Why isn't the best scene in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" the one you
think it is?
Because the real best scene plays into director Sam Raimi's biggest strengths.
Keep watching.
Be warned that spoilers are ahead.
It's been six years since Benedict Cumberbatch first donned the Cloak of Levitation as the
Master of the Mystic Arts in director Scott Derrickson's "Doctor Strange."
Since then, he's helped save the world from Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame"
before cleaning up Peter Parker's multiversal mess in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
"Call me Stephen."
"Thank you, Stephen."
But the sorcerer has finally returned for his own sequel, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse
of Madness," in which he explores different universes while trying to help America Chavez
escape a deadly threat.
It's impressive how much director Sam Raimi's "Multiverse of Madness" manages to pull off
in its 2 hours and 7 minutes considering it has so many key players and ideas to establish.
Not only does it boldly make former Avenger Scarlet Witch the main villain, the one seeking
Chavez's power for herself, but it dives headfirst into the Marvel multiverse, exploring other
realities that exist in parallel to the characters' own, Earth-616.
Unsurprisingly, this comes with some incredibly crowd-pleasing moments and cameos that will
surely surprise Marvel fans of all ages, even if the marketing revealed Professor X and
Captain Carter before the film even arrived in theaters.
Even so, the scenes in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" that offer up all
that fan service aren't the best in the movie.
With Sam Raimi in the director's chair this time around, horror fans are really in for
a treat.
Not only does he know how to handle superheroes and heartfelt storytelling thanks to his work
on the "Spider-Man" trilogy in the early 2000s, he's also a master at creating uniquely terrifying
scenarios.
He's perhaps best known for directing the "Evil Dead" films, and he brings some of his
signature camera moves to the "Doctor Strange'' sequel.
One of the key concepts the movie introduces is the idea of "dream walking," where a powerful
sorcerer or witch can use the Darkhold to take hold of and control their alternate selves
in another universe.
When Strange and Chavez escape to the Illuminati's home base of Earth-838, Scarlet Witch from
the 616 universe uses dream walking to control the Wanda Maximoff in that universe.
The results are chilling.
The sequence shows a happier Wanda who lives with her two sons, Billy and Tommy in a quiet
suburban area, not unlike Westview from "WandaVision."
It isn't long before soccer mom Wanda realizes she's being hunted by a supernatural force
that follows her through the house.
There are glimpses of the Scarlet Witch's eyes in reflective surfaces, as well as free-flowing
POV camera shots that swoop through the house, before the villain takes over her alternate
self entirely.
"That doesn't seem fair."
It's psychedelic, trippy, and downright creepy.
Fans of Raimi's work will love it.
The trailers for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" heavily focus on the sequence
where the titular hero meets the Illuminati in an alternate universe, likely because of
its fan-pleasing nature.
Yes, meeting John Krasinski's Mr. Fantastic is, well, fantastic.
Even the return of Anson Mount's Black Bolt is a sight to behold.
But it doesn't exactly serve the story other than as a cautionary tale for Strange.
The cameos are exciting, but they do feel like an easy bit of fan service with only
marginal story value.
The creepy scene in the Maximoff house, on the other hand, proves that when the MCU leans
into a specific genre, it really excels like it did in Phase 1.
"Iron Man" is an action-thriller, "Thor" is a fantasy adventure, and "Captain America:
The First Avenger" is a war movie.
Since then, the MCU has mainly stuck to the general superhero genre, with the occasional
diversion into spy thrillers with "The Winter Soldier" or kung-fu films with "Shang-Chi."
"Doctor Strange" going full horror is Raimi doing what he does best.
You may remember similar flourishes in his "Spider-Man" movies.
For characters like Stephen Strange and Scarlet Witch, this works perfectly.
Even narratively, Wanda possessing the body of her alternate self shows that she's willing
to do whatever it takes to be with her children, because she's struggling to cope after suffering
so much loss.
It was one of those rare moments in a Marvel movie where fans really have no idea how it's
going to play out, and seeing Scarlet Witch go full big bad is viciously entertaining.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about the MCU are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.