it’s been over a year since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been released. A direct follow-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, the sequel dabbled deeper into the multiverse saga and produced some surprising cameos along the way. Some of those names include Reed Richards, Professor X, and Captain Carter; however, Multiverse of Madness received a mixed reaction. The results lean more over the positive side, but the troubling part is that Multiverse of Madness was unable to reach the billion-dollar club.
Multiverse of Madness is far from a flop, but it had the distinction of coming fresh off a hot Spider-Man: No Way Home. That star-studded vehicle collected nearly two billion worldwide. Fans were interested in Multiverse of Madness due to the incredible opening weekend. One of the noted issues from fans and critics is that it felt crowded, chaotic, and often confusing. Multiverse of Madness needed more time to tell its story and making the film into a mini-series would’ve allowed for that opportunity.
The Illuminati Cameos Would’ve Had More Impact
The biggest missed opportunity was the Illuminati. It would’ve been great to see how this version of Captain Carter, Maria Rambeau, Professor X, Mr. Fantastic, or Black Bolt was in this dimension. Who are they as people? Some context behind these popular names could’ve been a fun exploration into a different side of the MCU. However, these cameos ultimately felt worthless because they only seemed to serve one purpose – to die.
Who are the Illuminati? We’re told what their characters do, but it would’ve been better to showcase what the gang’s purpose was beyond being killed off by Wanda. It could’ve been a neat way to introduce the X-Men and the Fantastic Four within the MCU universe as well. The core groups didn’t have to appear, but seeing their home lives before the Wanda emergency could’ve established the future of the MCU.
Some character development beyond a second of fan service would’ve done the entire story wonders. There are so many worlds in the multiverse that audiences weren’t given a chance to take a moment and breathe in Multiverse of Madness. Expanding the format allows for a deeper dive into the mythology and a better understanding of the dangers these parallel worlds have.
The Doctor Strange Cameos Could’ve Had More Meaning
What’s cool about Doctor Strange is that there are an infinite amount of versions of his character. Multiverse of Madness focuses on four alternates: Strange Supreme, Sinister Strange, Defender Strange, and Zombie Strange. This isn’t about focusing on every single one of these characters. Even in a mini-series, the drastic shift in focus on huge amounts of characters can slow down the story and make it feel bloated.
However, Multiverse of Madness should’ve given them time to shine beyond their brief stints. There’s no doubt that the various forms are evil and dangerous. Exactly what makes them more dangerous than the original Strange? Spending time in these different universes allows audiences to better understand the situation, and the gravity of life and death. Since there are infinite forms of Doctor Strange, these stakes were extremely low because we didn’t understand how his character dying would ruin the world since there are infinite versions.
Granted, we’ve only connected with Stephen Strange. But how can we feel any sort of danger for him when another Strange can easily replace him? A mini-series could answer that question by documenting why it would be bad for Stephen Strange to die. Perhaps he’s the only source of good in the infinite amounts of Doctor Strange characters that exist. Whatever the case may be, the alternate Doctor Strange characters should’ve been given some more context behind their forms.
America Chavez
We know enough about America Chavez as the film does give more dimension to who she is, but her arc overall felt rushed. Her origin story was pretty good, but more backstory surrounding her character and the multiverse would’ve given more insight into what she can do and just how powerful she truly is. Plus, it would’ve given her more humanity by adding more depth to the two-dimensional hero. Again, Chavez is given some dimension in the film, but everything happens too fast. Multiverse of Madness doesn’t slow down and simmer on the new hero introduced. We needed more quiet moments with Chavez to truly relate to the new MCU name.