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Credit: Marvel StudiosWhen ‘s (2016) debuted it garnered a relatively mixed reception from audiences but as the New York Sorcerer has gained increasing popularity — largely from ‘s portrayal — over the past five years, ‘s sequel, in the of Madness (2022) is now one of the most anticipated arrivals in ‘s .
Here is everything and not- fans should watch before heading to movie theaters this upcoming May to see Cumberbatch tackle the .
Movies to Watch
What MCU movies should I watch before seeing in the of Madness?
Quite obviously, the first movie in the is a good place to start when thinking about preparing for in the of Madness. Derrickson’s MCU directorial debut saw a visually stunning and engaging first outing for the popular character, Dr. AKA .
stars as the titular sorcerer with the story following his quest to heal his hands after a car crash left him unable to continue in his beloved neurosurgeon career. From meeting Tilda Swinton’s , Kal Mordo (), Wong (), and battling Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius in the mystic arts, also sees popular actress Rachel McAdams star as ‘s former lover and colleague, Dr. Christine Palmer.
also introduced some prominent Marvel Universe locations such as 177A Bleeker Street AKA the New York Sanctum which played a vital role in films like Avengers: (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The Sanctum Sanctorum was even featured in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok (2017) when Chris Hemsworth’s Thor went in search of his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) with his brother, Loki ().
Derrickson’s , while not the most lucrative of the MCU’s blockbusters, provides the perfect starting point for those wanting to speedily catch up before in the of Madness releases this May. If anything, the first movie will give viewers a clear understanding of the cast of characters they will likely encounter in the sequel.
Avengers:
Despite the ‘s huge cast of actors like Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/), Mark Ruffalo (Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk), and Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Cumberbatch’s stood out in the ensemble cast after teaming up with Tony Stark, and Spider-Man (), as they go to war against Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Avengers: is a vital entry in the MCU when considering watching anything post-Infinity Saga. The Russo Brothers’ climactic duo saw Thanos’ battle against the Avengers culminating in a historic cinematic event. It is in Avengers: where we see utilizing the Time Stone to calculate how many chances the superheroes have at defeating the Mad Titan.
Avengers: Endgame
Arguably, both Avengers: and Avengers: Endgame could be grouped together because viewers cannot see one without the other but Endgame is worth mentioning just to see using the mystic arts amongst the biggest superhero battle ever on screen.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
The latest entry from director Jon Watts is probably as, if not more, important to watch than the first movie. It is in Spider-Man: No Way Home that Holland’s approaches the Sorcerer — now not the after being blipped for five years — in order to see if the “wizard” can help the world forget that he exists. ‘s identity was exposed at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) following a battle with Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. After the spell goes awry and brings Spider-Man’s villains such as (Alfred Molina) from various universes to the world of the MCU, is left with no choice but to complete the casting leaving tears across the . Enter in the of Madness.
TV Shows to Watch
What MCU TV shows should I watch before seeing in the of Madness?
WandaVision
One big player that will reprise their role in the forthcoming is . The Emmy-nominated actress will star as AKA . From the official trailer, we can ascertain that Cumberbatch’s will seek out Wanda in her new forest location to include the Avenger in his Multiversal quest.
While a nine-episode season may feel like hard work, in order to fully understand Wanda’s motives and backstory, WandaVision is an essential watch. Debuting on Disney+ in January, the sitcom-style suburban drama launched ‘s Phase Four and provided the MCU its biggest challenge yet. Not only was the series the first for the MCU, but it also quite dramatically diverged from the usual superhero recipe of previous films, while exploring Wanda’s grief about Vision (Paul Bettany) and introducing a new villain, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), into the MCU arena.
Loki
Not essential as such, but ‘s Loki series, saw the gain its biggest origin story yet. When Loki is captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and enlisted to help find and capture his own Variant, he teams up with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) to access the orchestrator of the TVA — “He Who Remains” AKA a Kang the Conqueror Variant played deliciously by a boisterous Jonathan Majors.
If viewers are wanting the most in-depth look into the , the Sacred Timeline, and the seemingly new Big Bad in the MCU, then Kate Herron and ‘s Loki is a perfect place to get that fix.
What If…?
Arguably a Loki spinoff, ‘s animated series What If…? explores the various universes set up in the God of Mischief’s series. From characters like Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Captain Marvel (Alexandra Daniels), and the introduction of ‘s zombies, What If…? asked what if certain pivotal events in the MCU had happened significantly differently.
One of the episodes explored how events would have been different if had lost his heart instead of his hands. Though loses the use of his famed hands in , in What If…? he loses something even more important, Christine Palmer. After using the Time Stone to continuously go back in time and attempt to save his true love, Swinton’s gets involved and splits the Sorcerer in two — and . As we can see from the trailer, a version of that looks startlingly like , or simply the , will make an appearance in the feature film. If anything, watch Episode 4 (“What If… Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?”), Episode 8 (“What If…Ultron Won?”), and Episode 9 (“What If…the Watcher Broke His Oath?”).
It is clear that the new timeline order of the MCU is getting longer and longer.
Details About in the of Madness?
Who is in the cast?
Cumberbatch, of course, is back as the titular character. The Academy Award nominee is joined by (/), Rachel McAdams (Dr. Christine Palmer), (Wong), (Kal Mordo), and newcomer in their MCU debut as America Chavez AKA . Michael Stuhlbarg will also return as his neurosurgeon character, Nicodemus West, in the sequel.
Has the trailer been released?
Yes! Watch it here:
It would seem that helping out Holland’s in Spider-Man: No Way Home caused a little too much chaos — not to mention the reshoots behind the scenes — and Sam Raimi’s in the of Madness is set to explore the results of that life-altering spell.
Are you looking forward to seeing in the of Madness? Let us know in the comments down below!