MY SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW OF DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

PLEASE DO NOT OPEN THIS THREAD IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE MOVIE YET, AND/OR IF YOU
HATE SPOILERS

#MultiverseOfMadness #DoctorStrange2 #DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness

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SERIOUSLY. DON’T GO FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS MOVIE TO BE SPOILED FOR YOU.

LAST WARNING.

READY?

LEGGO!

1. SAM RAIMI HAD A FIELD DAY!

Nothing screams Sam Raimi more than a perfect blend of visceral horror gore and cheesy
comedic tropes played to show that it is exactly what it is, a trope.

This movie was all of that, and more!

The bloodied Earth-838 Wanda taking apart the Illuminati like cheddar (all the while dream-
walking o) and Defender Strange’s dead body animated by Dream-walking Earth-616 Doctor
Strange and ghosts of the damned was as Raimi-esque as a PG-13 Marvel movie could get!

2. ELIZABETH OLSEN IS KING!

God, did this movie make this woman hotter for me! See delivery nau!

You could see and feel every emotion backing all her actions in 7D! If there were no speaking
lines for her, you would still understand her motivations. She delivered!

For me, she was the best performer of all her cast mates in this movie

3. WANDA REGRESSED SO BAD FROM THE ENDING OF WANDAVISION!

 Defeating Agatha Harkness and realizing the depth of emotional and mental injuries she
wrought on the citizens of Westview, NJ, and all of a sudden, being so possessed by the lure
of the Darkhold that she basically repeated the entire “I Want My Family Back No Matter
What” actions rubbed me off wrong, I must say.

I mean, while she killed scores in Kamar-Taj and in the Illuminati Building in Earth-838, deep
down, she must have known she was justifying Agatha’s words to her during their Westview
fight, yeah?

4. COMIC-ACCURATE REPRESENTATIONS WAS LIT!

Loved Charles Xavier sitting in his classic X-Men Animated Series yellow hovering chair

Loved finally naming of the MCU’s Earth as Earth-616 (Although this was hinted by Quentin
Beck (Mysterio) purely by chance (or, maybe not chance) in Spder-Man: Far From Home, and
also on a ticker-tape from one of the snapshots at the credits reel of the Loki series)

Loved Blackagar Boltagon (Black Bolt)’s outfit, tuning-fork on forehead and all. Not that
funny thing from the Inhumans series.

5. DISNEY PLUS MARVEL SERIES TIE-INS REINFORCES THE NEW MCU “EVERYTHING IS
CONNECTED” QUOTE

To understand Sinister Strange (the Doctor Strange variant in the earth post-Incursion with
the 3rd eye), you must have to have watched What If? Episode 4. He is not the exact variant
as that, as the What If variant goes ahead to join the Guardians of the Universe to fight
against Ultron who took all 6 Infinity Stones and terrorized Uatu, the Watcher. But what
happened to the What If variant, post call-up by Uatu, is the same thing that happens to this
variant.

To understand Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell’s character), you have to watch practically all of
What If? Again, its not the same variant, as the What If variant’s earth showed no signs of
having mutants and inhumans as Earth-838.

To understand Wanda, it goes without saying, watch all of WandaVision.

6. FAN SERVICE WAS WELL-DONE

John Krasinksi as Mr. Fantastic started as a brilliant fan art in December 2018! Fans loved the
poster so much that, Kevin Feige, instead of doing the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield
thing of pulling actors from previous movies, skipped Miles Teller and Ioan Gruffudd and cast
him. His version of Reed Richards marries Sue Storm and has kids. That was a joyful
realization. I hope the upcoming Fantastic Four movie retains him as Mr. Fantastic. They
have to. His casting has been so well-received; Marvel test, passed.

I’ve already talked about Professor X, Black Bolt (it was nice how they brought back Anson
Mount from the Inhumans series) and Captain Carter.
 Maria Rambeau’s Captain Marvel looks absolutely spectacular. Wonder if her daughter
Monica, in Earth-838, ends up becoming Photon how Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Paris)
becomes Photon in WandaVision.

Baron “Karl” (LMAO, Doctor Strange laughed too) Mordo as Sorcerer Supreme in Earth-838
was also very good to watch. He hits me as a Mordo who has undergone a long self-
reevaluation of his motives and has chosen to be less puritanistic than his Earth-616 variant
(who Strange confesses is actually after his life. Would love to see this on screen sha). He still
has the hot temper tho.

7. BILLY AND TOMMY WERE NEEDED PUNCTUATIONS

A movie as fast-paced and full of mind-bending visuals as this movie needed plot-justifiable
pauses from the madness to send the viewers “back home” (so to speak)…remind people
that this is actually a movie about family and the pains of motherhood.

The sheer childishness (especially given the fact that these variants do not have powers like
the variants in WandaVision) of both characters, and their complete dependence on their
mother for comfort makes you remember what this is truly all for in the first place. And they
are inserted at the best times. Wanda just wanted a family shaaa.

8. VISION’s ABSENCE IS VERY SUSPICIOUS

Westview’s fake Vision made the Vision reassembled by former S.W.O.R.D. director, Tyler
Hayward, remember his past. Yes, after the philosophical Theseus’ Ship metaphor, he
confessed he wasn’t exactly Wanda’s vision, and also was not Hayward’s vision, but a mix of
the two. But I should suppose that when Wanda wreaks havoc to the magnitude she has,
something, somehow should activate the “father of Billy and Tommy’s side of the new
Vision” and send him coming her way.

My theory? He has been captured by Thunderbolt Ross (or Madam Hydra, Valentina
Contessa, who showed up in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and the Black Widow
movie), and is made to be part of the Dark Avengers team, together with U.S. Agent and
Baron Zemo. But that’s a far-reaching theory shaa.

9. CHRISITNE PALMER IS NO LONGER A PLOT DEVICE, PRAISE JESUS!

Earth-838’s Christine Palmer puts her into the action. She is 3-dimensional and drives the
plot forward significantly. She reveals the numbering of the universes, manages the lab at
Baxter Foundation (owned by Mr. Fantastic), leads the innovative technology that can resist
magic, paving way for some Hextech-like-powered new McGuffins in the MCU (Hextech is
from Arcane/League of Legends…different franchise sha).

This is a huge step up from being “the romantic interest” as portrayed in Doctor Strange 1
and the What If? series.
10. WONG IS EVERYWHERE. LOL
 Really though, in phase 4 alone, Wong has shown up in Shang-Chi, in Spider-Man, and in this
movie. Sha, he is the Sorcerer Supreme, so, he kinda has to. But, can we take a second to
really applaud this character? If loyalty and good moral compass was a character in the
MCU, it would be Wong.

And he’s resilient too. To fight those stone gorgons in the Wundagore Mountains where the
temple of the Scarlet Witch was all on his own, while battling Wanda too, in top form, is
amazing!

11. AMERICA CHAVEZ GIVES ME HOPE.

I legit thought America Chavez would not just end up being a breathing McGuffin, but she
was. But it was not a tasteless delivery though. She has an arc: Cannot control her powers,
lost her moms (Disney and representation shaa) in her first manifestation of her powers,
needs some form of strong-man figure to feel protected, even when she can literally punch
holes across universes, and is in an internal and external search for home. That is a character
that can be very relatable.

And she was, both to us in the audience, and as it seemed, immediately to the characters in
the move at first meet. Cos, men, Doctor Strange legit let most of the sorcerers in Kamar-Taj
die over a little girl he met not more than 24 hours prior? She must have touched him deeply
in his heart for this to be. And, of course, yes, she is a child. So, there’s that.

Her learning the mystic arts at the end of the movie has already positioned her as Doctor
Strange’s protégé. Evidence number “N” of Marvel continuing on their path to gradually
introduce The Young Avengers: Kate Bishop (Hawkeye), Billy Maximoff (Wiccan), Tommy
Maximoff (Speed), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), Yelena Belova (Black Widow), Cassie Lang
(Stature), Eli Bradley (Isaiah Brandley’s grandson from Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as
Patriot), Riri Williams (as Iron Lad, to be introduced in Black Panther 2), Kid Loki (from the
Loki series), and their oga, Peter Parker as Spider-Man (and probably, Miles Morales as
Spider-Man too).

12. MCU’s FIRST SENTIENT HUMANOID BEAST IN THE PROPER EARTH DIMENSION

Rintrah, the minotaur guarding Kamar-Taj when Wanda attacks is a push on the envelope
that was introduced in the Shang-Chi movie with the Ta-Lo pocket dimension and its
creatures. From the comics, Rintrah comes from an extradimensional planet called R’Vaal,
but I doubt that is the story with the character in this movie. His presence gave me a legit
Peter Jackson memorandum. Very Lord-of-the-Ringsy.

Another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it character introduced is Sara Wolfe played by Sheila Atim

(you might remember her from Bruised as Halle Berry’s character’s trainer, or from The
Underground Railroad). For those not familiar with the character, she is Wong’s love interest
from the comics.

13. MUSIC IS THE WEAPON!

Nope, I’ve not suddenly veered to start talking about Major Lazer’s 2020 studio album.
 I’m talking about the battle between 616 Doctor Strange and Sinister Strange from the Earth
post-Incursion (the 3-eyed strange). I mean, talk about inventiveness and subtly-refreshing-
comedy!

I laughed, as that was happening. Each motion and pulling of musical notes into magical
weapons changed the music from one classical rendition to another, silent to loud, legato to
allegro. Marvel tried something similar with Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 during the
final fight at the transmission substation, but that was tacky and came out of nowhere. Here,
because, well, magic, the notes were literally pulled out from the music books and wielded.
Awesome!

14. CLEA, NIECE OF DORMAMMU, SORCERER SUPREME OF THE DARK DIMENSION

…and future love interest of Doctor Strange, played by Charlize Theron, recruiting him to go
fight her uncle, and stop the incursion she mentions in the post-credit scene.

That’s all I’mma say.

😏😏

15. THE STORY

It was extremely enjoyable, fast-paced where it needed to be, slow-paced where it needed
to be. All actors gave it their everything. We understood Stephen Strange’s motivations
further, with the revelation about the death of his younger sister when he was young. We
had a villain we can all relate to (love the way Marvel has successfully stopped doing 2D
villains who are mirrors of the protagonist. Nowadays, we can understand them…might even
be able to root for them, given the right cicrumstances).

The score was air-tight and top-notch. All foreshadowings, jump-scares, red-herrings and
cliffhangers were executed with chef’s kiss.

It is a 9.5/10 movie for me. I take away points because I still can’t understand why Wanda
regressed so much, and it is a movie that bears little bearing to the outside events of the
MCU, given how important a role Doctor Strange plays in the happening of things in the
MCU. (In the MCM, however, Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, the movie changes everything)

Review Key Word: INCUSRIONS

…..hehehehe.

Secret Wars.

Thank you for reading up to this point. Love to hear your comments and opinions in the CS
and as quotes.

Agamotto….sorry, I mean, Arigato 😁