illuminati, which will further add to the Secret Wars storyline.
See More: All The Multiverse Villains Of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ Explained
