What happens to Wanda by the end of the film? Who was that character in
the credits sequence? And everyone is asking 'where's Kang?' These are the
biggest unanswered questions from "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
Right from the top, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" drops a lot
of intriguing details about how the multiverse works. Past MCU installments like "Avengers:
Endgame" and "Loki" have explored the idea of variants — alternate versions
of characters from different realities — but this film takes things a step further.
In the film, it's implied that dreams are windows into other universes, at least
insofar as it applies to magical characters like Stephen Strange and Wanda Maximoff.
The movie then upends this concept with the new character of America Chavez. America has the
power to travel through realities, and most of the film's plot revolves around the desire to control,
or seize, these powers. She also mentions that she has never located any other versions of herself
in other universes. She knows this both because she's looked — but also because she never dreams.
Do America's powers have something to do with there only being one of her?
One of the biggest twists in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is the introduction of
the Illuminati on Earth-838. The secret group is hugely important to the Marvel comics universe — a
council of powerful figures who guide world events from the shadows and often make difficult
decisions in the process. The 838 Illuminati are a staggering collection of variants,
Marvel TV characters, previously non-MCU favorites, and popular fancasts.
Chiwetel Ejiofor John Krasinski's Reed Richards, and Patrick Stewart's Professor Charles Xavier.
It's an impressive roster that also leaves a lot of hanging questions about the future of the MCU.
For starters, some of the Illuminati members' individual origin stories are left unaddressed.
What happened to Steve Rogers in this universe, and was Captain Carter's origin the same as in
"What if...?" More importantly, the Illuminati makes three major Marvel character groups official
in the MCU: the Inhumans, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. It's unknown how each of them came
to be in Universe 838, but it seems likely that they'll all factor into the franchise's future.
Perhaps a new, cross-dimensional Illuminati could form. Or maybe Marvel Studios' "Fantastic
Four" and "X-Men" films will take place far away from Earth-616. Only time will tell.
Of course, the highlight is Patrick Stewart's appearance as Professor Charles Xavier, a role
he's played for decades in the "X-Men" movies that previously existed outside the MCU. While not
explicit, Stewart's return via "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" could seem to confirm
that all those old X-Men movies are canon within the MCU multiverse. Nonetheless, the other X-Men
aren't mentioned at all in this "Doctor Strange" sequel, and neither is the word "mutant." As of
now, it's unclear how those aspects of the franchise will be tied back into the MCU.
There are a lot of options on the table. Stars of the later X-Men movies could potentially be
brought back as variants. Alternatively, the main "X-Men" characters could be completely recast
down the line, with those changes being justified by the multiverse.
Marvel Studios and Disney could even continue the Fox "X-Men" series,
although that seems like an unlikely option. Whatever happens, it should be exciting to watch.
One of the pieces of lore introduced in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" involves
incursions — cataclysmic events where multiple realities are smashed together.
Earth-616's Stephen Strange is informed by the Illuminati that his 838 counterpart caused an
incursion by using the Darkhold to dreamwalk — a crime punished by a brutal execution. Later on,
Doctor Strange 616 meets a version of himself who has become deeply corrupted by the Darkhold
and is implied to have caused his own incursions. Finally, at the end of the film, the comics
character Clea shows up and tasks Strange 616 with fixing an incursion she claims he caused.
"Things just got out of hand."
None of these events are explained in detail, but they could be in further MCU installments.
The end credits of "Multiverse of Madness" proclaim that Doctor Strange will return, so
that next entry could be wilder than ever. "Doctor Strange 2" spends a lot of time talking about how
uniquely dangerous its eponymous hero can be, and if that theme is to remain relevant going forward,
it would make sense for the incursions he has caused to be explored in greater detail.
One of the more bizarre moments in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" occurs at the end
of the film. when the hero snatches a copy of the Darkhold from his evil counterpart. He then
uses the spells within the tome to dreamwalk into the corpse of one of his other variants,
who was buried on Earth-616 at the beginning of the film.
This doesn't sit well with the spirits of the dead, however, who quickly rise from their realm
to accost Doctor Strange. Fortunately, Christine Palmer is there to help keep him grounded.
She reminds him that he's a Master of the Mystic Arts and encourages him to
use the spirits of the damned himself. He does just that, sucking up all the
ghosties into himself and growing a pair of shadowy spirit wings on his zombified body.
It makes for a fun climax, but the movie doesn't do a great job of actually explaining
what happens. Has Doctor Strange always had the ability to control the spirits
of the dead? Is it a power granted only to his zombie form, or by the Darkhold?
Could any sorcerer potentially wield this ability? Now that all of the Darkholds are
supposedly destroyed, we may never get concrete answers to these questions.
Underlining how powerful the character is, in the end, Scarlet Witch isn't defeated by
Doctor Strange, or Wong, or America Chavez. She's brought down by her own sense of guilt — a fierce
realization of the monster she's become. Face to face with her sons in an alternate reality, Wanda
sees them look upon her with fear. In a redemptive act, she brings the entirety of Mount Wundagore
collapsing down upon itself with her inside, demolishing the ancient dark magic written there.
"That's the book of the damned."
This destructive act of penitence has a curious side-effect: The erasure of
every Darkhold from every corner of the multiverse. How exactly Wanda manages to
pull off that feat, however, is unclear. The Scarlet Witch has the power to alter reality,
so it's possible that the mountain magnified her powers in some way
and allowed her to affect other universes. Even then, though, things don't quite add up.
If there are Darkholds in most universes, it stands to reason that there are other versions
of Mount Wundagore as well. Couldn't someone from one of those realities simply transcribe
another book? Or did Wanda's magic erase the mountains in every universe as well?
Wanda's demolition of the Mount Wundagore temple would seem like a definitive end to the character.
That is, it would seem that way if Kevin Feige hadn't already confirmed that she'll be back.
The nature of her next appearance remains uncertain, however, and there are a lot of
different ways it could play out. The existence of the multiverse means that the franchise could just
lean on a variant of the character, one of whom plays a major role in "Multiverse of Madness."
Given how much time has been spent building up Earth-616's Wanda, however,
it seems like a missed opportunity not to continue her story in some capacity.
At the very least, it seems highly unlikely that a collapsing mountain
would be enough to stop the Scarlet Witch. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse
of Madness" is basically a montage of her surviving every conceivable sort of attack.
There's no way a few big rocks would be enough to keep her down ... right?
"I don't know, probably."
A lot of the action in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" involves the Book of
Vishanti, an ancient tome of good magic and the antithesis of the Darkhold. It's believed that the
book contains spells that could stop the Scarlet Witch, but unfortunately, that theory is never
confirmed. Just as our heroes reach the Book of Vishanti, Wanda destroys it with her dark magic.
But is the Book of Vishanti really gone? The place where it dwells is referred to as
a world between realities, which suggests that there is only one copy. Presumably,
that means Wanda burned the only one in existence,
removing it from the multiverse permanently. The truth may be a bit more complicated,
however. Who's to say that the book didn't whisk itself off to some other place for safety,
leaving only the illusion that it was destroyed? That would be an impressive magic trick.
"So, this is the magic trick."
"Illusion, Michael."
Alternatively, it's possible that another copy does exist elsewhere. Because the MCU
version of the tome never actually gets used in the "Doctor Strange" sequel,
it's tough to theorize too much about what role it could play going forward.
At the very end of "Doctor Strange 2," Stephen makes his way back to Earth-616
with a new lease on life. But the last shot before the first round of credits shows a third
eye open in his forehead — similar to the one worn by his sinister counterpart earlier in the film.
There are a few possible explanations for Doctor Strange's third eye. The Eye of Agamotto,
acquired by Strange in his first solo film, has a number of powers in the comics that haven't yet
featured in the MCU. The big-screen version of the Eye is mainly used to hold the Time Stone, but in
the original Marvel canon, it also brings powers of transcendent vision and knowledge, among other
things. These abilities often manifest themselves in the form of a third eye. Since Agamotto himself
is one of the Vishanti in the comics — powerful godlike beings who aid the Sorcerer Supreme and
created the Book of the Vishanti — it's possible that Strange's interactions with the sacred tome
or its opposite, the Darkhold, could have opened the Eye of Agamotto up to its true potential.
Alternatively, Doctor Strange could have simply reached a new
level of mystical power through the story of "Multiverse of Madness,"
thus unlocking the secrets of the Eye. Either way, he seems stronger than ever.
The first post-credits scene in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" introduces Clea,
a woman from an alternate reality played by Charlize Theron. She approaches the Stephen
Strange of Earth-616 and demands that he help her fix an incursion he apparently caused.
In the comics, Clea is a denizen of the Dark Dimension with close ties to Dormammu himself.
Given that her purple hue resembles Dormammu's MCU incarnation and that the universe she opens
a portal to in "Doctor Strange 2" looks similar to the Dark Dimension in some ways,
it's likely that this backstory will continue to hold true. Of course,
she makes no mention of her home or of Dormammu during the post-credits scene,
so it's yet to be revealed what the nature of her character will be in the MCU.
One thing of particular importance to note is that Clea ends up marrying Doctor
Strange in the comics. Since he seems to have made his peace with the fact
that he'll never settle down happily with Christine by the end of his second film,
the MCU could be building a new love story between him and Clea.
While not particularly relevant to the specific story of "Doctor Strange in the
Multiverse of Madness," Kang the Conqueror looms large over the whole film. From the
dimension-hopping nature of the story to the introduction of Reed Richards,
there are tons of plot details that silently hint at the villain's MCU return.
At the end of "Loki" Season 1, the God of Mischief finds himself in a severely altered
Time Variance Authority that seems to be run by Kang. Presumably, that means that he could
be active in his conquest by the events of the "Doctor Strange" sequel, but it's possible that he
doesn't yet possess a way to easily travel across dimensions. In that instance, America Chavez would
be of special interest to him, just as she is to Wanda Maximoff. While it makes sense not to
overcrowd any one movie with too many characters or storylines, Kang could nonetheless be impacted
by the events of "Multiverse of Madness." He's set to appear in "Ant-Man and the Wasp:
Quantumania," if not sooner, and it should be interesting to see where the MCU takes him.
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