Doctor Strange

Despite some fun sequences, this Sam Raimi-directed sequel is slightly underwhelming. Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in Marvel Studios' DOCTOR ...

Yet, overall, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a little underwhelming. There are exhilarating battles, smart Easter Eggs, and a couple of post-credits scenes for people to breathlessly whisper explanations to each other about in the darkened cinema. I may be coming across as too negative, and to be clear there is a lot to like about this film. The cameos in Doctor Strange 2 are more what I would have expected – fun and frothy, without too much relevance to the main story. Whatever the reason, it’s an intriguing context for the arrival of the most multiversal of all multiverse stories from Marvel – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Benedict Cumberbatch (among others). A brief scene teases an animated dimension or one where everything is made of liquid paint, but they’re swiftly moved on for more straightforward trips into the Funny Hat and Fan-Pleasing Cameo dimension.

Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios takes a turn into horror territory in a new "Doctor Strange" movie that begins its global rollout in theaters on Wednesday.

Disney declined to cut same-sex references in the film, and it will not be released in Saudi Arabia or a handful of other Middle Eastern countries, a source familiar with the matter said. In the clip, Chavez refers to having two moms. "It’s not really trying to terrify the audience."

The new Doctor Strange movie might have something more in store for fans. Find out if 'Multiverse of Madness' has one or more after-credits scenes.

However, rest assured you will be Googling about the mid-credits scene, trying to figure out what it means for a third Doctor Strange film. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follows the same formula as most Marvel films, in which its mid-credits scene is very important, and its post-credits scene is more of a joke. Doctor Strange is expected to blow up the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the superhero’s highly anticipated sequel.

... in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel movies tend to stick to the same formula – some quips and earnest hero exploits. This one is different.

If you care about such things, it’s best to hurry along to a screening because these spoilers will be all over the internet as soon as it’s released. And madness means it doesn’t always work. Not Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After the initial 30 minutes, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness shifts to be the closest thing the MCU has to a horror movie and the self-knowing quips and earnestness fade away into something genuinely different.

The ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe cheat sheet to help you watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

- After the events of Endgame, Wanda travels to a lot in Westview where she and Vision had planned to live together. Key takeaway: If you're not well versed on the previous Marvel movies (the original 2016 Doctor Strange came out six years ago!) and the Disney Plus TV shows, then there might be a little catching up to do.

For those who aren't familiar with the character, she is tied to Doctor Strange in Marvel Comics and is a powerful sorceress. Her arrival in the MCU was ...

In other news, May the fourth be with you! Now, if there was a famous character from another universe that appeared in Multiverse of Madness, I’m not sure that our Doctor Strange would even know who he was.” For those who aren’t familiar with the character, she is tied to Doctor Strange in Marvel Comics and is a powerful sorceress.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is in theaters Friday but is already breaking box office records as the most pre-sold movie of the year so far.

"It feels like very recognizable terrain, it feels like a recognizable culture and I think it means it's ever more urgent, ever more present, and it's atrocious what people are enduring. "It's a European war and feels incredibly close," he said. "And, if that wasn't enough, I then get to play a couple variants of the character himself to turbocharge his development, which was great fun."

Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron expressed regret about how he helped to define the MCU Multiverse early on.

It is that question that probably has Waldron showing signs of regret with how he helped to define the Multiverse, at least early on. And that is going to be the key thing with all of this. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is mere days away from blowing the collective movie-going world's mind.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen and Sam Raimi stir a dash of horror into Marvel's formula in this weird and wild blockbuster.

It's no coincidence that in the midst of the CG spectacle, the final blow is struck in the most everyday circumstances. This is just as complicated for fans as it is for the characters, as films and TV shows dizzyingly cross over. Newcomer to the MCU Xochitl Gomez plays plucky America Chavez, a comic book character also known as Miss America who has the ability to kick holes in the multiverse. The villain's monstrous power is signaled by jump scares and sinister horror movie flourishes, building to the most macabre final battle you're likely to see in a family-friendly blockbuster. Detractors were already talking about superhero fatigue, and I wondered if Marvel's unprecedented streak was facing a collapse, caused by this lesser-known comics conjurer in his wacky cape (sorry, cloak). But Marvel's magic held up, and audiences turned out for the franchise's typical mix of quips and eye-popping visual effects, even if the actual film was a distinctly average origin story. I have to admit I had doubts about the first Doctor Strange movie back in 2016.

Evil Dead director Sam Raimi adds horror to the Marvel mix in a parallel-reality-hopping sequel.

Relief was just starting to wash over director Sam Raimi the morning after the premiere of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”

I just have to see what jumps to the surface and presents itself. RAIMI: Absolutely. I call Bruce and I say, “Hey baby.” And he says, “What is it now?" I did recognize that in the work of Stanley and Steve Ditko and all the Marvel writers and artist there were so many movies to make. Go ahead with that reboot.” And they said “Thank you, we'll do that.” It was a very amicable parting, so I don't really have unfinished business about it. So long as you're doing that and as long as you're aware of the story elements so you don't disappoint the fans, I think it's great that filmmakers in the Marvel Universe exercise their personality and style and tell the story with their own sense of panache. AP: You recently said tongue-in-cheek that you wanted to show the kids how to make a superhero picture. I was really just trying to follow the characters from the previous Marvel movies and storylines from “Wandavision” had led into and where all the “Avengers” movies had led into. I just realized that I couldn't make a good enough script in the amount of time they had to hit a start date. This is the other end of the spectrum, with extensive, anything's-possible CGI. How did you adapt? RAIMI: I was really trying to make a Marvel movie, first and foremost. AP: This film bears many hallmarks of your work: Bruce Campbell, a book of the dead and even, briefly, shots from a demon’s point-of-view. And the shoot was great but then we had to do reshoots.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is hoping to land the year's biggest opening weekend. Can ticket sales reach $200 million?

Directed by Sam Raimi of Tobey Maguire’s “Spider-Man” fame, “Doctor Strange” picks up as the eponymous neurosurgeon-turned-Avenger casts a dangerous spell that forces him to travel into the multiverse to face a mysterious new adversary and alternate versions of himself. The first “Doctor Strange” opened to $85 million in North America and ended its theatrical run with $232 million domestically and $677 million globally. Should domestic estimates hold, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” would deliver the biggest opening weekend of 2022 and the second-biggest debut in COVID-19 times. Already, “Doctor Strange” has racked up $65 million in domestic pre-sales, which is significant because that is more money than many pandemic-era releases have grossed in their entire theatrical runs. Overseas, “Doctor Strange 2” debuts day-and-date in most countries (excluding China, Russia and Ukraine), where it’s targeting $125 million to $140 million. Marvel movies rarely miss at the box office (and all 27 have opened to No. 1 in North America with ease), but the follow-up to 2016’s “Doctor Strange” is far better positioned than its 2016 predecessor to thrive in theaters.

'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' plays as a direct sequel to the magic and trauma of 'WandaVision,' starring Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet ...

“I loved the way the new costume feels and looks. In Marvel’s “WandaVision,” nothing is as it seems. As “Multiverse” composer Danny Elfman put it at the premiere, Wanda’s story “is heartbreaking all the time.” “Someone who’s taking ownership of that power and has more confidence than we’ve ever seen before.” “You want to make sure that people laugh, and you want to make sure that people have a really good time. “She was such a great character to score and to follow. I loved the hair and makeup. ... I never got tired of watching her.” The Disney+ series, which concludes Friday, mixed sitcom aesthetics, superhero stories and profound emotion. Inside the hex, Wanda was able to temporarily escape her debilitating grief by conjuring an idyllic life with Vision and their twin sons, Billy and Tommy, that resembled her favorite family sitcoms. If that all sounds a little dark and profound for a Disney-owned superhero franchise, it was. “Wanda has always been a huge character, and people love Lizzie as Wanda, but ‘WandaVision’ expanded her.

Ever since he headlined his first solo outing in November 2016, Doctor Strange has become one of the most prominent figures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While old-school studios had struggled to nail down what a Doctor Strange movie could or even should look like, the hope here was that Marvel Studios would be able to turn the concept of this sorcerer being a movie star into a reality. Perhaps the studio just wanted to initially focus on the superheroes it was planning to use in the then-upcoming production The Avengers. Or perhaps, like so many studios before, Marvel just didn't see the value of Doctor Strange as a cinematic property at the time. Those artists were none other than director Guillermo del Toro and writer Neil Gaiman. Gaiman didn't unveil a ton of details on their concept for this solo superhero film, but he did note that he was hoping to make the sorcerer Clea a major part of the movie. Regency Enterprises was keen to make Doctor Strange, but at the time, the company distributed its movies through Warner Bros. That larger movie studio was in a spat with Marvel at the time and that pretty much assured that Cow and Lee’s vision for a Doctor Strange film was kaput. David S. Goyer had varying degrees of involvement in this incarnation of Doctor Strange thanks to his connections to the Blade franchise, but he’d eventually drop out. The pursuit of a Doctor Strange movie began back in the 1980s, roughly a decade after a long-forgotten TV movie had served as the character's first foray into live-action storytelling.

Over the years, the superhero genre has spawned countless iconic tunes, including the theme tunes from The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Batman - two of which were ...

Zimmer worked on Batman V Superman; Williams wrote Christopher Reeve's classic Superman score back in 1978, and Elfman composed for Justice League, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As fans eagerly await the imminent release of Marvel's latest Multiversal epic, Elfman's spectacular score recently debuted online, bringing with it several spoilers for the film itself. Despite often being overlooked by general audiences, music is among the most integral tools in filmmaking for the role it plays in creating atmosphere.

Ahead of the movie's Australian release today, major film critics have filed reviews at every possible end of the spectrum - mixed impressions would be a wild ...

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NEW YORK (AP) — Relief was just starting to wash over director Sam Raimi the morning after the premiere of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

I just have to see what jumps to the surface and presents itself. RAIMI: Absolutely. I call Bruce and I say, “Hey baby.” And he says, “What is it now?" I did recognize that in the work of Stanley and Steve Ditko and all the Marvel writers and artist there were so many movies to make. So long as you're doing that and as long as you're aware of the story elements so you don't disappoint the fans, I think it's great that filmmakers in the Marvel Universe exercise their personality and style and tell the story with their own sense of panache. Go ahead with that reboot.” And they said “Thank you, we'll do that.” It was a very amicable parting, so I don't really have unfinished business about it. AP: You recently said tongue-in-cheek that you wanted to show the kids how to make a superhero picture. I just realized that I couldn't make a good enough script in the amount of time they had to hit a start date. I was really just trying to follow the characters from the previous Marvel movies and storylines from “Wandavision” had led into and where all the “Avengers” movies had led into. This is the other end of the spectrum, with extensive, anything's-possible CGI. How did you adapt? RAIMI: I was really trying to make a Marvel movie, first and foremost. AP: This film bears many hallmarks of your work: Bruce Campbell, a book of the dead and even, briefly, shots from a demon’s point-of-view. And the shoot was great but then we had to do reshoots.

Faced with infinite plot possibilities, Marvel couldn't come up with a less sexist Wanda story line for 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness feels like a bridge to further stories rather than a work that stands on its own. The superhero juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down as it balloons in ways that force audiences to subscribe to Disney+ to understand the full litany of connections across its characters and worlds. How can it when there’s no end on the other side of the bridge in sight? Olson is saddled with a character so thinly written as a crazy bitch, who can neither control her emotions nor her great powers, that of course her performance is half-hearted and tepid. (I won’t even get into the Illuminati, a group of superheroes in another dimension that is so clearly meant to satisfy internet fancasting.) The film strives to be blatantly weirder, bloodier, and more gruesome than the usual MCU fare (which is really not saying much as this series is primed to appeal to the widest audience possible), but it remains so disconnected from the tactile experience of inhabiting a living body that the effort feels pallid. The ideas that hold a gleam of potential are shot down by the film’s rank ugliness, its incessant pace of exposition, the utter slog of the first hour, and the insistence on special effects that render the horrifying as textureless. How can I not raise my eyebrow at the casting of America Chavez, who has predominantly read as Afro-Latina in comics? How can I not notice that the Zombie Doctor Strange has less frisson than Billy Butcherson’s mangled corpse in Hocus Pocus? Doctor Strange 2 is too keenly aware fans don’t need much to cheer at these wretched undertakings. Instead, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness left me more disenchanted than ever. The pleasure of director Sam Raimi’s trilogy of Spider-Man films beginning in 2002 can be found in the bombast. These are expectations that aren’t quite met in the latest MCU installment, a truth not so much surprising as it is grimly disappointing. The body can be a site of horror and power in the superhero genre, an idea that is made lightning bright by a combination of good scripting and the approach actors take to it.

Why do Wanda Maximoff and our title hero seem to be zombies, and what is the Darkhold? Here's a rundown and a viewing guide to help.

At the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the spell appears to have worked, but it remains to be seen if or how the consequences of Dr. Strange’s actions will play into “Multiverse of Madness.” This was necessary because of a botched spell Dr. Strange had cast that was designed to make everyone forget Peter was Spider-Man, which only ended up pulling Spider-Men and villains from alternate M.C.U. universes into the same one. After she vanishes in his arms, the evil Dr. Strange rips apart reality and is left alone to nurse his broken heart. In Dr. Strange’s “Avengers” debut, he is kidnapped by Ebony Maw, who is after the Time Stone. Tony Stark and Peter Parker eventually rescue him, and it becomes evident how much more powerful he has become since “Doctor Strange,” as he holds his own against Thanos, the Eternal-Deviant warlord, despite possessing only a single Infinity Stone compared with Thanos’s four. The trailers for “Multiverse of Madness” have made it out to be a crossover event that’s maybe not “Avengers: Endgame”-level, but certainly close. Episodes 8 and 9 also show Ultron discovering multiple realities and seeking to conquer them. But those who didn’t watch “WandaVision” may be left going “Westview what?” after the new movie. The director of “Multiverse of Madness,” Sam Raimi, has said that the new film is a direct continuation of the last Marvel Studios blockbuster, “ Spider-Man: No Way Home,” released in December. When we last saw Dr. Strange, he’d just caused everyone to forget the existence of Peter Parker to stop the multiverse from exploding. In “Multiverse of Madness,” a distraught Wanda is still struggling to process the original Vision’s death in “Avengers: Infinity War,” as well as her attempt to escape it in the fantasy she created in “WandaVision.” In one of the trailers, she is greeted by her sons in their Westview home, though Wanda’s voice-over identifies the apparently joyful reunion only as a recurring dream. This nine-episode animated anthology series, which tells the stories of alternate versions of M.C.U. heroes in multiple realities, debuted with little fanfare in August, but Episode 4 provides some important context for “Multiverse of Madness.” Titled “What If … Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?,” it introduces a variant of Dr. Strange, Strange Supreme, created after Strange lost his girlfriend, Christine, in a car crash and became consumed by dark magic. The film plays an important role in establishing Wanda’s back story, as its events are the source of her grief in “WandaVision,” and continue to haunt her in “Multiverse of Madness.” In the earlier movie, Wanda was forced to kill Vision, with whom she was romantically involved, to prevent Thanos from stealing the Mind Stone from Vision’s head, only to watch Thanos reverse time, pluck it out and kill Vision again. Eagle-eyed fans will have spotted connections to “WandaVision,” “Loki” and even zombie versions of a few characters, apparently from Episode 5 of the lesser-known Disney+ animated series “What If … ?,” as well as the M.C.U. debut of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, the founder of the X-Men.

It's been nearly six years since Rachel McAdams appeared in Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange, but she's delighted to be back in a new way.

I had just had a baby, so it was a very mom-positive set to be on. (Laughs.) So she is part of the Multiverse. She is a Multiversal expert of sorts. There are real masterminds at work with the MCU. So I just really enjoyed the experience of the first one for what it was, and it was just wonderful and exciting and surprising to be back again. She has a very different relationship with her version of Stephen Strange. He was quite corrupt in the end, so she’s coming into this film with a lot more baggage than the Christine Palmer of the film before,” McAdams tells The Hollywood Reporter at the press junket for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Because it’s been six years since the first movie and so much has changed in the MCU, I was really worried that we wouldn’t get to see Dr. Christine Palmer again. The answer to the latter setting, of course, lies in the Multiverse, as different realities and different versions of familiar characters are explored in Sam Raimi’s mind-bending sequel.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a fresh blend of horror and fantasy supported by stellar performances, but it lacks substance.

It also means some of the film’s emotional anchor is lost in the process, despite killer performances from its cast. While Multiverse of Madness is never a boring experience, it’s the character stories that suffer here. To be fair, the cast gives it their all in this film. As promised in the title, the Doctor Strange sequel is full of multiversal madness. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has some very high expectations attached to it. Should her multiversal power fall into the wrong hands it could be devastating, so Doctor Strange makes it his mission to help her.

Before seeing "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," here's everything you should know from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In one episode, titled “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?,” an alternate Strange turns to the dark side after Christine Palmer dies and he embarks on a selfish and doomed quest to save her. This universe’s Christine dies in the same car accident that destroyed the original Strange’s hands and set him down the path to become the Sorcerer Supreme. Overwhelmed by grief, this version of Strange uses the Time Stone to travel back and attempt to save Christine, but he repeatedly fails. Several Spider-Man enemies from other universes (i.e. other film franchises) show up, as do two other Peter Parkers (i.e. the ones played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield). Ultimately, Strange repairs the multiversal rift by casting a spell that makes everyone forget who Peter Parker is. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” reveals that Doctor Strange’s absence during the Blip means he’s no longer the Sorcerer Supreme — instead, the role fell to Wong. Without direct oversight from Wong, Strange tries to help Peter Parker (Tom Holland) by casting a spell in which the population will forget that he is Spider-Man. Peter interference during the spell — asking that it not apply to certain loved ones like Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and MJ (Zendaya) — causes Strange to open up an accidental tear in the multiverse. The dark doctor defeats the good version of himself and becomes so consumed by power and arrogance in his quest to save Christine, that he utterly collapses his universe and ends up trapped inside the tiny bubble that is left of it, alone. “WandaVision” ends with Wanda in a remote cabin studying the Darkhold, and suddenly hearing the voices of her sons scream out to her. By the end of the series, Loki’s female variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kills the head of the TVA, He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), and the multiverse is borne. After teaming up with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in “Infinity War,” Doctor Strange finds himself captured and taken to space as Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) minions try to pry the Time Stone away from him. Such is the backbone of “WandaVision,” which finds Wanda’s magic so powerful that she even gives “birth” to twins, named Billy and Tommy. They age rapidly into tweens over the course of just a few days, and possess their own superpowers. Marvel movies and Disney+ series like “Loki” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” have breached the topic of the multiverse, but Doctor Strange is plunging right in, with Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlett Witch, at his side. At Kamar-Taj, Strange befriends two fellow sorcerers: Wong (Benedict Wong), the acerbic librarian, and Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a black-and-white thinker who becomes disillusioned with how Strange and the Ancient One bend their moral codes to reach their ends. After helming the original Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” trilogy in the 2000s and changing the the comic book genre forever, Raimi has not touched a superhero movie since, and his last directorial effort was 2013’s “Oz the Great and Powerful.”