Is Doctor Strange Hiding Something In 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'?

The long awaited trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally here, and it was nothing shy of amazing. Doctor Strange seems to be having a key role in the upcoming film as he shared many scenes with Tom Holland as both Peter Parker, and Spider-Man. When it was revealed a little over a year ago that Strange would be making an appearance in the threequel, my excitement began to run rampant and of course, my theories began to swirl. Strange casting a spell for the newfound pariah in Peter Parker, was always my prime theory. Especially since that is something that Strange has done for Peter in the comics before. Not for the same reason, but was it really that hard to suspect that a wizard appearing in the film wouldn’t be asked by a hero keen on making childish mistakes in his early years as Spider-Man, to use magic to make the world’s population forget his secret identity?

There being snow in the Sanctum Santorum is interesting, and this could have been due to a portal being held open for too long, allowing for snow to blow in. Remember in Doctor Strange when Kaucilius’ henchman gets tossed into the desert thanks to the portal mirrors we see sand fly in? Or when Wong sends Cull Obsidian on a trip to Antarctica in Avengers: Infinity War we saw some snow back then as well make it’s way to the Sanctum? Well, imagine something like that, but with the environment’s weather getting into the Sanctum for a prolonged amount of time.

Another possibility is that the Sorcerer Supreme accidentally cast a snowstorm in his house, which would be quite an annoying mistake. No matter how it happened, I’m sure we’ll get the answer, and I don’t expect it to be a gag in the film itself, meant to lighten up the mood and provide a few laughs, like many are speculating.

Of course the trailer could be playing it as if Strange agreed to Peter’s request seemingly right away, but I think there’s more to it than meets the eye. Throughout literature, and many movies, the deepest parts of hell are covered in ice. When we see Peter arrive at the Sanctum, the interior of the building is covered in snow. Granted the film takes place during the winter, and the building in the comics at least, tends to have a mind of its own and could be adapting to the current climate. But the correlation is definitely there. Throughout the entirety of WandaVision it was heavily speculated that Mephisto (Marvel’s version of the Devil) would be the main villain and was corrupting Wanda Maximoff, or she made a deal with him. That ended up being a pipe dream, but there were numerous teases to the devilish character throughout the show.

Could Mephisto be pretending to be Doctor Strange? This would explain why Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme whose sole purpose is to protect Earth and the reality it sits in at all costs, is messing with the space time continuum in helping to birth the multiverse. The decision is extremely out of character for Strange, and yes he’s arrogant and cocky, and does as he pleases to further learn more about magic and the world itself, but it just didn’t seem right. Wong even warned Strange to not do this “extremely dangerous” spell before he walked into a portal and left the Sanctum. Strange winks at Peter as Wong leaves and something just seemed a little sinister about the wink. Peter then second guesses doing the spell after he kept asking Strange if certain people could remember that he’s Spider-Man, and as Strange is forging the spell he tells Peter to stop talking and continues to conjure it up.

An upcoming episode of What If…? will feature an evil Doctor Strange, and details have been revealed about the character. “In his 2016 origin story, Strange turns to magic to regain the use of his hands after a horrific injury effectively ends his career as a neurosurgeon. The show’s version of the character will turn to magic following the ‘death of his true love,’ which leads him ‘down a darker path with dark and dangerous magic in an attempt to change his past.’”

This version of the character clearly sounds like a departure from the one first introduced in 2016’s Doctor Strange and proceeding films. This Doctor Strange storyline is perhaps the most heavily anticipated part of What If...? because the show is expected to tie-in directly with Spider-Man: No Way Home, which will be when we see Doctor Strange next. How What If…? Will directly connect to Spider-Man and what dark path Strange goes down remains to be seen. As it is described above, Strange's storyline sounds slightly similar to that of Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecillius, who was also motivated by grief. Perhaps the MCU series could see Strange take on his role instead. The show’s trailer shows this darker version of Strange taking on the one from the live-action films that fans have come to know and love.

There is also the rumor that Hayley Atwell’s Agent Carter, last seen in the pilot episode of What If…? will be making an appearance in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Atwell has said numerous times of late that her, “MCU future is rather interesting,” and the trailer for season one of What If…? even features a shot of Carter meeting the evil Doctor Strange, who looks a little remorseful. It’s entirely possible that this evil Strange could feature in a live-action film, and Carter too, considering that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has been on record to say that characters introduced in What If…? will make live-action appearances.

Ever since elite actor Jeffrey Wright was cast as Uatu the Watcher in What If…?, I’ve believed that his role is far more an animated narrator. Uatu is the only Watcher of note, and a character whose had a fascinating comic book history. As he says in every episode, the Watchers can’t act, they can only sit back on the sidelines and watch as good or evil are brought throughout the cosmos. Uatu on the other hand has stepped in many times to either warn heroes of an incoming threat, or to help them out first hand.

I bet that by the end of season one of What If…?, Uatu will assemble a team of heroes to form the Guardians of the Multiverse. This isn’t a team in the comics, but with the multiverse being a HUGE part of the MCU moving forward, why not have a team dedicated to help? Carter being the leader, Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger joining, and maybe Loki or Thanos as wll. Loki will feature in this week’s episode, and it’s been rumored for months that Loki will appear in The Multiverse Of Madness.

The last time I checked the “prime” Loki was trapped in a dystopian TVA with Kang as a ruler of sorts. So a Loki variant seems like the best bet. Killmonger will save Tony Stark from the 2008 explosion, and will seemingly not become Iron Man. And then there’s Thanos. As we saw in last week’s episode, T’Challa was able to persuade Thanos to not seek out the Infinity Stones, and to just double the world’s resources, and Thanos became a hero. Would seeing a live-action Thanos whose entirely a good guy be weird for both the heroes of the MCU and moviegoers? I’m sure of it, but it’s something that I could easily get behind.

Then there’s a more logical explanation, and one that will probably take shape. Wong is no more clear than when Peter asks Doctor Strange about potentially casting a spell to solve all of his problems, a solution in which Wong was the first to warn the Sorcerer Supreme about. A spell as large as erasing the entire world’s memory can’t be an easy one, and it’s likely to be dangerous and risky in all kinds of unimaginable ways. So it’s completely understandable that he would be hesitant of Strange doing such a thing.

But again with Strange, he isn’t one to let his limitations stop him, especially if it is to help someone he views as a young friend whose in a tough spot. This is where that arrogance peaks its head again, just as Strange’s guard is down as he tries to help someone who just helped to save half of the universe.

Stephen may have also underestimated the spell, thinking that there was nothing to fret about, after all, he is the Sorcerer Supreme. In fact, he may not have even known that there was a multiversal element to consider in the first place. As for where Wong may be going when he's last seen in the trailer, there’s a good chance that Strange has gotten on his nerves and he just needs a break. Maybe off to visit Shang-Chi again.

The answers will surely come when Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters December 17!