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Credit: Marvel StudiosIt seems that Marvel has failed to keep the opening scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) a secret.
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In the TV spot for Doctor Strange 2, fans see that America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) meets Defender Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in an unknown reality. One of the shots from the trailer shows Defender Strange holding a hand out warning Chavez to stay where she is. Another clip shows the Strange variant falling into what appears to be a portal.
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This is most likely the beginning of the movie as it would make sense for Chavez to be introduced at the very beginning and this would establish the threat for the movie very quickly. In Disney’s D23 Magazine, co-producer, Richie Palmer explains how Chavez’s character is always on the run and how Doctor Strange wants to learn more about her:
“He naturally wants to know more about her. With America, she just keeps going, especially when things are going wrong – and everything is going completely wrong for her. She’s running away from her uniqueness, until she learns to embrace it. She just never loses hope, and I can relate to that. She’s aspirational that way.”
This does explain why she meets Doctor Strange and Wong after being chased by Gargantos. Perhaps this creature chased America Chavez from the reality both Defender Strange and Chavez were previously in. After Gargantos is defeated, Chavez would then explain how Defender Strange needed Doctor Strange’s help to help with the Multiverse.
This would help set up the main conflict as Strange will have already noticed that the Multiverse is breaking apart. Palmer explained that Chavez was always a character that was going to be added to the MCU. It was just a matter of what time felt right to bring the character in and Doctor Strange 2 was the perfect opportunity to introduce fans to the superhero:
“America is someone we’ve been trying to get into the MCU for a long time. This felt like the best place to do it, because ‘Multiverse’ is in the title and her powers specifically have to do with the Multiverse – her powers being that she can punch open doorways to other universes. That’s something we haven’t seen in our movies, a character who can actually walk from one universe to another. That’s maddening in itself for characters such as Doctor Strange and Wong, whose jobs are to protect those barriers.”
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Strange has already admitted that he knows very little about the Multiverse and for Chavez to appear out of nowhere with the ability to traverse realities would definitely create tension between them. Fans saw the first interactions with another universe in Spider-Man No Way Home (2021) as Strange had Tom Holland’s Spider-Man capture all of the Spider-Man villains from the three franchises and help bring them back to their own reality.
What will happen with Defender Strange?
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Things don’t seem to be looking for Defender Strange as he may have to fight the creature shown facing Chavez in the trailer. Another shot shows Defender Strange as a zombie. It seems that the character will have a small time on the big screen before becoming one of the undead. A zombie variant of Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff can also be seen leaving fans to wonder if Strange got bitten by Wanda.
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The fate of the character is unclear, but it seems likely that the opening scene will end with Strange being teleported to a new reality. From there, he will most likely find a zombie variant of Wanda and end up as a zombie. This leaves fans to wonder if Doctor Strange 2 will show more zombie variants and if this will tie into the Marvel Zombies animated show which is set to release on Disney+ in the future.
More on Doctor Strange 2
Doctor Strange 2 is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange in the main timeline, but he will also play other variants in the movie such as Zombie Strange, Defender Strange, and Strange Supreme. The movie will also star Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Wong as the Sorcerer Supreme (Benedict Wong), Mordo, (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Rintrah (Adam Hugill), Charles Xavier/Professor X (Sir Patrick Stewart), and potentially other characters from the Marvel universe.
The MCU is just beginning to add more superhero teams into the Marvel universe because now, the Avengers need all the help they can get. It is only a matter of time before we see the Young Avengers, Illuminati, Defenders, Midnight Sons, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Thunderbolts enter the MCU.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases in theaters on May 6, 2022.
Do you think Chavez will teach Doctor Strange how to navigate across different realities? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
There are many things to look forward to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe while we wait for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. On Disney+ you can expect Moon Knight on March 30, Ms. Marvel in Summer 2022, and She-Hulk to debut this year. For movies, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness comes out on May 6, followed by Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11.