Fans On Twitter Are Suspicious Of Doctor Strange In The Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer

Sony Pictures just released the first official trailer for the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Spider-Man" series, "Spider-Man: No Way Home." The trailer revealed glimpses of what is to come in the life of Peter Parker following the events of his last film, "Spider-Man: Far From Home." As Peter (Tom Holland) deals with the ramifications of having his secret identity revealed to the world, he turns to Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help, hoping the Sorcerer Supreme has a spell to undo what Mysterio did in the last film. Predictably, the spell goes horribly awry and Peter is left to contend with a slew of new villains and challenges as the multiverse seemingly falls apart around him.

The trailer hadn't been released for even a day before people began picking it apart in true MCU fashion. It shows off a lot to be excited about, from the inclusion of Alfred Molina's Dr. Octopus from the Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" trilogy, to the tease of the Green Goblin, and the long-awaited team-up of Dr. Strange and Spider-Man. However, there's something about Dr. Strange that has many fans on Twitter suspicious of the wizard. Could there be more than meets the eye (of Agamotto) when it comes to this multiversal magician?

The speculation surrounding Dr. Strange kicked off with a Twitter thread made by user @BossLogic saying, "I for one think that Dr. Strange is suspect. Especially since we are getting introduced to the Dark Dr. in 'What if?' Probably a stretch but he looks sus." Before long, people began commenting on the post, sharing what aspects of Dr. Strange seemed a bit off in this trailer.

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised to find out that Stephen has been in control of everything the entire movie, and that he's just teaching Peter a lesson," wrote @TheNaughtyNook. "Because my dude was quick to use a dangerous, reality-altering spell for little to no reason." Plenty of other characters in the Marvel universe can mess with the multiverse, most notably Mephisto, who did precisely that in the "One More Day" comic storyline.

On top of Strange's seemingly out-of-character use of a dangerous spell, user @krisPbacon83 noticed that this Dr. Strange still has the Eye of Agamotto in the trailer, despite the artifact getting destroyed by Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War." Unless the Strange we know rebuilt it without the Time Stone, this might indicate some multiversal interference from another Strange. The movie may explain why he has another Infinity Stone (maybe he took it out of the drawer at the Time Variance Authority).

Finally, user @ScatterBrainUK theorizes that Strange "does seem to be gunning for Peter in parts of the trailer: multiplying the trains in what looks like a face-off plus the other mirror-dimension-like scenes plus the aggressive way he's forcing peters astral form to leave his body." If that is true, then this film may see Strange become a villain. The reason why, however, is anyone's guess.

On the other side of the coin, some people out there think the Doctor Strange we saw in the "Spider-Man: No Way Home" trailer is absolutely in line with what we've seen of the character so far. Screen Rant features editor Alisha Grauso writes, "Everyone saying Doctor Strange doing the spell even though it was dangerous seems out of character apparently forgot that Stephen Strange's foundation in the MCU is arrogance and the desire to test limits."

Granted, he seemed more subdued in "Infinity War" and "Endgame," but perhaps Tony Stark's death had a profound impact on him. It's possible Strange recognizes that Peter's identity being known to the world puts his life, as well as the safety of his loved ones, in jeopardy. He may be more willing to bend the rules a little bit if it means he can save another Avenger's life.

Another factor worth bearing in mind is that the MCU "Spider-Man" trailers have a habit of bending the truth a little bit. This most notably occurred with the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" trailer, which included a shot of Iron Man and Spider-Man going through New York City together. It became an iconic moment, but it's nowhere to be found in the film itself. It's possible Doctor Strange's willingness to mess with the space-time continuum was edited for trailer purposes to make the story cleaner. We could find something entirely different once the film releases on December 17, 2021.