MCU Fans Think They Discovered A Wanda Illusion In The Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Trailer
The Los Angeles Rams may have taken home the trophy for winning the 56th Super Bowl but the real winners of Sunday, February 13, were Marvel fans. Indeed, eager viewers who tuned into the high-profile sports game were treated to two new trailers for a pair of highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe titles.
One of those teasers was a 30-second TV spot for the upcoming Disney+ show, "Moon Knight," which offers viewers a much closer look at the Oscar Isaac-led superhero project. Meanwhile, unlike the 30-second appetizer that was the TV spot it released for "Moon Knight," Marvel Studios served up an entire meal for MCU fans by unveiling a new full-length "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" trailer.
The "Doctor Strange" sequel is directed by Sam Raimi, whose work on the original "Spider-Man" trilogy is largely why those three films are still regarded as being among the best superhero movies ever made. In front of the camera, Benedict Cumberbatch is set to return in the Phase 4 feature, which will see him reprise his role as Stephen Strange AKA Doctor Strange. He is joined in the film by Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, a character who hasn't been seen in the MCU since the end of "WandaVision." Notably, the finale of that Disney+ series not only cements Wanda's MCU transformation into the Scarlet Witch, but also shows her starting to truly explore the limits of her magical powers.
In the time since the "Multiverse of Madness" trailer was released, Marvel fans have dissected it frame-by-frame for clues and Easter eggs, and some believe they've found one that may shed further light on Wanda's true intentions in the film.
There's more than meets the eye with Wanda and Strange's multiverse conversation
When viewers finally catch up with her again, it looks like the Scarlet Witch may still be crafting her own intricate, believable illusions. At least, that's what fans believe will be the case after picking up on two intriguing moments in the newest "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" trailer.
In the "Wandavision" finale, Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda flees to a remote location where she begins to study a powerful arcane book known as the Darkhold in the hopes of learning how to control and further hone her previously unpredictable, often terrifying powers. Now, she's featured heavily in the second trailer for the "Doctor Strange" sequel, and, as a result, fans are getting a much clearer understanding of the person Wanda has become by the time "Multiverse of Madness" begins.
There are two brief moments, in particular, in the film's second trailer that stick out to fans. The first, which comes at the trailer's 49-second mark, shows Wanda talking with Doctor Strange (via YouTube). The two stroll through a lush, green orchard as Strange asks, "What do you know about the multiverse?" A little later, at the 1:48 mark, it seems the two characters are in the same location, but the scenery has changed. Not only does Wanda seem to have swapped out her regular clothes for her Scarlet Witch costume, but she is also shown facing Strange in what appears to be an ominous, overwhelmingly red environment.
The trailer may want viewers to believe these two shots come from different scenes in the movie, but MCU fans cannot be so easily deceived.
Fans can't wait to find out more about Wanda and these scenes
As sleuthing fan u/LongjumpingTrainer38 pointed out on Reddit, the framing of these two scenes in the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" trailer is nearly identical, with Wanda seen over Stephen's shoulder and vice versa. Moreover, Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange appears to be wearing the same outfit and scarf during both his normal, pleasant conversation with Wanda and his slightly more antagonistic interaction with her, the same one that is set in that strange, crimson environment. In one shot, the trees in Wanda's orchard are also shown to be in bloom, but in another they're barren.
If Marvel fans are correct, the most likely explanation for these differences (and similarities) is that the lush, green setting we initially see Wanda and Strange walking through is nothing more than an illusion created by Wanda herself. In response to u/LongjumpingTrainer38's observation and theory about the two moments, u/PeterParker72 remarked, "Very nice catch. Can't wait to see how this plays out."
At this point in the MCU's timeline, creating an illusion like the one fans are theorizing about would be child's play for Wanda. After all, she successfully hexed an entire town in "WandaVision." Understandably, the possibilities presented by this theory have also led fans to begin speculating about the greater implications of Wanda's reality-warping powers in "Multiverse of Madness." Redditor u/Rich_Acanthisitta_70, for instance, wrote, "I have a feeling she'll be the villain. At first. I think it's a feint for a bigger bad in the second act though." Additionally, u/Bruhmangoddman commented, "The MCU deserves its fair share of fallen heroes and raging psychopaths. If Wanda manages to be both, I'm all in."
Now, all fans have to do is wait and see whether or not they really are right about Wanda and Strange's mysterious conversation in "Multiverse of Madness."