Sony Pictures released the first official trailer for the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe's "Spider-Man" series, "Spider-Man: No Way Home." The trailer revealed glimpses of what
is to come in the life of Peter Parker following the events of his last film, "Spider-Man: Far From
Home." As Peter deals with the ramifications of having his secret identity revealed to the world,
he turns to Dr. Strange for help, hoping the Sorcerer Supreme has a spell to undo what Mysterio
did in the last film. Predictably, the spell goes horribly awry and Peter is left to contend with
a slew of new villains and challenges as the multiverse seemingly falls apart around him.
The trailer hadn't been released for even a day before people began picking it apart in true
MCU fashion. For those looking to pick a bit more than others, there's something about Dr.
Strange that has many fans suspicious of the wizard. Could there be more than meets the…
um eye... when it comes to this multiversal magician?
The speculation surrounding Dr. Strange kicked
off with a Twitter thread made by the great BossLogic saying,
"I for one think that Dr. Strange is suspect. Especially since we are
getting introduced to the Dark Dr. in 'What if?' Probably a stretch but he looks sus."
Before long, people began commenting on the post,
sharing what aspects of Dr. Strange seemed a bit off in this trailer. One reply added,
"I honestly wouldn't be surprised to find out that Stephen has been
in control of everything the entire movie, and that he's just teaching Peter a lesson.
Because my dude was quick to use a dangerous, reality-altering spell for little to no reason."
Plenty of other characters in the Marvel universe can mess with the multiverse,
most notably Mephisto, who did precisely that in the "One More Day" comic storyline.
On top of Strange's seemingly out-of-character use of a dangerous spell,
one user noticed that this Dr. Strange still has the Eye of Agamotto in the trailer,
despite the artifact getting destroyed by Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War." Unless the Strange we
know rebuilt it without the Time Stone, this might indicate some multiversal interference
from another Strange. The movie may explain why he has another Infinity Stone. After all,
there’s like eleven-teen of those sitting around in the Time Variance Authority desk drawers.
There’s another theory about Dr. Strange from Twitter that really puts a twist on the character.
"(He) does seem to be gunning for Peter in parts of the trailer:
multiplying the trains in what looks like a face-off plus the other mirror-dimension-like
scenes plus the aggressive way he's forcing Peter's astral form to leave his body."
If that is true, then this film may see Strange become a villain.
The reason why, however, is anyone's guess.
There’s another way that the good Doctor might not be a
“Good doctor” at all. Screen Rant features editor Alisha Grauso writes,
"Everyone saying Doctor Strange doing the spell even though it was dangerous seems
out of character apparently forgot that Stephen Strange's foundation in the MCU
is arrogance and the desire to test limits."
Basically, if Doctor Strange isn’t a villain maybe he’s just a jerk. Granted,
he seemed more subdued in "Infinity War" and "Endgame," but perhaps Tony Stark's death had
a profound impact on him. It's possible Strange recognizes that Peter's identity being known to
the world puts his life, as well as the safety of his loved ones, in jeopardy. He may be more
willing to bend the rules a little bit if it means he can save another Avenger's life.
Another factor worth bearing in mind is that the MCU "Spider-Man" trailers have a habit of bending
the truth a little bit. This most notably occurred with the "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
trailer, which included a shot of Iron Man and Spider-Man going through New York City together.
It became an iconic moment, but it's nowhere to be found in the film itself. That’s just one of
the many lies the MCU has told in trailers. It's possible Doctor Strange's willingness
to mess with the space-time continuum was edited for trailer purposes to make the story cleaner.
We could find something entirely different once the film releases on December 17th, 2021.
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