Director Sam Raimi made "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" into a trippy visual
feast, but if you're going back for seconds, which scenes deserve a closer look?
A viewing guide for Round 2, straight ahead.
"Multiverse of Madness" opens on a frenetic chase scene where America Chavez and a variant
of Doctor Strange are shown running from a monster through a fractured dimension.
It's quickly revealed that they're there in search of the mythical Book of Vishanti k,
and that the creature at their heels is after America's dimension-hopping powers.
Your first time through, this info comes pretty fast and furious, and it isn't revealed until
later that Scarlet Witch is actually the one behind the monster's attack.
Going through the opening sequence a second time, a number of things become clearer.
You can really take in the design of the monster chasing them, which has a cool, ethereal look.
The scene also drives home just how driven Scarlet Witch is to claim America's powers.
The battle in New York City quickly sets the tone for the kind of action viewers can expect
throughout, and there are a lot of little touches that make it a fun rewatch.
The tag-team fighting style of Doctor Strange and Wong is entertaining, and they each make
creative use of their spell arsenals during the fight.
There are also some distinct bits of Sam Raimi flair, such as the brutal kill shot where
Strange pulls the monster's giant eye straight out of its body.
A second watch lets you soak in how the design of Gargantos — never called that in the
actual film, by the way, just in the merchandise — actually mirrors a different Marvel Comics
creature, the eldritch deity Shuma-Gorath.
Due to a rights issue, the studio was unable to use that name, so they combined the Shuma-Gorath
character with that of the sea monster Gargantos from the Namor comics.
At first, Doctor Strange has no idea that Wanda's the one behind the attacks on America.
In fact, he decides her knowledge of magic and witchcraft is exactly what they need to
fight back.
"We need your help."
Strange journeys to Wanda's remote home to try to recruit her for the mission, finding
her in an idyllic orchard with no signs of her old life.
She suggests that America comes and stays with her, but she makes one big slip-up — dropping
America's name before she actually hears it from Stephen.
Doctor Strange quickly realizes the truth, and it's revealed that the thriving landscape
is actually an illusion covering a desolate wasteland.
Going back to the scene a second time, you can see just how carefully Wanda plays her
game of lies.
She presents every possible objection and repeatedly claims that she's out of the superhero
scene, lulling Strange into a perceived position of authority and power.
Watching the scene after you've already finished the movie is also interesting because it complicates
the mistake Wanda makes.
She's so careful and so cunning for so much of the movie that it feels bizarre for her
to make such a simple slip-up.
Later on, it's revealed that Wanda's core personality has been locked away within her
own mind, dominated by a Scarlet Witch persona that's been corrupted by the Darkhold.
Could Wanda's use of America's name be an intentional clue from the real Wanda — a
desperate attempt to save the girl's life?
Possibly.
Once he discovers Wanda's true motives, Doctor Strange returns to Kamar-Taj and helps Wong
fortify their defenses.
They all know that the Scarlet Witch is coming, and they do everything they can to prepare.
Unfortunately, none of it is enough, and the Masters of the mystic Arts are quickly decimated
by Wanda's assault.
The battle is swift and brutal, and it bears a second watch for a number of reasons.
First off, there are a number of important minor characters who take part in the battle.
The green minotaur Rintrah, for instance, makes his MCU debut.
In the comics, Rintrah is an important sorcerer who eventually serves as an apprentice to
Doctor Strange himself.
Another one of the sorcerers, who later sacrifices herself to destroy the Darkhold, is named
Sara — possibly a nod to the Marvel comics character Sara Wolfe, who works for Doctor
Strange and has a brief romantic relationship with Wong.
The battle of Kamar-Taj is also worth rewatching for the magic alone.
Wanda pulls off some truly wild moves, from powerful energy blasts to enchanted navigation
of the fortress' reflective surfaces.
The whole thing feels reminiscent of classic horror movies, which is surely intentional
with Sam Raimi in the director's chair.
Doctor Strange, Wong, and the rest of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers give their all in the
battle against Scarlet Witch, but it just isn't enough.
Right when all seems lost, America opens another multiverse portal that pulls in both her and
Doctor Strange, sending them plummeting through a number of strange worlds before landing
on Earth-838.
Their fall through the multiverse is undoubtedly one of the most striking scenes in the entire
movie, and because each dimension they visit is only shown for a fraction of a second,
the montage is built to be highly rewatchable.
Thrown all together, these strange worlds make for a striking sequence, and you're bound
to notice new details each time you see it.
In order to continue her pursuit of America into Universe 838, Wanda attempts a dark magical
technique known as dreamwalking.
The spell allows the caster to briefly take over the body of one of their variants in
an alternate universe.
On Earth-838, Wanda lives a seemingly peaceful life with her two sons.
Earth-616's Scarlet Witch then possesses her unassuming counterpart in one of the most
affecting scenes in the movie.
There are a lot of little details here that shine brighter on a rewatch.
More than anything, though, this scene rewards repeated viewings because of Elizabeth Olsen's
performance.
When Earth-616's Wanda first takes control of her variant's body, there's a long close
up on her face.
She and the audience both hear Tommy and Billy calling for her attention, but she hesitates
to turn and look.
It's a powerful moment because it silently conveys a rush of complex emotions in Wanda's
mind.
She doesn't know how she'll react to seeing her boys in person again, so she resists the
tempting urge to turn around for as long as she possibly can.
The moment is then interrupted when one of Wong's Sorcerers destroys the Darkhold, throwing
Scarlet Witch back into her original body.
The sideways shot of Wanda flashing back and forth between the two realities as she desperately
grasps for her children is one of the most haunting in the entire film.
Scarlet Witch spends a good percentage of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"
at Mount Wundagore, the source of the magic held within the Darkhold.
From there, she's able to launch attacks across the multiverse.
The scene where Wanda first arrives at Wundagore bears a second watch, as it's a hugely important
moment for her character.
The film goes through it pretty quickly, however, with only a handful of lines paid to the backstory
of the mystical locale.
Wong briefly mentions that Mount Wundagore was once home to an ancient demon called Chthon,
who carved his dark spells into the stone.
In the comics, Chthon is one of the original Elder Gods of Earth, who later falls to the
dark side and eventually leaves for another dimension altogether.
His Chaos Magic is meddled with by Wanda Maximoff at an early age, causing a connection between
the two.
The MCU has yet to fully explain how its version of Wanda became exposed to Chaos Magic, but
"WandaVision" makes it pretty clear that she had the ability before being subjected to
Hydra's Infinity Stone experiments.
"The Illuminati will see you, Stephen."
The "Multiverse of Madness" scene where Stephen is brought before the Illuminati is filled
with Easter eggs, callbacks, and other fun little details.
It's worth a rewatch just to get another look at all the characters' costumes.
Charles Xavier's "X-Men: The Animated Series" look is fun to see in live action, as are
Black Bolt's comics-accurate look, and the official design for the MCU's Fantastic Four
outfits.
Watching the Illuminati meeting a second time also shows what fans might be able to expect
from the franchise's upcoming "Fantastic Four" and "X-Men" projects.
Patrick Stewart's Professor X is a bit more cartoonish than his counterpart in the Fox
movies, and while that doesn't guarantee anything about what's to come for the mutant team in
the MCU, it's interesting to see such a distinct style in play.
The same goes for John Krasinski's Reed Richards, whose measured and even demeanor — combined
with his age — foreshadow a very different "Fantastic Four" movie than the ones previously
produced.
If you're a diehard Marvel fan, this is a scene you'll probably be watching over and
over again.
While it's fun just to see the Illuminati all assembled, it's even more exciting to
see them in action, and "Multiverse of Madness" delivers that with a brutal battle against
the Scarlet Witch.
Reed tries to talk her down from her violent path, but she refuses to yield.
The ensuing fight quickly turns into a bloodbath, with every Illuminati member who attacks her
meeting their end.
Like the best action scenes in the "Avengers" movies, the Illuminati battle benefits immensely
from the sheer number of characters in the mix.
It's interesting to see the distinct ways each hero tries to take Wanda down.
Captain Carter uses her speed and wits to deliver some tricky shield attacks, while
Captain Marvel goes for a headfirst bombardment.
These little details help to establish a lot of extra depth for the Illuminati characters,
even in the brief time they spend on the screen.
The fight choreography is densely packed with distinct moves and cleverly employed superpowers,
and you're bound to pick up on some previously missed moments your second time through.
The fight between Scarlet Witch and the Illuminati is exciting to be sure, but it's far from
the most stylish action scene in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
That honor belongs to a later duel, fought between the Stephen Strange of Earth-616 and
his sinister doppelganger.
"Things just got out of hand."
The two meet in a desolate tower, standing alone in a universe demolished by an incursion.
The evil Strange is revealed to have been corrupted by the Darkhold, and a visually
stunning contest of magic follows suit.
The Battle of the Stranges feels unlike any other MCU fight scene, mostly because of its
musical nature.
Both sorcerers use the musical notes around the room as runes, delivering gorgeous and
haunting memories alongside their blows.
It's one of the most creative sequences in the whole movie, and it bears a second viewing
on the merits of its style alone.
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" becomes properly unhinged after Stephen defeats
his evil counterpart.
He takes his variant's copy of the Darkhold and conducts his first dreamwalk — into
the corpse of the variant from the first scene.
His necromancy is then detected by an army of ghouls who Strange calls "the souls of
the damned."
After a brief struggle, Strange brings the ghouls under his control and uses them as
wings to fly up Mount Wundagore.
Sam Raimi's influence is on full display during this scene, and not just because summoning
the dead with dark rituals is basically the whole plot of the "Evil Dead" franchise.
The director's style is also intensely evident in the body horror and the campiness of it
all.
The absurd tone of the necromancy sequence makes it a great rewatch, but a second viewing
also helps it just make more sense.
The, well, strangeness of it all makes the whole zombies-and-ghosts things a bit hard
to follow the first time through.
MCU post-credits scenes tend to set up big things, and the one in "Doctor Strange in
the Multiverse of Madness" is no exception.
While walking down the street, Doctor Strange is accosted by a woman named Clea played by
Charlize Theron, clad in purple warrior garb and wielding an impressive blade.
She recruits Stephen for a mission to "fix" a multiverse incursion, and slices open a
portal to an alternate dimension for them to travel through.
In the comics, Clea is a hugely important character to Doctor Strange's core story.
She fights alongside him in several battles against Dormammu and even marries him later
on, though her extensive time spent in her home realm of the Dark Dimension puts a strain
on their relationship.
If you watch the scene a second time, you'll notice that the universe she opens a portal
to looks a lot like the MCU's Dark Dimension.
That would mean both that Clea's origin story is staying consistent with the comics and
that Dormammu may be back as the big bad of "Doctor Strange 3."
"No pressure, then."
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