The Cast of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Talk Characters’ Journey In The Film

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens up in theaters worldwide today! To celebrate the opening of one of the MCU’s most ambitious films (yes, I saw it and yes, I’m using that language), we wanted to share some snippets that was covered during the virtual Doctor Strange press junket that I attended.

For a full review, which doesn’t include spoilers; check out our associate Dom Fisher’s review here.

The MCU obviously looks different now than it did when it first started. In the first few phases of the Marvel Cinematic Review, our core leaders were Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Thor, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton. Now, the MCU is expanding and a lot of Phase 4 seems to focus on wizardy, magic, and the multiverse. Right in Doctor Strange’s realm.

When asked about what it was like to play Dr. Strange and be kicking off this new phase (remember, Benedict Cumberbatch was key in Spider-Man: No Way Home), the actor responded:

“He doesn’t immediately strike you as a leader. [He’s conflicted] as a hero.”

Cumberbatch went on to talk about Dr. Strange’s humanity and the conflict that the character feels – no one really knows his humanity. The actor talked about that the film was essentially “holding a mirror up” and “examining his potential to lead”. I believe, in Tony Stark’s absence; it feels like the MCU is setting up for Stephen Strange to take up that mantle.

Cumberbatch went on to say:

“But, I will say this. He’s far better at being a collaborator, at working with others, at realizing he can’t always be the one to hold the knife and control all himself. So,-those are pretty leaderlike qualities, I’d say. But, um, he’s evolving. There’s that.”

The question then shifted to Elizabeth Olsen, who is reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch. The interviewer asked if this version of the character is different than the iterations we saw before the Disney+ mini-series, WandaVision.

Olsen answered:

“Yeah, I mean, in the previous films before WandaVision, um, I took up a lane for storytelling that was, uh, more grounded in, you know, sincerity, um, love, loss, grief. Um, and with WandaVision, I got to become like, a-anything. And everything. And really, really grow her into a woman. And leading her to accepting that she is-that she is this mythic woman. And that that is her destiny. And I hope that in this film we see that continuation of her acceptance of who she is. And, um, the journey that-that she has taken to get to this moment. Um, I feel like she has way more clarity n-now than ever in this film.”

Interviewer:

“Did you want to add anything about showcasing Scarlet Witch’s greatest strength also being what could be potentially the downfall of her character and that sort of duality?”

Director Sam Raimi explained:

“She’s the classic character that loved not too wisely, but too well. And I think that’s a source of many of her aspirations in the film, and sometimes leads to, uh, less happy moments for her. I don’t want to spoil anything, but-but I think that Lizzy did a great job summing up her approach. And I think it’s so brilliant that you’re trying to defend your point of view of your character. It’s great. That’s what we all are trying to do in real life. I’m this person and here’s what I believe in. Here’s why it’s all about trying to understand your beliefs and explain them and sometimes defend them.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is out in theaters now!

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