So far, the MCU has slowly setting up the multiverse and its alternate timelines. But in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the stakes are significantly higher. Although every reality presents new storytelling opportunities, they also give the filmmakers more chances to paint themselves into a corner. That is something that screenwriter Michael Waldron recognized from the beginning of his time on the project. multiverse’s pros.
Waldron discussed the challenges of expanding the scope of Marvel’s multiverse during a recent interview with SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar+). He previously explored the concept as the head writer of Marvel’s Loki series. However, landing the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel gave him a much larger canvas. That’s why it was important for the multiverse to serve a purpose beyond easy fan service.
“The danger is you can expand your scope too wide,” said Waldron. “And you can actually reduce the stakes if you don’t make it personal as you go bigger and wider. But the opportunity in the multiverse is to have characters confront literal ‘What ifs?’ and alternate versions of themselves and perhaps others in their lives. It’s an interesting way to hold up a mirror to characters.”
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Waldron went on to explain how it was vital for these What If…?-style scenarios to connect to the characters’ narrative growth on a deep and personal level.
“In every way, it shapes the emotional heart of the story,” continued Waldron. “It has to. The multiverse isn’t just a MacGuffin where we’re like, ‘Okay, this is just a kitschy thing that we’re playing with in this movie.’ If you’re faced with alternate realities and with alternate versions of yourself that has to become the emotional heart, exploring who you might be if you were a different version of yourself, if you made other choices, the right choices or the wrong choices. It’s complex stuff, emotionally, and that’s exactly why it’s so thrilling and so great for a cast as dramatically talented as this one.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters on May 6.
Are you excited to see how the film’s characters are changed by the multiverse? Let us know in the comments down below!
Recommended Reading: Doctor Strange Vol. 1: The Way of the Weird
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