The drop of Marvel’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessSuper Bowl trailer has created a lot of buzz in the last few days and fans are now more excited than ever for the movie to hit theaters. There’s been an obscene amount of fan theories and plot predictions circulating the internet about theDoctor Strangesequel, but the new trailer seems to be crazier than almost anything people have come up with so far.
Amidst all the shockingcharacter cameosand multiversal chaos, the two-minute video is packed full of amazing details, but it’s hard to catch everything the trailer has to offer. One scene in particular, though, cleverly showcases one of the more hidden gems, in which Strange’s current reality begins transforming into something else, with an animated background.
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Given everything else the film has going on, this brief moment of cartoon chaos could very well be just another insane time-travel moment used to amp up the film’s intensity. However, acknowledging the existence of an animated reality in the MCU multiverse could mean a lot of big things for the franchise. Although the details of this cartoon universe are presently left up to the imagination, blurring the lines between animation and reality in the Marvel universe could very easily mean that the events of theWhat If…?series are canon in the overarching MCU live-action timeline.
A lot of viewers who have seen the show pointed out thatWhat If…?episode 4 featured a battle between Good Strange and Evil Strange, which is now coming into fruition duringMultiverse of Madness.The original trailer’s biggest bombshell was that two versions of Doctor Strange will be coming face to face in the live-action film, as foreshadowed by the events ofWhat If….?.
Additionally, Jamie Foxx’s Electro made reference to there being a Black Spider-Man duringSpider-Man: No Way Home, hinting at the existence of Miles Morales fromInto the Spider-Verse.The meeting of all 3 live-action Spider-Men in a single film was also reminiscent ofInto the Spider-Verse,so it seems as if there are multiple plot parallels already in existence between the MCU’s various projects.
So, although the Marvel characters are currently in the dark about everything that’s happened inWhat If…?andInto the Spider-Verse, creating an animated reality in the MCU opens the door for more collaboration between the different worlds.
BothWhat If…?andInto the Spider-Versereceived great reviews from audiences, performing so well that each project has earned itself a respective sequel. With fans eagerly awaiting the next installment in each series, and the renewed focus being placed on multiversal crossovers, expanding upon the possibilities of an animated universe makes room for much more collaboration.
Bringing inMiles Moralesfor a live action Spider-Man project, for example, would certainly make for an interesting storyline. Having already dealt with the idea of characters meeting alternate versions of themselves, differences in geographical locations and new villains, creating a project centered around the transition from animation to reality is an entirely different ballgame for the Marvel heroes.
Popular films likeSpace JamandKill Billhave experimented with combining animation and reality in the past. Marvel certainly has plenty of similar opportunities to play with this idea and bring new levels to the franchise. It would also be a great way to keep projects feeling fresh for audiences and open up a plethora of potential storylines.
Not to mention, Marvel has created numerous animated shows long before the MCU came to be. Classics likeX-Men: The Animated SeriesandSpider-Man: The Animated Serieswere some of the first Marvel-inspired shows to turn people into hero-loving fanatics, and were responsible for helping bring the franchise to life off the comic pages.
Using this cartoon reality seen in theDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesstrailer could also be a great way to pay homage to where it all began and acknowledge that the MCU might have never been created if it weren’t for these animated shows. Marvel has already announced that they’re working on anotherX-Menanimated seriesinspired by the original, so it’s clear that the franchise is thoroughly invested in other projects that aren’t live-action.
Regardless, no matter what comes to be from the brush-up Strange has with animation,Multiverse of Madnessseems as if it’ll be one ofthe best MCU projectsto date. But between theWhat If…?parallel manifesting inMultiverse of Madness,the references made to Miles Morales inSpider-Man: No Way Home, and Marvel Studios’ other animated pursuits, it’s quite possible that there’s some game-changing collaborations coming in the future.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesscomes to theaters May 2022.
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