Spoiler WarningAudiences watching Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters saw the first trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, replacing the traditional post-credits scene in a Marvel Studios film. The highly anticipated Doctor Strange sequel is the fifth film in Phase 4 of the MCU, coming to the big screen six years after the 2016 release of Doctor Strange. With fan excitement at an incredible high after the success of No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness will greatly shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it continues to break open the multiverse.

Over the past few years, Doctor Strange, Wong, and the Scarlet Witch have quickly become fan-favorite characters. Marvel fans are overjoyed that they will once again be sharing the big screen. Here is what we know about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness so far.

Updated March 4, 2022: If you love Doctor Strange, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with additional info surrounding the cast and plot of the highly anticipated sequel.

Doctor Strange 2's New Director

Sam Raimi, director of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man trilogy, is the director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He replaces Scott Derrickson, the director of Marvel Studios' 2016 Doctor Strange film. Derrickson was officially announced to be directing the sequel at San Diego Comic-Con in the summer of 2019. Ultimately, however, Derrickson and Marvel Studios parted ways on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences.

In Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, Doctor Strange is name-dropped when J. Jonah Jameson asks for name suggestions for Doctor Octopus. Nearly two decades later, both the Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus from Raimi's film visit the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, the director of that film is directing a Doctor Strange movie as well. Joining Sam Raimi will be Spider-Man composer, Danny Elfman, who scored the first two Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire.

Related: Benedict Cumberbatch Says Doctor Strange 2 Is Bonkers While Praising Sam Raimi

Confirmed Cast of Doctor Strange 2

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Disney, Marvel Studios

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees the return of the main cast; Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Doctor Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo. Both Doctor Strange and Wong appeared in the Infinity Saga's final two Avengers films and Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Wong additionally making an appearance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. According to Rolling Stone, Doctor Strange almost made an appearance in WandaVision before being cut from the series finale. While McAdams plays Palmer in the Disney+ animated series, What If...?, Palmer and Mordo have been absent from Marvel Studios' films since 2016. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness properly reunites the cast for the first time in years.

Elizabeth Olsen will be joining the cast of the Multiverse of Madness as Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch. The film will also introduce a new Marvel superhero in America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez.

And then there's Patrick Stewart. After having some fun denying his involvement in the upcoming sequel, the notorious Professor X actor recently came clean. During the Super Bowl, a new spot was debuted for the upcoming Marvel sequel. It included what appeared to be the voice of Stewart as his X-Men character, Professor X. Because his face wasn't explicitly shown, Stewart initially denied that it was him in the trailer, initially suggesting that it was an impersonator.

In an interview with Jake's Takes, the actor spoke about the Doctor Strange 2 situation. He was first asked about what would potentially happen if Doctor Strange and Professor X were ever to meet. This indirectly teases the two meeting in Doctor Strange 2 with Stewart detailing how Xavier would feel around Strange, if they were to share the screen in a certain movie coming out this May. Stewart then directly addressed his involvement in the film. This time, he came clean, confirming that it was his voice along with parts of his body shown in the footage.

Related: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Official Art Reveals First Look at America Chavez

Plot: What is Doctor Strange 2 About?

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Disney, Marvel Studios

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes place after Spider-Man: No Way Home, which features major events that explore the MCU's multiverse. Bloomberg reports a confirmation from Kevin Feige that the film will tie in with Loki.

Following Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's appearance in No Way Home, the MCU is now at a point where characters from parallel universes can easily appear. Rumors suggest that the Multiverse of Madness will feature Magneto and Mister Fantastic himself, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. (It is worth mentioning that the director of Tom Holland's three MCU Spider-Man films, Jon Watts, will be helming Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four film.)

According to Backstage, Stephen Strange will be continuing research into the Time Stone. During Spider-Man: No Way Home, Strange reminds Peter Parker that he is no longer in possession of the Time Stone. The Eye of Agamotto, used to contain the Time Stone by a Sorcerer Supreme, is essential in bargaining with Dormammu in Doctor Strange. Strange also used the Eye of Agamotto in Avengers: Infinity War to set up a timeline where the Avengers win against Thanos. Since then, all of the Infinity Stones including the Time Stone have been destroyed. It is fascinating that even after its destruction, the Time Stone continues to be of high interest to Strange.

Feige recently described Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange as the “anchor” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it delves ever deeper into the madness of the multiverse. The upcoming sequel will put The Master of the Mystic Arts through his paces as the consequences of unleashing the multiverse become clear. Coming courtesy of Variety, Kevin Feige explained why Doctor Strange is the only one capable of guiding the Marvel characters, the audience, and the franchise through the multiverse. With previous MCU anchors Tony Stark AKA Iron Man and Steve Rogers AKA Captain America now either deceased or absent, it sounds like Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange will step forward to lead the MCU as it takes the universe to vastly more bizarre places.

Related: Marvel Reveals What Happened to the Infinity Stones After Avengers: Endgame

Who is the Villain in the Multiverse of Madness?

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Disney, Marvel Studios

Backstage describes an "old-friend-turned-enemy" as putting an end to Strange's plans, causing Strange to "unleash unspeakable evil." Some Marvel fans suggest that the villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff. Wanda already makes questionable decisions in WandaVision when she deals with her grief by taking over the town of Westview and controlling the minds of its inhabitants. By the end of the series, however, she realizes the extent of her wrongdoings and reverts the town of Westview back to its regular state. Indeed, Wanda has, throughout the MCU and the comics, always toed the morally-grey line: always trying to do good, but inevitably making mistakes (and being driven to make mistakes) along the way at the unfortunate expense of those around her. Wanda is a superhero and a human with flaws, and to suggest that she makes the turn to a full-on villain seems to be a stretch—at least for now.

What's key is: "old-friend-turned-enemy." That label better suits Karl Mordo, who already objected to Doctor Strange and the Ancient One's use of magic. The post-credits scene of Doctor Strange featured Mordo vowing to stop what he views as other sorcerers continuing to misuse their magic. Strange's spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home ignores Wong's warnings and is cast without properly briefing Peter Parker beforehand. When the spell is recast at the end of the film, the world loses its memory of Peter Parker's existence. Mordo already views Strange as being irresponsible, but what he sees as continuing abuse of magic may drive Mordo even further into an antagonistic role. "The greatest threat to our universe is you," Mordo tells Strange in the teaser trailer for the Multiverse of Madness.

An alternate Doctor Strange appears in the teaser, who appears to be a version often referred to as "Strange Supreme". In the What If...? series, an alternate version of Strange causes the destruction of his universe when he refuses to accept Christine Palmer's death. Strange himself could potentially be one of his own villains in the Multiverse of Madness.

Related: Benedict Cumberbatch Is Open to Many More MCU Adventures After Doctor Strange 2

Expected Release Date

Benedict Cumberbatch Is Worried Doctor Strange 2 Won't Meet Fans' Expectations

The film was originally set to open before Spider-Man: No Way Home. Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film experienced multiple delays. For now, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 6, 2022 (a push-back from a previously-intended March 2022 release).