SPOILERS: Every Moment In ‘Multiverse Of Madness’ That I Loved
If you are a dweller of the internet, then it's likely that you know in some capacity that the newest installment of Doctor Strange has been released all over the world in the past week. Sam Raimi dives headfirst into the MCU with a crazy sequel that pushes the boundaries of what horror means at Disney. There are loads of awesome kills and quick storytelling, and I am going to tell you about all of my favorites!
As expected with an article like this, there are SPOILERS ahead. Please do not continue reading if you want to avoid such things and if you don't care in the end, I hope you enjoy what I think might be some of the best cinematic moments Marvel has had to offer, coming from a massive horror fan myself. This article won't have any specific structure to it, so some events may be out of order based on the way they come to mind while writing this.
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1. Wanda's Lie
To start, I am going to warn you that most of these favorite moments are to do with Wanda. She was a much bigger player in the film than I expected and I am not complaining. This first moment was her first conversation with Stephen Strange. The field of apple blossoms that Wanda is seen tending to is absolutely stunning. It's a perfect life, and then quickly became a perfect lie. The almost perfect lie. Stephen asks Wanda for her help, a long conversation ensues and Wanda quickly slips up. I can't tell if the slip-up was planned or not, but it is revealed afterward that she is in fact the villain of this story.
2. America Chavez
America Chavez is played by the adorable Xochitl Gomez. You might have seen her as Dawn in The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix. I wanted to give America a special mention to say that I appreciate seeing her Progress pin on her iconic jacket. She has a special place in my heart for that alone. Xochitl played the character super well and I was very impressed with how at ease she seemed in America's shoes.
3. Zombie Strange
Zombie Strange in the final act of the movie was a fantastically done addition. I loved the willpower that Stephen holds and the support that Christine gives him to get through it. The visual effects were fantastic and his cloak made of the lost souls that came to claim him was thoroughly creepy. I enjoyed the way the cloak looked to be bat wings. It added a wonderful visual horror level that I don't think I ever expected Marvel to take on, and I love it!
4. The Battle Of Kamar-Taj
We all know Wanda can do some massive damage on her own, but my two favorite moments out of this battle were fairly easy to pick out. First, the moment where Wanda is able to dig into the mind of the least prepared fighter there was absolutely fantastic. The effect of having Wanda move out from behind the young man and simply whisper in his ear to completely tear apart their forces was eerie and gave me a chill. The silence after her whisper helped and the tilt of her head was so good.
My second favorite moment from the battle is the mirror dimension scene. The mirror dimension is used to trap massive threats to our world which I think is fitting. What I loved about it was, again, Wanda. I appreciate that throughout the movie she lets herself get cocky and usually Stephen can combat it only for Wanda to find a way out. She also lets herself get scared which is seen later on after this scene. Wanda does exactly that, and uses reflections to track our heroes throughout the room they are hiding in. Stephen, Wong, and America all do their best to cover them but America makes a misstep and is spotted. The scene that shows Wanda dragging herself out of the golden gong in the room is forever imprinted in my memory. Not because it was scary, but because it was fascinating. It's one of the best uses of VFX in the film because I am sure Elizabeth Olsen can't twist her body in that way. Body horror always makes me excited and they did this perfectly. I did apologize to my boyfriend who took the excited fangirling with ease during this part, and many other parts. I also want to point out that it seemed even Wanda was impressed that she could do that.
Also getting an honorable mention in the Kamar-Taj battle is Elizabeth Olsen's acting when speaking to Stephen, before releasing all of her anger on the temple, which was some of her best yet. The raw and intense emotion truly brings watchers into a conflict of whether they should be rooting for Wanda or not.
5. Strange Vs. Strange
Have you guys seen Fantasia? Do you have a love for symphonies? Strange vs. Strange was the most unique fight scene I have ever witnessed. Just for some background, I do stunt acting and I write fight scenes for short films. I have studied so many different types of fights in film and television to transfer into words. But, Strange vs. Strange is something I have genuinely never seen before. I don't know who came up with the idea but I am giving all of the credit to Danny Elfman, the magical man behind the music. Who knew you could kill an all-powerful sorcerer using sheet music? As I write this I am listening to the compilation that Danny made for the scene. You can listen to it here:
6. Dreamwalking
In another universe, our Strange and America come across Baron Mordo. This Mordo isn't the one that's out to kill Strange, but one that was friends with Stephen in that universe. They speak about a spell in the Darkhold that has the power to allow Wanda to dreamwalk into her other selves across other universes. A beautiful montage ensues with some super creepy composing behind it that shows Wanda doing exactly what Mordo is speaking of. The track reminds me of The Craft (one of my all-time favorite movies) and it really enhances the storytelling process. This montage leads to Wanda taking control of an alternate version of herself with a very creepy haunted vibe to it. It was a wonderful moment that builds the magical creep factor.
As this scene is going on, our side of the universe sees a very brave sorcerer destroy the Darkhold. This causes Wanda to break her hold on the Wanda in the other universe and find herself in a moment of separation. The scene flicks between Wanda and her boys, with the Scarlet Witch copying her movements on our side of the page. It's a perfect match and another good example of Elizabeth's awesome acting.
7. The Illuminati
We all know just how exciting the idea of crossovers are. Many theories about this movie ran rampant across the internet for the longest time leading up to the movie. One of the more popular theories was John Krasinski as Reed Richards. Well, it definitely seems someone listens to all of us fans because that's exactly what we got before he was turned into string cheese by Wanda. Alongside him, both living and dead, was Maria Rambeau as a Captain Marvel variant played by the lovely Lashana Lynch, Peggy Carter as Captain Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, Anson Mount who reprised his role as Black Bolt, and the one and only Charles Xavier played by the man himself, Sir Patrick Stewart. Sadly, the entirety of the Illuminati, except for Baron Mordo, was completely slaughtered by the Scarlet Witch.
Each death was fairly brutal. The tamest of the bunch were Peggy and Maria. Peggy had her own shield used against her (she could not, in fact, do this all day.) and Maria was crushed under a giant statue. As mentioned, Reed Richards was literally shredded, Black Bolt had his own power turned against him. Charles Xavier's death was heartbreaking and is explained below as I felt it needed its own place on the list.
8. Charles Xavier In Wanda's Mind
In order to buy America and Christine some much-needed time, Charles took it upon himself to venture into Wanda's mind. Once inside, he makes contact with the Wanda that the Scarlet Witch invaded under a pile of rubble, much like her childhood home (a great callback, alongside a TV playing clips from the first episode of WandaVision). In his attempt to pull her from the debris, thinking it would break the spell, a bright red fog creeps up behind him. Wanda is yanked back under the bricks and dust and a demonized version of the Scarlet Witch rushes from the fog to break Charles' neck. At least, that's how it looks. If you look closely at some clips that were shot in theaters of the scene, you can see that it wasn't his neck, but his entire face is torn in half by demon Wanda's hands. It's a good example of "how is this allowed?". It pushes the boundaries of PG-13 and Marvel/Disney all the same. It's also a fairly good jump scare. I've become immune to them, but people who were in the theater with me, not so much.
9. WandaVision
This isn't as impressive as the rest of the movie, but more lighthearted. Right before the movie shows us Wanda for the first time, Stephen is asked by Wong who they know that can understand the magic and runes being used to go after our newest addition, America Chavez. Just as the idea pops into his brain that Wanda is the first choice, the smallest piece of the WandaVision theme plays. It's a cute little reference at most, but I thought it was a perfect way to introduce our Scarlet Witch.
10. Post-Credit Scenes
We have two post-credit scenes in MoM. First, we get a look at Charlize Theron as Clea. In the comics, Clea is the Sorcerer Supreme, niece of Dormammu, and the wife of Stephen Strange. It was a very cool hint at what is to come and I hope whoever takes on the next Doctor Strange film capitalizes on the idea of Stephen moving on with Clea. Our second post-credit scene features Bruce Campbell's cameo. Bruce plays a food vendor that is enchanted by Strange to hit himself for a total of about 3 weeks. It's funny, but not as important as the rest of the movie.
11. Three Eyes
During the Strange vs. Strange fight, we meet a Stephen Strange so entranced by the Darkhold that our Stephen, later on, uses to become Zombie Strange (using the method of dreamwalking into his own corpse. It's a long story..) that he has opened up his third eye. It's a well done VFX piece, but very creepy to look at. As the film reaches its ending, we see our Strange almost skipping down the street and hear an overwhelming guitar rip. Stephen hears it too, collapses, and lets out a scream of absolute anguish. The camera lingers overhead as our Stephen is granted his third eye and then the movie cuts. It's a massive cliffhanger. When the post-credit scene with Clea comes up, however, we see our Strange with that third eye coming and going with ease. It was sudden and well done but I almost wish you didn't see the new eyeball in the post-credit scene. That overwhelming shock at the end of the movie would have probably been best left on its own. I know for a fact my group and I were all bewildered at the thought of our Strange facing that consequence of using the Darkhold only for it to be a tad bit diminished.
I hope you enjoyed me sharing all of my favorite moments from the new movie. This movie was a wild ride that I was very lucky to be able to see with a theater full of fans just like me. As previously stated I am a giant horror fan, so a movie that clashes horror and Marvel is going to instantly make it onto my top 10 list of all time favorites. I truly hope Marvel will continue to turn out horror flicks where possible!
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is showing only in theaters everywhere. Get your tickets!
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Source: Buzzfeed