Warning: This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is often criticized for adhering to a cookie-cutter formula. Every movie explores different characters and genre frameworks, but they’re all standard three-act stories following a familiar “hero’s journey” with rising tension, a romantic subplot, and a climactic showdown with the villain in which good triumphs over evil.
In many ways, the MCU’s latest highly anticipated big-screen release – Doctor Strange sequel sets itself apart.
Sticks To The Marvel Formula
Three-Act Structure
There are many ways to structure a story: Mulholland Drive throw act structure out the window altogether.
The standard way to structure a story is in three acts – setup, rising tension, and climax – and, like every other MCU movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fits neatly into this template.
Wisecracking Sidekick
Almost every MCU hero has a wisecracking sidekick. Tony Stark has James Rhodes, Clint Barton has Kate Bishop, Peter Quill has Rocket, Shang-Chi has Katy, Scott Lang has Luis, Peter Parker has Ned Leeds, T’Challa has Shuri – the list goes on.
Doctor Strange’s usual sidekick is Wong, but when he’s stranded in the multiverse, Strange is paired up with interdimensional traveler America Chavez. America has some of the movie’s funniest lines. When she and Strange are arrested by the Illuminati, she says, “This universe sucks!”
Romantic Subplot
Ever since Tony Stark fell in love with Pepper Potts in Black Panther’s Jerry and Elaine-style exes-trying-to-be-friends dynamic with T’Challa and Nakia. But for the most part, the MCU trades in standard Hollywood romances.
After the first Doctor Strange movie gave Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer one of the MCU’s most generic love stories, the second one steps it up with one of its most compelling. Rachel McAdams is still massively underutilized, but Multiverse of Madness forces Stephen to confront the fact that he lost out on the love of his life (in every conceivable reality).
Tons Of Exposition
One of the most common complaints about the MCU – especially in the current multiversal era of the franchise – is that its movies and streaming shows are bogged down in way too much exposition. There are long sequences in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that exist just to explain all the magical MacGuffins and multiversal backstories.
The Illuminati scene has a boatload of thrilling cameo appearances, but the scene is only there to explain who they are and why Strange is considered a villain in their universe.
Good Triumphs Over Evil
The finale of Multiverse of Madness might not be a huge, messy battle sequence full of faceless henchmen like the majority of Marvel movies, but it does culminate in a showdown between the hero and villain in which good ultimately triumphs over evil.
America uses her power to show Wanda the error of her ways – by seeing the fear she strikes into her multiversal children – which inspires the sacrifice that ends her black-magic rule.
Deviates From The Marvel Formula
Horror
The MCU has dabbled in a few different genre frameworks outside the standard superhero genre. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a conspiracy thriller, etc.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was teased as the MCU’s first horror film. Thanks to the involvement of legendary horror director Sam Raimi, the movie delivers on that promise.
The Villain Is An Avenger
The first act of Multiverse of Madness sets up a typical Avengers team-up when Strange and Wong recognize the runes of witchcraft on the demon chasing America Chavez and seek out the help of the only witch they know: Wanda Maximoff.
The trailers went along with the facade of a Strange/Wanda team-up, but the actual sequence in the movie pulls out the rug pretty quickly. As it turns out, Wanda herself is the witch who’s been sending demons after Chavez.
Jumping Between Parallel Universes
The finale episode of Spider-Man: No Way Home touched on this new chapter of the MCU with a handful of multiversal visitors from other franchises, Multiverse of Madness is the franchise’s first movie to jump between infinite alternate realities like Rick Sanchez.
After meeting dimension-hopping teenage superhero America Chavez, Strange ends up traveling through a universe where everything is made of paint, a universe with a real-life Illuminati, and a universe where he doomed humanity.
Dark Themes
A lot of MCU movies don’t explore any deeper themes at all, but when they do, they tend to tackle lighter subjects like “friends as family” and “everyone deserves a second chance,” which are easily digestible by audiences of all ages. In Multiverse of Madness, Raimi tackles some dark themes.
Wanda’s reign of terror is a result of her debilitating grief. She wants to take a teenager’s life so she can be with the children she lost. She uses her maternal love to justify child murder. Strange’s own arc, reeling from the pain of Christine marrying another man, explores what it takes to be happy.
Sam Raimi’s Style
While Sam Raimi’s fans were ecstatic when the horror movie legend was hired to helm the Doctor Strange sequel, there was also some skepticism about how much creative freedom he would have within the confines of Marvel Studios’ house style. Ultimately, what sets Multiverse of Madness apart from other MCU movies is Raimi’s unmistakable authorial stamp.
Critics are divided on the movie’s messy multiversal shenanigans, but they can all agree that Raimi made the film his own. It’s a Sam Raimi movie before it’s an MCU movie. It has plenty of the director’s signature bonkers visuals, his shamelessly camp approach, and his unique combination of grisly horror and goofy humor.
