Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness features two post-credits scenes, the first of which has major implications for the future of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Master of the Mystic Arts.
After a lot of waiting and even more speculating from fans, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has finally landed in theaters in the US. The Marvel sequel sees the return of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, as well as introducing Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez and marking director Sam Raimi’s return to Marvel movies for the first time since 2007’s Spider-Man 3.
After an encounter with Sinister Strange, whose universe has collapsed, Multiverse of Madness sees the MCU’s Doctor Strange using the book of dark magic known as the Darkhold. He suffers the effects of its power as, in the very last moments before the credits roll, he keels over in agony and opens a third eye. The first post-credits scene sees Strange faced with more of the fallout of his actions throughout the film as Clea, played by Charlize Theron appears.
In the comics, Clea is a disciple and love interest of Doctor Strange with ties to Dormammu. She has ruled the Dark Dimension and, at one point, was married to Strange. When she appears in the post-credits scene of Multiverse of Madness, she confronts Strange, telling him that he has caused an incursion – a collision between two separate universes – and that they are going to fix it. Strange joins her side as she opens a gateway to another dimension and, in the scene’s final moments, his third eye opens once again. It looks like Strange is learning to master and embrace his new ability.
It is not yet clear if the incursion Clea speaks of is one caused directly by Earth-616’s Strange, or whether it is the consequence of another Strange’s actions. However, this clearly sets up an alliance between the two and possibly lays the groundwork for a new love story for Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange now that Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer is no longer in his life.
While this first post-credits scene sets up a cinematic future between Doctor Strange and Clea, who will likely return in future instalments of the Marvel franchise, the film’s final post-credits scene is a funny moment with a Sam Raimi regular. Bruce Campbell appears earlier in the movie as “Pizza Poppa” – a street vendor on Earth-838, who accuses both America Chavez and Strange of theft. Strange puts Campbell’s character under a spell that causes him to start hitting himself, telling America it will wear off after about 3 weeks.
The final post-credits scene sees Campbell’s Pizza Poppa still hitting himself outside his pizza stall, when suddenly he regains control of his fists. He then looks straight to camera and, in a slightly meta gag, tells the audience “It’s over!” as the film ends.
Here is the synopsis for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:
The MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Directed by Sam Raimi from a script written by Michael Waldron, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams, and Patrick Stewart.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters now. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the MCU film and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
