When Marvel started taking Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness preorders a month ago, it released a 1-minute clip that provided plenty of additional footage. Combined with a 30-second TV spot that preceded it, it was almost complete enough to be called the Doctor Strange 2 trailer 3. I said at the time that we’d hopefully see a final Doctor Strange 2 trailer ahead of the film’s release. And it turns out Marvel made one.
The new clip is just 80-seconds long, in line with the aforementioned videos that would easily make for a third trailer. That’s right, it’s the final Multiverse of Madness trailer we’ve been waiting for. It’s certainly puzzling to see it arrive just one day ahead of the film’s premiere. However, this is the promo clip you need to see to prepare you for the wild ride ahead.
Before I explain, I’ll warn you that big spoilers follow below.
Marvel’s MCU movie strategy
Marvel wants to make its movies accessible to anyone, not just diehard MCU fans. You can watch Doctor Strange 2 without seeing anything that preceded it, and it’ll still make sense. That’s valid for any other MCU film and a policy that Marvel confirmed in the past.
But these movies are a lot more enjoyable if you’ve seen every that preceded them. It’s best if you know who the recurring characters are and how they’ve interacted before. Even the smallest Easter egg, like a short line of dialogue, might be enough to trigger a connection between movies.
From that point of view, the final Doctor Strange 2 trailer does something that the first teaser probably should have. It walks MCU fans through key events from the MCU’s past. These are pivotal moments that influenced the MCU’s heroes. More specifically, these are scenes that focus on two main characters of the movie.
We’re looking at scenes from Doctor Strange, Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and WandaVision.
Doctor Strange 2 final trailer has a big revelation
Marvel has had a difficult task in marketing Doctor Strange 2. The studio tried to do two things that are at odds. It wanted to tease the film’s villain while simultaneously concealing her identity.
We’ve known from plenty of leaks that Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) will be the film’s antagonist, taking on Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wong (Benedict Wong), and each and every cameo who gets in her way.
The final Doctor Strange 2 trailer gets closer than ever to suggesting that Wanda and Strange will not be on the same team. But it also tries to make the audience believe they could be fighting against their variants from other timelines.
What really matters in this trailer is Marvel’s insistence on pointing out Wanda’s reasoning. The 80-second clip isn’t enough to make you realize how Wanda processed the recent events in her life, starting with Age of Ultron and culminating with Infinity War and Endgame. But it scratches the surface.
You will have to watch WandaVision for Multiverse of Madness to make the most sense. Otherwise, Wanda’s grief and madness won’t really make sense.
Marvel wants movies like Doctor Strange 2 to stand on their own without context from the Disney Plus TV shows. But the reality is you need that context so you can accept what Wanda is about to do to the multiverse. The final Doctor Strange 2 trailer came a few weeks too late to make that clear.
If you haven’t seen WandaVision, you should certainly watch it. Seeing it before the Doctor Strange 2 premiere might be the best idea.
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