Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – A Spectacle with Heart

Spoiler Warning

The following opinion is my first impression, after watching Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness only once.

I went into the Multiverse of Madness with great expectations of a fast-paced journey through crazy set pieces along mind-blowing cameos of characters from other films and series, ending in an event with huge implications for the over all Marvel story. Halfway through the movie I found myself somewhat disappointed. But then I slowly realized: I came for the event, but I stayed for the characters.

The Stage is Set

Ever since the finale of Loki I’ve been waiting to see its impact on the movies. The emergence of the multiverse never seemed to be a big deal in them, however. Yes, both Spiderman: No Way Home and Dr. Strange feature the multiverse heavily, but it is not the focus. Dr. Strange 2 is not about the multiverse. It is about the characters of Stephen Strange and Wanda Maximoff. The multiverse is merely a backdrop, a tool to scrutinize their characters.

For Wanda, the multiverse enables her to pursue her desire: To have the children she can’t have in this universe. We follow her descend into madness, as she is made painfully aware of what she could have but was denied to her up until now. “The multiverse offers solutions to every problem”, she once declares to Doctor Strange, showing that really it is control over the unlimited possibilities of the multiverse she craves. Whenever something would cause her distress, she could go to another universe to satisfy her needs and like that build her perfect life, where she can be happy.

Dr. Strange seeks no mastery over the Multiverse. Rather he gets dragged into it involuntarily, compelled to help the multiversal traveller America Chavez. On his journey through the multiverse he gets confronted with the errors and flaws of his other selves and the question if he is damned to imitate them because it his nature. He starts his journey as he feels the need to redeem the action of an alternate him, who attempted to sacrifice America Chavez for the greater good of the Multiverse. Interestingly this is reminiscent of our Strange in Spiderman, No Way Home, where he was ready to sacrifice Spiderman’s villains to keep the Multiverse safe. Maybe that means that when he in the end chooses to act differently than the other Stranges he met along the way by guiding America to control her power, rather than sacrificing her that what differentiates him from the other Stranges, is his interaction with Spiderman.

The Illuminati – More than just Names

On their journeys both Strange and Wanda meet the Illuminati. Rather than meeting a familiar character here and there, as I was hoping they would do, the movie dumped all the cameos at once at the audience. More than just fanservice, what makes the scene with the Illuminati so good, is that they serve a purpose for both of our protagonists’ stories.

For Strange they represent his arrogance and make him aware that he is the greatest threat to the Multiverse, because in so many universes he commits fatal mistakes. They think, since it happens so often, that it is in his nature. They are an obstacle to him by denying him the ability to change, while at the same time challenge him to proof himself.  

For Wanda they are a physical obstacle on her way to attain her goal. Or maybe it is more correct to say they are there for her to show off her might. They are among the most powerful beings in their universe, and they don’t stand a chance against her. At least Professor X let’s us gaze into her depth, where we can see helpless Wanda being possessed by the Scarlet Witch. The Illuminati show how far gone Wanda already is and that she won’t stop at anything anymore to reach her goal.

Part of a Journey is the End

The only thing that could stop Wanda in the end is her realization that she can never get what she wants due to what she has to become to get it. She can’t be a loving mother, if she has to become a monster to get her children. She can only make this experience, because Dr. Strange has reached the end of his journey for this movie, by proving that he can be different, than the other Stranges. Instead of sacrificing American Chavez, so that Wanda can’t use her power, he guides her toward controlling her power herself.

Ironically – as it should be in any good story – our two protagonists learned opposite lessons from their encounter with the multiverse. Dr. Strange learns that there is more than one way to do things and the possibilities of actions opened up to him. Meanwhile, Wanda accepts her fate and learns that even though there are vast possibilities at her disposal, she can’t have everything for herself and needs to restrain herself.

Looking back, I’m glad the movie isn’t the way I had hoped it to be. Rather than solely being a feast for the eyes and blowing our minds, it presents us with two intertwined stories, bound to the respective protagonists, moving their characters forward. It is a movie, born out of characters.

Nevertheless, Sam Raimi manages to work in the craziest shots and concepts we have seen in the MCU and the music and audio design is something… something I don’t quite understand but it’s great.