Last week at San Diego Comic Con, Marvel announced the slate for their upcoming Phase 4 that included much of what we expected, besides a few surprises like Natalie Portman’s return and Blade entering the franchise.
While it was all exciting, the news surrounding the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, was particularly interesting. They didn’t touch on any story related topics, but instead focused on what kind of movie fans can expect to see come 2021.
If everything pans out how it sounds, this movie could take the franchise to a whole new level.
The Name Says It All
The multiverse is finally here.
What was revealed in the original Doctor Strange and hinted at in Spider-Man Far From Home is now being fully explored. While the title is not the greatest, it does feel very comic book-y, and says a lot about the film.
The MCU’s multiverse is now being brought to the forefront. This will open so many doors for future stories to tell, as well as make this adventure absolutely bonkers as the “of Madness” part of the title suggests.
Where this story could go is literally endless. We could be seeing completely alternate timelines, new dimensions we’ve never even dreamed of, and potentially connect the MCU to other franchises (like Sony’s Venom universe for example).
Another interesting tidbit that was announced was the Disney+ series WandaVision (not the best title), which releases a few months prior, will lead directly into this film. Not only that, but the film will also feature Scarlet Witch in a key role, just as Hulk played key role in Ragnarok.
How much of an impact will the show have, nobody knows, but considering not everyone will be subscribing to Disney+ — let alone watching WandaVision (still not the best title) — I doubt it’ll have much of a big of an impact on Doctor Strange.
Bring on the Scares!
Marvel has explored different genres in the past: political thriller with the Winter Soldier, a heist with Ant-Man, straight-up comedy with Guardians and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Were any of those really that different from each other?
For the first time, Marvel is truly stepping out of their comfort zone and is making their first ever horror film. If that’s not enough to get you on board, it’s also going to ride the line of a PG-13 and an R rating. You might want to keep the younglings home for this one.
The director, Scott Derrickson, has also announced that the film’s villain will be none other than Nightmare, a classic Doctor Strange villain who fits perfectly with the film’s horror elements.
For those of you who may not be familiar with him, Scott Derrickson was primarily a horror filmmaker before joining the Marvel family. Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose are two of the films that he’s worked on in the past. He wasn’t allowed to do much horror on the first Strange movie, so it’ll be nice to see him return to his roots with this one.
Embracing the New Direction
Out of all of the films announced at the Phase 4 panel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is by far the most risky and insane film announced with the multiverse. It will make its first grand appearance, have a Disney+ show tying directly into it, and Marvel takes a stab at a completely new genre in horror.
While this phase may not be as grandiose as the previous, it is definitely taking the franchise in a brand new direction that is being fully embraced by Doctor Strange. Fans definitely have a reason to be excited for Spring 2021.
Really excited for Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness as well! From all the Phase 4 announcements, this one has so much potential to bring in so many new aspects to the MCU, going to be awesome!
Couldn’t agree more!