Doctor Strange seems different in Marvel's What If...?, the No Way Home trailers appeared to show Doctor Strange throwing caution to the wind. Despite being warned against a dangerous memory wipe spell in the trailers, Doctor Strange went ahead with it anyway, trying to make the world forget Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) secret identity as Spider-Man.
The Multiverse is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Doctor Strange 2. In the film, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange appears to team up with Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff to face unknown threats of the Multiverse. In addition to the two Marvel stars, rumors claim that Avengers stars, and even different versions of Marvel superheroes. Though Doctor Strange wasn't evil in No Way Home, a sinister version of the sorcerer appears in the Doctor Strange 2 trailer.
For fans wondering why Doctor Strange seemed different in the trailers for the films, there may be a reason. According to one fan theory (via Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) appears to be getting married in the Doctor Strange 2 trailer.
It makes sense that Doctor Strange would have to deal with changes following his 5-year absence. After all, the rest of the world isn't immune to the hardships after Thanos' snap. And Marvel's What If...? established that Christine Palmer is the love of his life in at least some universes. With Doctor Strange coming back from the snap and discovering Wong (Benedict Wong) is the Sorcerer Supreme and Christine Palmer is getting married, it's understandable that he wouldn't always be his best self. If Doctor Strange seems "off," it's because he has a lot on his plate.
Then again, this could be another reason why fans shouldn't trust Marvel trailers. The rumors of an evil Doctor Strange started with the No Way Home trailer, but Doctor Strange is normal in the film. And Spider-Man: No Way Home cut a line from the film's trailer that showed Doctor Strange going against Wong's orders when performing the memory wipe spell. Instead, Wong simply wants nothing to do with the spell in the final film. Since most of the theories about Doctor Strange's odd behavior come from the MCU trailers, fans should probably hold their judgment until they see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
