Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has left the fans divided. This polarizing Sam Raimi MCU flick has had the lowest ever CinemaScore rating for an MCU movie after Eternals. It’s B+ CinemaScore rating is proof that the movie has the fanbase dazed and confused. Not many are liking the way the movie handled some of its major characters.
Some fans have even come forth to put their opinions on why Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was, in reality, a huge MCU misfire.
SPOILER ALERT: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS UP AHEAD….
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Scarlet Witch Eats The Illuminati For Brunch
The Illuminati were Earth-838’s greatest minds and warriors. They were protectors of the universe. On their own, they managed to defeat Thanos, a feat that was almost impossible for the Avengers to accomplish. We all truly believed that the Illuminati would rip Wanda Maximoff a new one. They had an Omega Level telepath, a guy who can rip holes in the universe with a whisper, the universe’s greatest minds, a being of pure energy, and world’s greatest tactician in their ranks.
Wanda Maximoff made short work of them all. Granted she was a Nexus Being who wielded chaos magic, the fans really expected the movie to show they put up a better fight against Wanda. They did Black Bolt and Mister Fantastic dirty. UNFORGIVABLE!!
No Chthon, Mephisto, Or Nightmare……..Again!
The most popular theory was that the true big bad wolf of the movie will be a demonic entity from another dimension. There were many candidates that fit that description. Chthon of the Flickering Realms was an Elder God who wrote the Darkhold. Mephisto had been hinted at since WandaVision. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer also teased the Fear Lord Nightmare, a classic Doctor Strange villain, may be coming to the MCU.
The villain turned out to be Wanda Maximoff herself, corrupted by the Darkhold. While we appreciate the twist, we were expecting a bit more.
Sinister Strange Was A Bust
After escaping the Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange and Earth-838 Christine Palmer found themselves in a reality that had been desecrated by an incursion. And there we see Sinister Strange, a Doctor Strange variant everyone thought would help the good guys in fighting Wanda Maximoff. But lo and behold, Sinister Strange wasn’t here to help Strange 616.
He was just here for a weird musical magic fight that defies all MCU explanations. His Darkhold came in handy but the fans wanted Sinister Strange to play more than just a villain. Marvel’s What If had hyped us up way too much. So this twist actually hurt.
Doctor Strange Couldn’t Use The Book Of Vishanti
In what turned out to be a pointless quest, Doctor Strange, America Chavez, and Christine Palmer find the waypoint to the Gap Junction, the plane where the Book of Vishanti resides. Considered the antithesis of the Darkhold, the Book of Vishanti contained powerful spells of Eldritch Magic that could counter Wanda’s Darkhold and her chaos magic.
Did he get to use it though? Doctor Strange did get to the Book of Vishanti in his hands. But before he could even get to the ‘Table of Contents’ part, Wanda destroyed it altogether. Now this is a weapon the Illuminati use against an Infinity Gauntlet wielding Thanos. This is how they defeated him in Earth-838 universe. Fans wanted to see just how powerful was the magic in those pages. Sadly we never could.
Giving Elizabeth Olsen A Dark Twist
Marvel Studios does not exactly have a record of treating its famous and powerful female characters properly. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was given an unceremonious farewell. Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel is hated upon by thousands. Wanda Maximoff was one of the few female characters who was super strong and well-respected as a hero.
Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange 2 makes her a full-fledged villain. The movie turns her into an absolute monster. Fans claim an easy way out would have been if Scarlet Witch was under someone’s control like Mephisto or Chthon. But she did everything of her own volition. Her death was symbolic of her transition back as a hero but it could have been completely avoided.
