We are all expecting Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to do big numbers when it premieres in May, but will it be on the level of Spider-Man: No Way Home? Benedict Cumberbatch sure thinks so, as the star of the film realizes just how big the movie really is, suggesting the events of No Way Home were just a small tease of what's to come. The actor said as much in a new interview with Empire, putting it on record that he expects the Doctor Strange sequel to similarly destroy the worldwide box office.

“It’s a big, big movie. It’s going to be an absolute riot. And if it brings off the level of ambition it’s got, we’re going to have a success on the level of Spidey. There you go, I’ll put my flag in the sand.”

Cumberbatch likely wishes he could tell fans more, but all of the sequel's secrets are being kept under lock and key at Marvel Studios. The trailer has already revealed the return of Patrick Stewart a Professor X which leaves us to wonder what else will be happening in the film. Cumberbatch was able to provide a small tease about his character's journey. As the actor says, this includes ome "extraordinary" encounter along with some "unexpected conclusions."

"There’s a lot of reckoning. And a lot of self-discovery. Strange is almost a stranger to himself before this film unfolds and reveals what, essentially, is in his nature, that he then has to either confront or resist or fall into or become. There are some very bold ideas, and some extraordinary tests of Strange and encounters. There are some very unexpected conclusions.”

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Doctor Strange Himself Still Has a Lot to Learn About the Multiverse

Benedict Cumberbatch in and as Dr. Stephen Strange
Marvel Studios

Director Sam Raimi has also touched on Doctor Strange's strange relationship with the multiverse in the story. While he's typically known for his brilliance, Strange still has a lot to learn about the multiverse, some of which comes from America Chavez, played in the sequel by Xochitl Gomez. As Raimi puts it:

"Strange is still learning about the Multiverse. And here’s a character that can actually travel through it. He’s such a know-it-all all the time, and to have to learn from a kid probably smarts.”

Raimi directs Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness using a screenplay written by Michael Waldron. Along with Cumberbach and Gomez, the film stars Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Rachel McAdams. Patrick Stewart also returns as Professor X which is anticipated to be one of many special guest appearances. The film picks up after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home in which Doctor Strange and Peter Parker fractured the multiverse.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released in theaters on May 6, 2022. Time will tell if the film pulls in the same amount of profits as No Way Home, but given the excitement surrounding the film, and with No Way Home itself helping to set up the events of Doctor Strange 2, chances are it will be a huge hit.