I also like how Strange made a 1960s reference when he was first introduced to Mr. Fantastic, which lends credence to the idea the eventual MCU Fantastic Four movies will be set in the 1960s, which handily explains why they haven't been around in the MCU thus far.
I thought that was just Dr Strange conflating the Fantastic Four with the Fab Four.
Overall, I think I enjoyed the movie for what it was, but it wasn't really what I was expecting. For one thing, I was expecting it to draw on the events of
Loki but it doesn't. Granted, hardly anyone anywhere in the multiverse other than two specific Lokis (well, a Loki and a Sylvie) actually know what is going on, but I just thought the splitting of the "sacred timeline" was meant to be what caused the opening of the multiverse, but this movie made it seem like the multiverse had always been there, full of variants.
I'm also not 100% sure I like the direction they took Wanda in. Yes, the Darkhold was going to make her go bad, and she became fixated on trying to reunite with her children ... but if she created them using magic, how can there still be versions of her where she's seemingly living a happy, normal suburban life with them (and, apparently, without Vision)?
Also, I feel like there's a bit of sexism in how the Darkhold makes traumatized Wanda go out of control evil but Dr Strange, who is repeatedly criticized for being arrogant and controlling and is repeatedly warned about the dangers of using the Darkhold, gets away with it. Wong even says "I don't want to know" when he sees Strange using the Darkhold to puppet a zombie version of himself.
Yes, Wanda points out this double standard herself early in the film, but the filmmakers then proceed to let Strange continue to break the rules and remain a hero while Wanda ends up having to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to make up for he villainry. (Yes, I know, the Darkhold has had some kind of effect on Strange, now that he's got his own third eye, but the implications of that won't be revealed until some future film.)
I presume
our Wanda is now dead, and if she appears again in any future shows or movies, it'll be a variant Wanda. If so, this is a bit disappointing, because I was looking forward to seeing
our Wanda reunite with Vision (and the boys). It would be nice for Wanda to get a real happy ending after everything she's been through.
All that said, Elizabeth Olsen really nailed villainous Wanda.
I also felt like introducing a bunch of new characters and variants of existing characters (as the Illuminati) only to kill them off moments later was a bit strange. Will we now see another variant of Professor X and/or Reed Richards in a future MCU product?
In the Star Wars sequels, Luke Skywalker quips that "No one's ever really gone." The MCU multiverse puts a whole new spin on that. The death of a beloved character no longer carries as much meaning. We've already got a new Loki and a new Gamorra. Who's next? Will they bring back Tony or Nat?
Another thought: All the Dr Stranges we saw in this film looked like Benedict Cumberbatch. Likewise, all the Wandas looked like Elizabeth Olsen. But all the Peter Parkers we got in the last Spider Man film looked completely different. How common is that, or will they just handwave it away because they wanted to bring back the other actors who played Parker?
