WhenAvengers: Endgamefelt like the craziest and biggest the MCU was going to get, then came the multiverse in phase four. One person who plays a pivotal role in developing such an expansive concept isLokiandDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswriter Michael Waldron, as he has now explained how many of these new MCU projects not only intertwine with one another but stand on their own as well.
After building up in earlier phase four projects such asWandaVision, the MCU’s multiverse was finally introduced inLoki, particularly the series' epic season finale featuring Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains, a variant of Kang the Conqueror. The alternate realities were further explored in the following films likeSpider-Man: No Way Home( which saw thereturn of Tobey Maguireand Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men), and now of course will be in the upcomingDoctor Strangesequel.
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In a new interview with The Playlist, Waldron discussed his involvement with many recent MCU projects such asLokiand the upcomingDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, explaining how he and the rest of the creative team at Marvel Studios strived to tell stories that not only intertwine but ones that also stand on their own. “The headaches I have are probably intertwined. I mean, it’s all intertwined and it all stands alone. Like a great comic universe, I think that one thing certainly informs the other,” Waldron replied when asked ifDoctor Strange 2could have worked withoutLokior ifLokiseason two could work withoutDoctor Strange 2. “You’re going to have a better time watching the next chapter of an MCU story if you’ve seen the stuff before it. But also, hopefully, even if you’ve never, if you’ve walked in off the street, you’ll still have a blast. It should be good enough that it stands on its own.”
Months after the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, the 28th MCU film will followBenedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strangethrough the alternate realities of the multiverse as he is forced to make new allies in order to defeat new threats that seek to wreak havoc on several universes. The long-awaited sequel comes six years after its predecessors' release, making it the longest gap for an MCU character’s sequel. Joining Cumberbatch is Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer.
Like any great film, the story should always stand on its own, even if it is a part of a shared universe like the MCU. While it is exciting to see howthe events ofDoctor Strange 2will set up what’s coming in future stories, it’s also refreshing to hear that regardless of whether fans have seen past Marvel Studios projects or couldn’t care less what’s coming next, they will be able to enjoy the film and the other phase 4 projects on their own merits.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswill arrive in theaters on July 14, 2025.
