Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

[Sean Whitmore]

Spoiler

I do wonder how F4 and the mutants will be introduced in the MCU.

Spoiler

I don't know about the FF, but HOPEFULLY, this means the MCU X-Men will exist on their own earth. Thanks to multiversal travel, anyone can meet or team up with anyone else if they want, but long-term, the mutant story works better in a world without non-mutant superheroes running around.

 

[Monique]

Okay, I know everyone was freaking out about a couple of countries banning the film because of a lesbian kiss, and I'm as pro-LGBTQ as they come, but it really wasn't necessary to the plot of the film and looked like it was shot specifically to be easily cut. I reads as though they just made a big deal out of the banning because of Disney's recent political issues with the LGBTQ community in Florida.

They didn't even hide that it was shot to be cut out. Like damn, they couldn't have filmed a more easily disposable scene. I know im jaded but hug me the LGBTQ community should be pissed at how blatantly that was designed in an attempt to earn points with them while requiring minimal effort to ditch for china and other territories. It legitmately annoyed the hug out of me when i saw it.

 

[TM2-Megatron]

Spoiler

Really enjoyed that Professor X cameo, especially the use of his yellow chair and the theme from the old Animated Series. Nice touches. While it's inevitable that someone else will have to take on the role in the future, damn was Patrick Stewart a perfect fit. He captures the Professor's dignity, compassion and faith in people so well. He'd be the one to give Strange the benefit of the doubt, against the judgement of the other Illuminati.

But damn that was dark for Marvel. I never thought it went overboard but some of the stuff was a bit beyond most deaths in previous films. But for Rami I guess it was a tad tame.
But man I'm glad not all the cameos had been teased in the trailers and TV spots.

Spoiler

Someone clearly had a lot of fun imagining horrible ways for popular characters to die... I think Black Bolt probably had the most horrific death in the film, mouth erased and in a rare moment of panic, turning the contents of his skull to mush with a backfire of his own voice. Damn.

Spoiler

When did the cloak get fixed with that blue star pattern?

Spoiler

Christine repaired it, presumably while Strange was knocked out or during his meeting/trial with the Illuminati. There was a very quick line about it (I think delivered by America) right after Strange gets it back. I believe the Strange of her world had a blue cloak in the flashbacks, I think?.... which would explain her choice of color.

 

[Daith]

So anyone else feel like the Multiverse of Madness title was a cheeky hint now

Spoiler

Doctor Strange in the MoM.... I feel like they kinda did that acronym on purpose.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

So anyone else feel like the Multiverse of Madness title was a cheeky hint now

Spoiler

Doctor Strange in the MoM.... I feel like they kinda did that acronym on purpose.

I don't get it.

I don't know any major Rintrah comic stuff. Does he specialize? Has he done anything of note?

 

[Shadewing]

Just got back from seeing it. It's not the movie I expected it to be; but it is very much the movie it needed to be. And I truly mean that in a highly positive way. And yeah, I love the cameos and the light horror element. This was like, Doctor Who levels of 'hide behind the couch' level of horror, maybe a step above it.

Spoiler

I completely agree that Black Bolt had the most horrific death. Everything else felt tame after that, even unraveling Mr. Fantastic. But damn that totally horror movie monster chase in the tunnels. And Zombie Strange.

And yes, I loved every moment of Xavier and how they basically alluded to him being more or less the Animated version. That musical cue, damn. Fully praise Elfman for his score here.

I am curious if Wanda is actually dead, and if not where they go from here with her. As its gonna be hard to redeem her after this movie.

And I was totally expecting Clea to show up at somepoint; recent comics felt like they were purely setting up to future-proof Dr. Strange in MCU for when Benny-Boy decides he's had enough.

 

[Dessl0ck]

I think my only issue is they labeled the MCU as

Spoiler

"Earth 616"

I am not sure how I feel about it yet.

 

[Sean Whitmore]

I think my only issue is they labeled the MCU as

Spoiler

"Earth 616"

I am not sure how I feel about it yet.

That was okay with me. Inasmuch as I've ever thought about the distinction,

Spoiler

I do think of the MCU as the movie version of the 616 comic universe, not something that sits alongside it.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

Just got back from seeing it. It's not the movie I expected it to be; but it is very much the movie it needed to be. And I truly mean that in a highly positive way. And yeah, I love the cameos and the light horror element. This was like, Doctor Who levels of 'hide behind the couch' level of horror, maybe a step above it.

Spoiler

I am curious if Wanda is actually dead, and if not where they go from here with her. As its gonna be hard to redeem her after this movie.

Spoiler

I do hope Wanda does get redeemed. If Wiccan and Speed are coming over, she should be around.
What's the next Avengers level threat anyway? Is it Kang or Skrulls? Either way, the movie could be left in a near impossible odds predicament and the realize they have to turn to the one who has the power to turn the tide, Wanda.

I do hope they explain why Vision wasn't around in her preferred family.

 

[Cyoti]

Spoiler

I do hope Wanda does get redeemed. If Wiccan and Speed are coming over, she should be around.
What's the next Avengers level threat anyway? Is it Kang or Skrulls? Either way, the movie could be left in a near impossible odds predicament and the realize they have to turn to the one who has the power to turn the tide, Wanda.

I do hope they explain why Vision wasn't around in her preferred family.

Spoiler

I think the heavy use of the Multiverse material with What If/No Way Home/MoM and the whole idea of Incursions strongly points to them wanting to do the Hickman Avengers and New Avengers with the Beyonders and Doom and the death of the multiverse as a possible endgame. Even the whole concept of an alt-universe Illuminati as cannon fodder is straight out of Hickman's New Avengers

 

[Shadewing]

In regards to casting and future plans:

Spoiler

Not really sure if this needs to be spoilered, but might as well... It seems that a lot of fans are hoping we see Reed's Actor as 616 Reed as he's been fan's front runner for the role for years; but what gives them hope is the 838 is a universe where the variants seen are all played by their 616 actors unlike Spider-Man and Loki where variants seens were mostly played by different actors. That's the main reason I bright this up, since... yeah I could see them keeping both him and Stewart for Xavier in MCU

 

[Sean Whitmore]

Spoiler

The Reed thing is actually really smart, because it's a test balloon that costs them nothing. If people respond to it, they've got their Reed, but their options are still 100% open if something falls through or they come up with a better idea.

As for Patrick Stewart...I love him, I want him to live for at least 200 years, but he would not be on my short-list to anchor what I hope will be a long-running series with no firm start time in place.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

Hmm, what the title of the Hickman Avengers arc? Should I read it? Or wait until the movies happen and be surprised, though not get the references.

The Dr Strange line has Sleepwalker in it so I'm fairly sure the villain really is Cobweb, since that's his archnemesis. That's dang amazing!

Now if they can just get Slapstick on the big screen or include Darkhawk or some New Warriors into the Young Avengers.

 

[Sean Whitmore]

Hmm, what the title of the Hickman Avengers arc? Should I read it? Or wait until the movies happen and be surprised, though not get the references.

Not an easy question to answer, but here's the short version:

Spoiler

Secret Wars (2015) is the culmination of Hickman's Avengers run, and what people are now expecting to be the next big MCU event.

Slightly more accurate version:

Spoiler

The incursions--which were mentioned in this movie--that led to the events of Secret Wars were detailed in Hickman's New Avengers Vol 3 (2013). And a big chunk of that series ties into the concurrent title, Avengers Vol 5, and the previous event series Infinity, both also by Hickman. And then there are a ton of references to Hickman's aborted Fantastic Four run from 2009-2012.

 

[Shadewing]

 

[Axaday]

I was initially disturbed that

Spoiler

Wanda's arc is a rehash of her arc in WandaVision

, but after some reflection, I'm not sure we REALLY saw

Spoiler

Wanda learn a lesson in WandaVision. It was easy to fill in that gap, but she maybe just fled while she could and didn't really learn that it was wrong to hurt a bunch of people for entirely self-absorbed reasons. So maybe rather than a rehash, we're just seeing this kind of thing is her weakness.

 

[Axaday]

I am intrigued by the notion of a catalog of universes that doesn't count its own universe as #1. There is some other objective reference, apparently. But then that is strange to me too. I wonder if there are nearby neighbors that are closer and easier and He Who Remains was only pruning those and a lot of multiverse was out there too far to bridge the gap left by his pruning or something. Because otherwise, aren't all the others recently (if there can be an objective use of recent when time is no issue) branched from ours? Why would we not be #1?

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Well, if you want a explanation from the comics, this reddit thread actually goes into pretty decent detail:

www.reddit.com/r/AskScienceFiction/comments/mlyucu/marvel_do_the_universe_numbers_have_any_cosmic/

DOCTOR STRANGE 2: The MCU's Marvel Universe Numbering System, Explained

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness once again has fans asking about the Marvel 616 and Earth numbering in the Marvel Universe.

nerdist.com

TLDR? In the real world, some comic creator's were taking a jab at Marvel and DC's self-importance. So, they gave the Marvel Universe a number that didn't seem all that special, at least at first glance.

In fictional terms...it gets retconned a lot. There are actually a LOT of people who COULD be the ones giving out multiversal numbers: The Watchers, The Captain Britian Corps (these guys are the most likely source of the numbers themselves...usually...probably), The Time Variance Authority, The Timebreakers from Exiles (although, it was retconned that since the Crystal Palace moves along with the multiverse it retcons it's own history to suit wherever it is in the multiverse at the time, so the Timebreakers may only be the protectors of the multiverse sometimes), The Inheritors and The Web of Life and Destiny from Spider-Man...the list goes on.

Mostly, the numbers are random, or are some sort of joke or reference to the date the universe was created in the real world.

But, if you want, you could think of them like radio stations, if that helps. A radio station's number isn't really based on anything but what frequency it's broadcasting on, much like how different universes "vibrate" at different frequencies from each other. (...I don't know anything about radio broadcasting, so I might be completely off on that).

We'll see what the MCU does. They'll likely put their own spin on it.

Also worth noting, the Cinematic Universe was Earth-199999...or 616 upside-down (sorta)

Earth-199999

621 appearance(s) of Earth-199999 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Earth-199999 22 minor appearance(s) of Earth-199999 18 mention(s) of Earth-199999 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Earth-199999 6818 image(s) of Earth-199999 1525 characters that originate from Earth-199999 48 teams that originate...

marvel.fandom.com

 

[Axaday]

It makes sense if the number is actually from some measurable "vibration".

 

[Axaday]

Agatha Harkness had the Darkhold for a few centuries.

Spoiler

Did she lack the skills to take over the multiverse or was she just not much of a reader?