Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: A Review

Marvel Studios is back with another installment in its phase four of content. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness arrived on Disney + this month and everyone here at Lace ‘Em Up is excited to relive this film from the comfort of our own homes.

This film was intense, with Wanda being the perfect villain, while Doctor Strange wants to stop her but has also found peace. A new superhero is introduced and there are a decent amount of cameos. So what makes this film so amazing? Let’s talk it through.

The Good and The Bad

There was a lot to like about Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Elizabeth Olson’s performance as Wanda Maximoff was iconic, while we took a deeper dive into the multiverse, and America Chavez made her film debut. Elsewhere The Illuminati was introduced even if not for long and the overarching story of Wanda, where she is at after Wandavision, and her willingness to do anything to get back with her kids. This was the most ambitious Marvel has been with a film but it paid off and worked out amazingly.

So there’s good and there’s bad, the only problem I have with this film is how quickly they killed off the Illuminati. Me being a reader of the comics and the Illuminati being such an integral part of Marvel lore it felt like a big kick in the teeth to that percentage of Marvel fans who have read the comics. Saying that seeing Mr. Fantastic and Professor X in a Marvel film in 2022 did make my heart happy so I can’t complain much. I’m sure we’ll see a new iteration of the group in the main Marvel universe.

The Development Of The Scarlet Witch and That One Scene

So let’s talk about the Scarlet Witch, the fact she was willing to destroy everything and everyone in her way to get back to her kids proves her intentions. Near the end, you understand her reasons that she just wanted a family, she had some very evil scenes like when she kidnapped Wong, Dreamwalking, attacked Kamar Taj, and tried to steal America Chavez’s powers. In the end, the only person that could defeat the Scarlet Witch was herself proving she’s the strongest character in the MCU.

There is one iconic scene that we have to talk about. It’s when Wanda aka the Scarlet Witch dreamwalks into another Wanda’s body while Mordu explains dreamwalking to Doctor Strange and America Chavez. You have the amazing music in the background setting the scene, you had the feeling that something insane was about to go down. When Wanda’s eyes opened knowing she had control of another body she knew it was a straight line to her boys and she was gonna stop at nothing to get them back.

The Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Post-Credit Scenes

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, aka the MCU, loves post-credit scenes, and this film is no different. The first post-credit scene is when Doctor Strange is walking around after fixing the watch. He falls to his knees and screams while a third eye opened on his head he acquired after using the Darkhold.

The second one is when Clea a famous character from the comics meets up with Doctor Strange and invites him to fix an incursion by slicing a hole in the universe that she and Doctor Strange walk into. The final one is when Pizza Poppa stops punching himself after Doctor Strange had cursed him to punch himself.

What Is Next For The MCU and Phase Four?

So where does this leave the MCU? Well, it’s anyone’s guess, to be honest, the end credits did say Doctor Strange would return but never specified when. If I was to guess it would be in a Secret Wars event like the comics. I don’t think Wanda is dead as she can be seen transporting out of the falling rubble and can imagine there’s a host of films or shows she can show up in.

For the wider spectrum, the Multiverse has been blown open with characters like Kang, Shang Chi, and a new Doctor Strange being introduced to the MCU. Now with an upcoming Fantastic Four film, the future of the MCU lies in the ever-expanding Multiverse our heroes and villains find themselves in.