Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness (Sam Raimi, May 6, 2022) Movie • Page 38

the thing about Darkman is it rules, much like this movie as well

 

Idk I feel like you could pretty cleanly divide phase 4 into three camps.

1) Largely standalone content that is introducing new characters into the fold (Shang Chi, Moon Knight, I assume Eternals even though I haven't seen it yet)

2) Content that is meant to pass the mantle of known heroes on, which requires some past knowledge of Infinity Saga (Black Widow, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye)

3) Content that is setting up what comes next, which seems like it will pretty clearly be the multiverse/incursions/secret wars (Loki, No Way Home, Doctor Strange 2, Wandavision)


I don't disagree that they're at risk of doing too much and requiring too much of casual viewers - especially with the number of TV shows. But I also don't think it's as directionless as people are acting. The open question is will they be able to pull it off again when they start merging those camps.

 

It’s almost like the MCU formula is getting old. How many times do we we need to watch a last 30min CGI fest with multiple characters fighting and no real sense of what the rules of engagement are or what’s happening.

DCEU was a floptina but their stand alone films have been way better than anything MCU has done since Endgame. Not everything needs to have a connection.

Back on Dr Strange tho, why did the Clea end credits scene seem like it had a different look to the rest of the movie. Like they literally shot it on the Universal Hollywood Backlot Tour.

 

I'm 100% sure Krasinski was never in the same room as Olsen or Cumberbatch while shooting his part

 

Lol she’s hilarious - “no, I don’t know him”

 

I mean, he absolutely didn't even need to be in the movie anyway

 

Nah, he did. And it was fun and awesome.

 

Olsen was also never in the same room with Sir Patrick Stewart.

 

Pretty sure the entire movie was filmed remotely with each actor in front of a green screen in their own homes

 

the same scene would have been better and paid off more with cruise as alt-tony

 

I'm curious why you think this. I feel like that would have been a more obscure in-joke that less people would have understood, and it would've had even less of a chance of being followed up on in a future movie.

 

Well, bare minimum, the Illuminati (to Strange) wouldn't just be a bunch of nobodies who get slaughtered and a guy he doesn't like

 

True, it would be a bunch of nobodies who get slaughtered and two guys he doesn't like.

 

I mean, it’s another universe so he doesn’t know any of them. Who cares if they are all variants he is aware of?

 

Yeah, Strange feels exactly the same way about Tony as he does about Mordo and there's no way they could play into the "Strange's only way isn't actually the only way" theme by having Strange meet a Tony who didn't have to die to stop Thanos

 

Jesus Christ, I was joking. I forgot we reached the "serious business" part of the conversation.

 

If you can be snarky in your reply I can be sarcastic in mine

 

I think while thematically this might work and add more wrinkles, it would also introduce a huge plot hole as a result, that I don't know is really necessary.

I mean, we're already dealing with a Strange that has to live with the ramifications of his decisions even knowing that he didn't have another way to resolve the issue.

We're never told how the Illuminati stopped Thanos in their universe; we have to assume they ended up doing the same thing since we're not told about Tony's fate in that universe.

If we bring in the idea that Strange was wrong the whole time and there were other ways of solving the problem, then that creates a whole host of questions and trauma that I don't think a single movie could resolve.

I think it also changes the nature of the theme. I felt the movie was about Strange learning how to live with his decisions and move on, not to introduce more guilt and remorse for him.

 

I'm not saying Strange was wrong or should feel guilt or remorse for what he did in IW/Endgame. But the movie does constantly broach the subject of whether or not Strange is right when he makes unilateral decisions like the one he made with basically sacrificing Tony to stop Thanos. 838 had the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Inhumans, so it'd track that they'd probably be able to solve the problem differently than Strange might've had to in his universe. And I'm pretty sure they said they used the Book of Vishanti to stop Thanos? (I could very well be wrong about that)

My point is more that instead of just treating the Illuminati as a bunch of "ooh look it's a character I know" types that have no real weight for the characters in the movie, they could've been more interestingly woven into the themes and plot

 

So, I might be thinking too hard about this, but...

First, you're right about the Book. I had forgotten that. Which is interesting, because neither Strange nor Wong knew the Book existed at the time of Infinity War, and when Strange searched through all those potential futures, clearly he didn't find that as a potential solution.

I'm wondering if the reason he never found an alternate solution, could it be because of the events of Loki? Like, we know that any potential offshoots of the Sacred Timeline were pruned, so maybe the reason he never found a timeline where they used the Book is because at the time, it didn't exist?

Or maybe he just didn't happen to look at that timeline. I mean, he looked in a lot, but clearly there are infinite possibilities, so it might just simply be that he didn't look hard enough. Or when faced with so many timelines where they fail, he just leapt at the first concrete possibility of their success.

Anyway, I know for the Illuminati it's been said they wanted to make the team as close to the comics as possible. I'm sure the choices of cast is a combination of that, fanservice, and futureproofing. I'm still feeling that Strange might get inclined to form his own Illuminati or at least seek some of these folks out in his universe as a result of these events.

Mulling over your original point about introducing a variant of Tony, if we've already crossed the bridge when it comes to Strange's "only way" not being accurate, then yes, I would agree it would've been good to see Strange wrestle with that knowledge by working with a variant of the man he sentenced to death.

 

I've definitely heard the "Strange's way was the only way because the TVA wouldn't allow any other solution" theory a few times and I think it tracks decently well. I buy that the only futures Strange was able to see were TVA-approved ones and the only one he saw where they did beat Thanos was letting the snap happen and having Tony sacrifice himself. I wouldn't be surprised if 838 didn't "exist" pre-Loki cause everything being so different there would probably lead to a Kang

 

what is obscure or an in joke about one of the biggest actors in the world and thee primary character of this universe, in the movie that deals with alternate universes the most

 

Because the only reason people were speculating he'd appear as Iron Man is because he was one of the people originally considered for the role before Robert Downey Jr.?

And so for the causal moviegoer who doesn't know that backstory, they'd maybe wonder why Tom Cruise is all of a sudden playing Tony Stark?

I dunno, it just seems easier for the the audience to get why Patrick Stewart is showing up as Professor X, or with Krasinski, if he's actually playing Reed moving forward, then they don't have to understand that joke.

 

Also, you didn't answer my question about why you think it would be better and paid off more?