Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron opens up about the film’s cliffhanger ending and what it means for the character.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron explained his decision to end the Marvel Cinematic Universe film on a semi-cliffhanger.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Waldron revealed why the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange ended with Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular character developing a third eye in the middle of his forehead and dropping to his knees in agony. “I felt like we had a happy ending. We were like, like, ‘Gee, you know, for a movie where a lot of bad shit happens, we got kind of a happy ending here.’ We really wrapped it up and that didn’t quite seem right,” Waldron explained. “We kept thinking about what Mordo warned Strange in the first movie: ‘The bill comes due.’ It’s like Wong says, ‘You possessed your own corpse.’ Like, is this guy ever going to face any consequences? And it just felt like a great nod to horror movies where there’s that final twist.”
Multiverse of Madness‘ conclusion isn’t the last time audiences see Doctor Strange’s newfound third eye. It also features in the film’s mid-credits which features Clea (Charlize Theron) telling Strange that he has started an incursion. After opening a passage to the Dark Dimension, Clea asks the Master of the Mystic Arts if he will join her through the portal. Strange smirks and opens his third eye, now seemingly unaffected by its inclusion on his forehead, as the pair travel into the Dark Dimension.
In Marvel Comics, the third eye was connected to the Eye of Agamotto, Doctor Strange’s mystic amulet, which held the Time Stone in the MCU. The Eye of Agamotto allowed the wielder to pierce any illusion, among other abilities. In addition to Earth-616’s Doctor Strange, two MCU variants named Doctor Strange Supreme and Sinister Strange have developed third eyes, which appeared after they were corrupted with knowledge from the books of Cagliostro and the Darkhold respectively.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness currently has the largest domestic opening weekend of 2022 after earning $185 million at the box office. By comparison, the previous titleholder, The Batman, grossed $134 million in its first three days. However, the film is tied with 2011’s Thor for the second-worst CinemaScore rating in the MCU. 2021’s Eternals remains the lowest-ranked MCU film with a B.
In addition to Cumberbatch, Multiverse of Madness stars Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez and Rachel McAdams. The film is currently playing in theaters.
Source: Rolling Stone
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