Doctor Strange hasn’t had a solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since his titular debut in 2016, but the character has popped up in a slew of other projects since then, hinting at the further development of his mind-bending powers. Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong), friend-turned-foe Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and former co-worker/ex-girlfriend Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) all make their returns for the sequel.
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is set to be the first feature film to seriously engage with plot points from the MCU’s Disney+ shows, after Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home kept the references to a minimum.
Despite Wanda and Strange not having spent the most time on screen together up until this point, the new trailer establishes that the pair have quite a bit in common. For example, they both have recurring dreams of (what appear to be) other universes only to wake up in their home realities, which feel like nightmares. In contrast to Strange’s night terrors that all seem to revolve around apocalyptic scenarios and his love for Christine Palmer, Wanda’s dreams are haunted by visions of her twin sons Billy and Tommy, who still exist in other dimensions apparently. WandaVision’s finale made it clear that, even though Wanda was forced to undo the magic that made her sons exist in that particular dimension, they were still out there somewhere in the multiverse and able to call to her.
Also starring Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benedict Wong, and Rachel McAdams, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is slated for a theatrical release on May 4.
