A brand-new trailer for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness dropped during the Super Bowl and it's one of the most electrifying MCU trailers yet. The biggest reveals of the trailer hint at major developments in the MCU, including possible surprising crossovers with iconic Marvel characters from pre-MCU franchises like the Fox X-Men series.
The trailer also reveals a number of new variants of major characters, including Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch. Others are less obvious but could be variants of classic MCU characters like Iron Man who will appear in very unexpected ways. Perhaps the biggest reveal of the trailer is that this movie could be the wildest ride in the history of the MCU.
At the beginning of the trailer, Doctor Strange wakes up (with a trademark Sam Raimi camera flourish) and says "The nightmare begins." It's not clear what he means yet, but it could be a reference to a possible villain in the movie - Nightmare.
Nightmare is one of Doctor Strange's most powerful villains in Marvel Comics, with the ability to draw energy from sleeping people by subjecting them to terrifying dreams. He rules the Dream Dimension, a possible locale that could appear in the movie.
The movie is likely to introduce a ton of variants of many different characters, and the trailer reveals that there will be at least two versions of the Scarlet Witch. One of the most haunting moments of the trailer takes Wanda back to her house in Westview.
It's not clear what's happening, but Wanda appears to encounter a variant of herself in the house, who is covered in blood. It's possible this is a version of Wanda who did not leave Westview with the same sense of acceptance that the MCU Wanda did.
There's no doubt that Wanda has many powers in the comics beyond what people generally know, and the trailer hints that she may be immune to Doctor Strange's Peter Parker erasing spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. A close analysis of the trailer shows the scene where she confronts him in an uncertain place dominated by red light may be the same as the garden from the first trailer.
Doctor Strange's clothes match the scene where he first goes to her for help and so does the camera angles in the shot. She says "You break the rules, and you become a hero. I do, and I become the enemy. That doesn't seem fair." If she is referring to his spell, she likely remembers Peter Parker.
One of the most unsettling reveals in the new trailer is what appears to be a zombie variant of Doctor Strange. This horrific Sorcerer Supreme appears at the very end, using a familiar magical spell to produce several mystical arms at once.
It's possible that this is a variant from the reality that appeared in the zombie episode of the What If..? animated series, but he could also be a completely different version from a reality that the MCU has never visited before.
The Scarlet Witch went through an ordeal in WandaVision, but it seems her trials aren't over. One of the most disturbing images in the new trailer shows Wanda covered in blood. What's most concerning is that it doesn't seem to be hers.
Wanda has grown in power considerably since the end of her streaming series, and the trailer gives a lot of hints that Wanda - or some version of her - may drift into becoming a villain by the time the new movie is over.
One of the most intriguing reveals in the trailer suggests that Iron Man is in the movie. This is not the Iron Man MCU fans know, though. A very brief shot seems to show what could be the Superior Iron Man, one of the most powerful variants of Iron Man from the comics.
The Superior Iron Man's armor would glow in the way this one does. The telltale goatee also suggests this is Tony Stark, though it is an open question of who is playing him in the movie as it does not appear to be Robert Downey Jr.
The Scarlet Witch has been at odds with Iron Man before in the MCU and it seems she's going to be so again in the new movie. The trailer reveals a major fight between Wanda and this version of Iron Man that gets very big very quickly.
The fight appears to take place in the same location where Doctor Strange is being held prisoner, hinting at the possibility that Wanda is either trying to rescue him, or she's been captured herself.
At some point in the movie, Doctor Strange is captured and his captors appear to be some variant of Ultron. These black and silver drones appear to be more highly advanced versions of the drones that Tony Stark deployed in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The drones appear to be working for the mysterious council Strange encounters, meaning Iron Man is likely connected to them, or a variant of Ultron is, perhaps one that is more benevolent than the versions seen in the MCU so far.
Perhaps the biggest reveal in the trailer is a familiar voice. As Doctor Stranges enters the chamber, the seemingly unmistakable voice of Patrick Stewart says from off-screen "We should tell him the truth." It's possible if it is Stewart, he is playing a new character, but in all likelihood, he is reprising his iconic role as Professor X.
Professor X, one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Universe, opens up endless possibilities. He may not be the only Fox X-Men character to appear, or even the only Professor X, and his appearance could herald the long-awaited arrival of mutants in the MCU.
The tease of Professor X sets the stage for an even more intriguing reveal in the trailer. Professor X appears to be one of six people sitting in an ostentatious council chamber that Doctor Strange is being led into. The council could be the Illuminati.
In Marvel Comics, the Illuminati are a secret collective of Professor X, Doctor Strange, Namor, Reed Richards, Iron Man, and Black Bolt of the Inhumans. They work behind the scenes to defend the Earth from unimaginable threats, but their tactics and secrecy lead to a lot of conflict.
