Small Details You Missed In The First Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Trailer

If "Spider-Man: No Way Home" left you hungry for more multiverse shenanigans, Marvel has got you covered. 

In a surprising move, the studio has dropped the first teaser trailer online for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," six days after it appeared at the end of "No Way Home." The millions of people who made their way out to see the third Tom Holland-led Spidey installment saw the trailer already — as it served as the movie's post-credits scene — and today's drop is the same exact teaser, but now, we can break it down, frame by frame, and examine just what the heck might be going on in the upcoming Sam Raimi-directed film.

There are no spoilers for "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in the teaser trailer, so if you haven't seen that behemoth of a film, there's no need to click away. However, there are spoilers here for a number of Disney+ shows, so it's best to brush up on your "WandaVision" and "What If...?" knowledge. With that said, this teaser is packed full of hidden details that you might not have noticed on the first watch, so let's break down all those moments that require a second look.

Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) aka the Scarlet Witch is back in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and we're still not quite sure what her part is yet. Many have suggested she is going to play a villain in the film (via Inverse), while others hope she'll remain an ally to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). 

Toward the beginning of the teaser, Stephen meets Wanda in an orchard and asks for help, noting he doesn't care about what happened in Westview, because an even bigger disaster is happening. She seems happy in her new space, but where their relationship goes from here is a mystery. The trailer suggests she might be leaning toward the dark side after fully suiting up in her new Scarlet Witch gear, which she donned in the finale episode of "WandaVision." She also looks like she could be conjuring a spell or practicing some type of magic as she sits outside a circle made of candles. 

Remember, the last time we saw her, Wanda was trying to find her sons somewhere in the multiverse, so whatever she has to do to get them will likely cloud her judgment. That said, Marvel does love sneakily editing trailers to plant false clues in the minds of viewers, so the specifics regarding her actual role likely won't be revealed until the film's debut.

We first heard that Xochitl Gomez would be joining the cast of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" back in October 2020 (via Variety). At the time, it wasn't entirely clear who Gomez would be playing, but it didn't take long for word to get around that she was set to bring the first live-action version of America Chavez (aka Miss America) to life (via Cinema Blend). Chavez made her Marvel Comics debut in a 2011 series titled "Vengeance" and has appeared in various Marvel comic books in the years since. She is the second character to use the Miss America title, following Madeline Joyce, who first used the name in Marvel comics in the 1940s (via Marvel). One of Marvel's most prominent LGBTQ+ characters, the comic book version of Chavez hails from an alternate reality, and has the power to break open star-shaped holes in the universe, permitting extradimensional travel — an extremely handy ability for the mess that Stephen Strange appears to have found himself in.

Chavez is seen briefly in the trailer for the "Doctor Strange" sequel, on two separate occasions. The first glimpse shows her from behind, clad in her iconic denim jacket. Following that, she is seen standing behind Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and next to Christine Palmer. While standing in a doorway to another dimension, all three characters appear to be figuring out how to tackle what is certain to be a dangerous threat to the multiverse. 

While Chavez doesn't get much screen time in this first trailer, she is almost certain to be a prominent player in the MCU, going forward. Given Marvel's increasing dedication to younger heroes, we have to wonder what role she could play in the future of this cinematic multiverse as a whole.

Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) has returned for her third go in the MCU after appearing in the original "Doctor Strange," followed by Episode 4 of "What If...?" She's walking down the aisle in a wedding gown in the teaser, but it doesn't look like Stephen will be the one to greet her at the altar. The sorcerer is in the crowd that stands and looks on as she trots toward the mystery person (who we never see). He looks rather devastated to watch the woman he loves marry someone else.

In Episode 4 of "What If...?," Christine and Stephen seem to be living a very happy life until she dies in a car accident. Despite trying to change time, we learn her death is an absolute point in time that cannot be prevented. These events directly led to the creation of Strange Supreme, as the Stephen in that universe is overcome with rage and sadness and consistently rewinds time. He ends up breaking down the fabric of reality, and that Strange's universe ultimately comes to an end. How this all plays into the events of "Multiverse of Madness" remains to be seen, but Christine's marriage seems sure to create fireworks.

There are several connections to "What If...?" Episode 4 in the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" trailer. The first comes when Stephen walks out onto the streets of New York (or so we think) to find the world around him disappearing into thin air. The buildings slowly break down and dissolve, marking a direct parallel to how the universe starts to dissipate in the aforementioned animated series. This is basically a perfect live-action version of the same scene in "What If...?"

Additionally, a second version of Doctor Strange appears at the end of the episode, which we have to assume is Strange Supreme. He is much more emo-looking, dressed all in black and missing our Stephen's signature silver locks. His look matches the animated Strange Supreme from "What If...?" which would mark the first time something from the series crossed over into an MCU film. The two Stranges look like they might need to work together to fix a fractured multiverse, but we don't suspect they'll be on the same side for long (and that's assuming Strange Supreme doesn't end up being the big bad of the film, which is also possible).

In the opening moments of the new trailer, we get a brief glimpse at the broken watch of Stephen Strange. As the reflection of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) peers down at the useless time piece, the voice of Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) sends Strange a terrifying message: "Your desecration of reality will not go unpunished." 

In many other science fiction properties, a broken watch can signify disastrous, time travel-related deeds. And in this case, the watch in question is actually the exact same model previously seen on the wrist of the Master of the Mystic Arts in the first "Doctor Strange" film. In that movie, Strange receives the watch as a gift from Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). A message on the back of the watch reads, "Time will tell how much I love you, Christine." The watch is broken during an altercation with a mugger in Kamar-Taj, but Strange continues to wear it as a tribute to his former life and as a reminder of his affection for Christine. According to Gentleman's Journal, Strange's watch of choice is called a "Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual" and is worth more than $36,000.

The watch's cracked face could indicate that time has gone amiss, whether due to Strange's use of the Time Stone in the first movie, or the events of "Infinity War" and "Endgame," or the multiversal chaos of "No Way Home" ... or all of the above. When you think about it, it's no wonder the multiverse has gone mad.

Does Kevin Feige have an innate hatred of public transportation these days? Following an epic fight sequence in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" that sees the titular hero cut a bus in half, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) seems to be following suit, with his own twist on things. 

In the trailer, when a giant CGI monster throws a bus at Strange, he uses his mastery of the mystic arts to bisect the bus only mere seconds before it can kill him. So, what exactly is that CGI monster so intent on killing Doctor Strange? Well, though some could be forgiven for thinking the tentacle-armed beast resembles Starro from "The Suicide Squad, the Rathtars in "Stars Wars: The Force Awakens," or even Shuma-Gorath from the "Doctor Strange" comics, this creature is actually called Gargantos. 

Gargantos' appearance in the film had been previously rumored, and a LEGO leak added fuel to the fire (per Den of Geek), this scene from the trailer serves as the first official confirmation of the character's villainous role. Notably, though Gargantos first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1969, the character hasn't made a great many appearances since (via Fandom). The choice to use Gargantos instead of the more recognizable Shuma-Gorath perhaps implies that the monster will have a smaller role, or that different aspects from each of the two tentacled beasts could have been merged.