As Marvel characters go, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has always been a little bit more out there than the rest. Except, of course, for Thor, who is a literal god. But Strange went from brilliant neurologist to master of the mystic arts, thus setting him apart from a universe in which most of his counterparts derived their various gifts through scientific means, usually accidentally.
It’s been eight years since his origin movie, and though he’s been a welcome presence in subsequent MCU films, the demand for a Strange sequel has been pretty muted. But we get another anyway. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brings weird, sprawling adventure to a story that may, oddly enough, have the lowest stakes of any film in the Marvel multiverse.
When last we saw the good doctor, he was fixing a tear in the fabric of time thanks to Peter Parker’s teenage well-meaning naiveté. We don’t know how long it is supposed to have been since that near-calamity since Multiverse of Madness doesn’t give us a specific time. What we do know is he is currently plagued by disturbing dreams in which he teams up with a teenage girl and the fate of the multiverse is at stake. And we know that he still harbors his love for Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), even though he sucks it up and goes to her wedding. But the wedding is interrupted when the very girl from his dream shows up in his universe, followed by a giant-eyed space octopus.
(L-R): Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Strange soon learns the girl is America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a traveler from another universe who is blessed (or cursed) with the ability to journey through the multiverse. She doesn’t know how to control her gift, which is particularly problematic for a girl being chased by a demon. It doesn’t take much for Strange to reach the conclusion there is witchcraft involved and he goes to see his witch bestie Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen).
Much like the first Doctor Strange, Multiverse of Madness boasts brilliant colors and a strong sense of controlled chaos. More than others, Doctor Strange as a character lends himself to a kaleidoscopic visual playground. And that is even more true in a film that takes our main characters through a dazzling array of universes. Water worlds. Technicolor. Vivid animation and dreary destruction. This film is a visual feast of artistry.
But when we peel back the layers of the story, which doesn’t actually take all that long, what we’re left with is something a bit lacking. After saving the universe from Thanos and then nearly destroying it on accident to help Peter Parker (who he doesn’t remember, although there’s a BIG question lingering about how much he actually forgot), the big thing on Stephen’s mind is his former flame, Christine. He seems to have adjusted to the fact that he isn’t the groom at her wedding, although subsequent events reveal he is still hung up on her a lot more than even he would like to admit. There is something very sweet and grounding about this fact, and it is perhaps the best part of his overall story. Stephen has come a long way from the ego-driven surgeon we met all those years ago.
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
The real intrigue and plot surround Wanda Maximoff, however, and while Multiverse is a sequel to Stephen’s movie, it is also a sequel to Wanda’s Disney+ series, WandaVision. When last we saw one of the most powerful Avengers, she was grieving the loss of Vision in a particularly unhealthy way: by imprisoning a small town and living an idyllic life as a suburban wife and mother of twin boys. That story didn’t play out the way Wanda had hoped and she was left alone with a fresh and deeper grief. We also learned she was the Scarlett Witch, the “harbinger of chaos.”
We won’t spoil things by going too far into where Wanda is now, but suffice it to say, she’s had a very difficult life and has essentially lost everyone she’s ever loved. That takes a toll. So when a certain wizard comes looking for her help, she has some questions for him too. And her questions are perfectly fair, even if the answers are not. Director Sam Raimi, along with a script by Michael Waldron, start to go to some interesting philosophical places in terms of her character, and the processes of motherhood and grief. But they handle it clumsily, unevenly, and in a way that is ultimately unfair to Wanda. Olsen’s performance is spellbinding (forgive me!), even while her character makes illogical choices that get no time for the explanation they deserve.
This flaw in Wanda’s story largely revolves around our new hero, America. She’s an intriguing character herself, trapped in an endless journey through the multiverse, separated from her moms, lost and constantly on the run from some entity that wants to harm her. But because this is Dr. Strange’s movie, we never get to fully walk in America’s or Wanda’s shoes, to really understand their perspectives, their fears, their experiences, and their goals. We get glimpses, but never as much as we should. In a movie where women feature so prominently and importantly, their stories are still focalized through a male perspective.
The MCU has made great strides in recent years, handing over the reigns to a diverse collection of filmmakers and letting them tell new and exciting stories. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is entertaining and artistic, but in many ways feels like a step backward.
