Menu
close
Menu
From a Multiverse of Madness to the questions of What If....., the release of the new Dr. Strange movie has us scrambling to catch up on all things Marvel and, as with all Marvel movies before it, watching it without the context of other Marvel movies leaves you lost to the storyline. With the advent of the new Marvel Series adding to this, we have a lot to catch up on to prepare for the Madness that is the Multiverse. So I'm here to guide you through this maze as we prepare for the Madness that lies ahead. I bring you a list of movies and shows to watch before venturing into the Multiverse of Madness; some are pretty obvious, but only deep Marvel fanatics know some. Now let's get into the list:
We're going to start with the pretty obvious ones and move to the less obvious ones down the line; watch out for the bonus ones I threw in there.
Credit: Marvel
Dr. Strange: Circa 2016, It goes without saying that viewers should watch the first movie before the second, but I have to reiterate it just in case you didn't realize there was a first movie. So definitely check out the first Dr. Strange movie before heading to the cinemas.
The Avengers Movies: This somewhat goes without saying due to the MCU movie timeline, but then I realize not everyone is a Marvel movie junkie like me. To help you streamline the process, it's important to note the most relevant Avenger Movies to watch before you dive into the Multiverse of Madness. Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity Wars, and Avengers: Endgame, these are the most relevant as they have elements to do with the Stones, Sorcery, and Wanda Maximoff.
Spiderman: No Way Home: The elements of this spiderman sequel are pivotal in the display of why you shouldn't mess with the timeline. It also gave us a deeper glance into what powers the Sorcerer Supreme holds. Peter Parker's Journey through a warped Universe shows us a hint of the Madness.
WandaVision: From the trailers of the Multiverse of Madness, it's clear that Wanda Maximoff Plays a huge role in this next chapter of the Sorcerer Supreme's story, and to understand that, you need to watch the series WandaVision it gives you the back story so you can see the complete picture.
Shang Chi and The Legend Of The Ten Rings: You May wonder how this ties into the complex matters of the Multiverse, but it does cause the reality of the movie Shang Chi to have a direct relationship with the End Game Aftermath and how that affected Dr. Strange. Doctor Strange is no longer Sorcerer Supreme. His partner and friend, Wong (played by Benedict Wong), has been holding that title since Strange was snapped away. Wong makes an appearance in this film - where he is seen working with former bad guy Abomination for a moment. We see more of that partnership in the Multiverse of Madness.
Credit: Marvel
What If……: The What if... series answers various questions and exposes us to alternate timelines from the ones we already know exist. In Episodes 4 and 9, we were introduced to a variant of Doctor Strange, who loses the love of his life instead of the use of his hands, which leads him down a dark path. It takes us on the journey of him trying to change time and the consequences while learning about fixed points in time. A seemingly evil-looking version of Strange appears in Multiverse of Madness trailers that we could connect to these episodes.
As for the fifth episode of What If… it introduces us to a zombified version of the MCU, fans have hypothesized that this episode is connected to a seemingly zombified version of Doctor Strange seen in one of the trailers for the Multiverse of Madness. This theory is highly probable but seemingly far-fetched from what you see in What If… If the series has taught us anything it is that anything can happen in the Multiverse.
Loki: We love the Prince of Trickery, but that's not why he's on the list; the series Loki is essential to the next chapter. Loki reveals the Time Variance Authority and their effort to protect the sacred timeline, which is ultimately destroyed by the end of the first season, paving the way for the Multiverse of Madness. So Loki brings us a sense of understanding of what leads to the Madness that ensues in the Multiverse.
Bonus Movies:
X-Men: The original 2000s is X-men is playing a role in this Madness; the voice of Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier is heard in snippets of the trailer, which makes us wonder what version of Professor X we're going to see. So we're throwing it back to the original X-Men to get the ideas of what is going on.
Agent Carter: A lot of people, especially pre-What If…, didn't realize that Agent Peggy Carter had her own series; it was a briefly lived show and was canceled after the first season but watching this will give an insight into some aspects of the series What If…
Extra Bonus Movie:
Evil Dead: The 1981 movie isn't a part of the marvel universe; it's just for reference for my cinematography lovers. The framing and cinematic style of this movie is referenced in Doctor Strange. It is also one of the first movies directed by Sam Raimi, who also directed the Multiverse of Madness.
In total, there's probably over 200+ hours of watch time; maybe less, maybe more, but there's a lot to catch up on before you watch the Multiverse of Madness; even if you have watched it, it's still not too late to go back and get context.
Author’s Bio: Oluwatobi Omotoso is a writer, content creator, Social Media Manager, and marketing strategist. She's an avid treehugger and lover of all things sci-fi. She's been compared to the Joker in personality tests, and her friends lovingly call her a Megalomaniac.