Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness debuted in theaters on May 6, and it is officially a smash hit. In its opening weekend alone, it made $450 million worldwide. It’s all the more impressive because this is not Captain America or The Incredible Hulk or even Iron Man. This is Doctor Strange, a superhero who—prior to the MCU films—was beloved by comic readers, but lacked the mainstream pervasiveness that would guarantee box office success.
The Doctor Strange films, along with the Guardians of the Galaxy films and the Shang-Chi film, prove Disney and Marvel’s reach and power. They can make their audience care about these lesser-known characters, with no pre-existing knowledge required. The MCU’s self-sustaining ecosystem—its movies, TV shows, and various associated media—is enough to support these stories from the ground up. This new movie demands, more than any other MCU movie aside from Infinity War or Endgame, that you watch the prior movies and TV shows—especially WandaVision—to derive full enjoyment, and Complex has you covered.
If you are one of the rare few people who have yet to watch Doctor Strange 2, beware—there are major spoilers ahead. Here are 33 references and Easter eggs in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that you might have missed, including those mid and end credits scenes.
1. Watch Callback
2. Dr. Nicodemus West
3. Shuma-Gorath or Gargantos?
4. Meet America Chavez
In his sit-down with America, Stephen recalls his multiverse experience with Spider-Man. Despite wiping everyone’s memory (including his own) about Spider-Man’s true identity in No Way Home, he still retains some residual memories of the web-slinger.
5. Bow To The Sorcerer Supreme
6. 'WandaVision' Musical Cue
When we see Wanda, she’s doing the same thing she was doing at the end of WandaVision, she’s putting her two “kids” to bed. Clearly, she still hasn’t found her way since the Westview incident. She may have reconciled the loss of Vision, but not of her future children.
7. Happy Mother’s Day!
8. Master Hamir
9. Green Minotaur
10. Mind Control Witchcraft
America and Stephen pass through multiple universes on their way to Earth-838. It goes by quickly, but you can make out the Living Tribunal from the Disney Plus show Loki.
11. Return of Mordo
In the comics, the Baxter Foundation is where Reed Richards and Ben Grimm both studied after being marked as child science prodigies early in life. In the movie, it’s where Earth-838 Christine works and conducts research on the multiverse.
12. Numbered Universes
13. The Illuminati
14. Captain Britain
Played by Anson Mount, Black Bolt is the royal leader of the Inhumans, a race of supernatural beings. The Inhumans had their own television series in 2017, but it only lasted for eight episodes; Marvel pulled the plug after low commercial and critical performance. Mount is reprising his role from that series.
Scarlet Witch kills Black Bolt by sealing his mouth, causing his sonic scream to reverberate internally and destroy his head.
15. Captain Marvel
Reed Richards (John Krasinski), also known as Mister Fantastic, is the leader of the Fantastic Four. He has the iconic ‘4’ on his chest, implying that somewhere in Earth-838, there is also an Invisible Woman, a Human Torch, and a Thing running around. A Fantastic Four film is currently in development, and it is expected to conclude the MCU’s Phase 4.
Scarlet Witch kills Reed Richards by splitting him into strands like Polly-O mozzarella string cheese.
16. Professor X
Before he dies, Professor X tries to free Wanda’s repressed consciousness from under rubble. This symbolizes her trauma at Sokovia, where as a child, Wanda lost both her parents in a military strike.
17. Team of Ultrons
In the MCU, Mount Wundagore is where the demon Chthon wrote the Darkhold, and it is also the location of the original copy, which Wanda needs after her copy is destroyed by Sara Wolfe. Mount Wundagore is also a nexus of dark magic in the comics, and coincidentally, it’s where Wanda’s and Pietro’s mother gave birth to them.
18. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
19. Delta 88
We learn that MCU Stephen had a sister who died by drowning in a frozen lake when he was young, which explains a lot about his overbearing need to control everything in his life. The comics version of Donna dies in a similar fashion and inspires Stephen to take up medicine.
20. Bach and Wagner Battle
21. Relic Callback
The third eye that Dr. Strange gains at the end of the movie is likely a physical representation of the Eye of Agamotto, the gold relic around his neck. The relic no longer houses the Time Stone, but it is still imbued with magic. In Hindu traditions, the “third eye” is a symbolic representation of perceptiveness, enlightenment, and higher consciousness.