Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis even more ambitious thanSpider-Man: No Way Home, says The Sorcerer Supreme himself, Benedict Cumberbatch. Both Marvel sequels will deal with ramifications relating to the emergence of the multiverse, and while the trailer forNo Way Hometeases a chaotically thrilling adventure, Cumberbatch claims we ain’t seen nothing yet.
Referring to a comment made bySpider-ManstarTom Holland, who described the upcoming adventure as “the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made,” theDoctor Strangeactor playfully retorted with “until Doctor Strange 2 comes out.”
Very few specifics have been revealed regarding the details of the plot ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but we do know that the movie will feature roles for Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff AKA Scarlet Witch, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez.Doctor Strange 2will likely build on the multiversal shenanigans ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, and will surely have to make things even bigger and more ambitious the way that sequels so often do.
This will be no easy task, as the newly released trailer forSpider-Man: No Way Homehas now confirmed that the movie will bring back villains from previousSpider-Manfranchises, including the likes of Alfred Molina asSpider-Man 2’s Doctor Octopus, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx asThe Amazing Spider-Man 2’sElectro. The trailer has also teased the arrival of even more former bad guys for Peter Parker to tackle, with the footage hinting at a comeback for both The Sandman and The Lizard.
Despite constant denials and push backs, it is still hotly rumored that both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will also appear inSpider-Man: No Way Home, with both actors reportedly reprising their respective iterations of the beloved character. While this has not yet been officially confirmed in any way, returning star J. B. Smoove recently replied with a no-nonsense “Tobey Maguire, of course man” to a question about which actor he was most excited to see Tom Holland share the screen with. How can things possibly get more ambitious than that?
Benedict Cumberbatchof course is only slightly joking with his quip atSpider-Man’sexpense adding, “No seriously, [No Way Home] has got great ambition. I haven’t seen it, but by all accounts I think it’s achieved it… I’m pretty certain it’ll be a hit.”
With thereturn of several villains(and possibly heroes) from Sam Raimi’sSpider-Manfilm series, it seems only fitting that he will be at the helm ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessfor this ambition competition. Benedict Cumberbatch has discussed working with the director in the past, describing his approach to the sequel as “bonkers.”
“I will say, Sam Raimi is a master of this genre and yet his presence, his friendship, his directing, all of it, he was just really, really brilliant, and an amazing, amazing cast of returning regulars, and… that’s all I can say, cause that could get me into trouble,” Cumberbatch said. “It’s pretty bonkers, I will say the clue is in the title, it is the Multiverse of Madness, it’s pretty far out.”
Spider-Man: No Way Home is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 20, 2025, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness following on a little later on August 18, 2025, both as part of Phase Four of the MCU. This comes to us courtesy ofVariety.
