Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Dr. Stephen Strange unintentionally unlocks the frightening complexity of the multiverse. To protect a teenager with the power to travel between dimensions from a ruthless adversary who will stop at nothing to claim that power, Strange must enlist the help of old and new allies, traversing mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities to save the fabric of existence.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 6, 2022 |
Running time |
126 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Fantasy Horror Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$200,000,000 |
Box Office |
$955,775,804 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Sam Raimi |
Produced by |
Kevin Feige |
Written by |
Michael Waldron |
Music by |
Danny Elfman |
Cinematography |
John Mathieson |
Edited by |
Bob Murawski Tia Nolan |
Production Co. |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #02 in Doctor Strange Collection
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The Plot
Betrayal in the Gap Junction
In the surreal, kaleidoscope void of the Gap Junction—the space between universes—an alternate version of Doctor Stephen Strange (Defender Strange) and a teenage girl named America Chavez flee from a grotesque, ribboned demon. They are racing toward the Book of Vishanti, an artifact capable of dispelling the creature. However, the demon creates a blockade, trapping them. Realizing his magic is insufficient to contain the monster, Defender Strange makes a cold calculation. He decides to extract America's unique power to travel the multiverse, knowing the process will kill her, justifying it as a necessary sacrifice to protect reality. Before he can complete the betrayal, the demon impales him. Terrified and acting on instinct, America inadvertently punches a star-shaped portal into the fabric of reality. As the demon crushes Defender Strange’s neck, his lifeless body and America tumble through the portal, falling toward Earth-616.
A Wedding and a Monster
Doctor Strange of Earth-616 wakes with a gasp, dismissing the vivid vision of the girl and his death as a mere nightmare. Trying to maintain normalcy, he dresses formally to attend the wedding of his former lover, Christine Palmer. At the reception, Strange attempts to reconnect, reminiscing about their past, but Palmer gently stands her ground, insisting their relationship was destined to fail due to his need to be the one "holding the knife." The moment is interrupted when commotion erupts on the streets of New York. An invisible force tears through the city, which Strange reveals to be Gargantos, a gigantic, one-eyed tentacled monstrosity.
Strange leaps into action, joined by Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme. During the battle, Strange spots America Chavez—the girl from his "dream"—fleeing the creature. Realizing she is the target, Strange and Wong coordinate a lethal counterattack, slaying Gargantos by brutally gouging out its massive eye with a lamp post. In the aftermath, the sorcerers question America over a pizza. She explains that demons are hunting her to steal her uncontrollably chaotic ability to traverse the multiverse. To prove she is telling the truth, she leads them to a rooftop where she has stashed the corpse of Defender Strange, confirming that Stephen’s nightmare was actually a vision of his variant’s death.
The Scarlet Witch Revealed
Examining the corpse of his variant, Strange discovers runes of witchcraft carved into the flesh, matching those found on Gargantos. Recognizing this as magic beyond his expertise, he seeks out Wanda Maximoff. He finds her seemingly at peace in an apple orchard, pruning trees. However, as they converse, Strange mentions America Chavez. Wanda's facade slips when she accidentally mentions America's name before Strange does. The illusion of the orchard dissolves, revealing a desolate landscape corrupted by the Darkhold. Wanda, now fully consumed by the persona of the Scarlet Witch, reveals she sent the creatures to capture America so she could take her powers, travel to a universe where her sons Billy and Tommy exist, and be their mother again. She issues a chilling ultimatum: Strange must surrender America by sundown, or she will come for her.
The Fall of Kamar-Taj
Strange refuses to yield and takes America to Kamar-Taj, which is fortified by the Masters of the Mystic Arts. They erect massive magical shields and prepare for war. Wanda arrives as promised, floating ominously above the sanctuary. Instead of a direct bombardment, she uses the Darkhold to telepathically infiltrate the mind of a young, terrified sorcerer, forcing him to lower the shields. The barrier collapses, and the Scarlet Witch descends, shredding through the sorcerers' defenses with brutal efficiency. Strange attempts to trap her in the Mirror Dimension, but Wanda uses the reflections in the crystals to crawl her way out. Cornered and terrified by Wanda's approach, America’s powers trigger defensively, opening a portal that sucks her and Strange into the multiverse, leaving Wong behind as a prisoner.
The Illuminati of Earth-838
Strange and America tumble through several surreal realities—including a paint universe and a cartoon universe—before crashing into Earth-838, a futuristic, utopic version of New York City where greenery dominates the skyline. They head to the Sanctum Sanctorum, hoping to find aid, but discover that this universe's Strange died defeating Thanos and is honored with a statue. They are instead greeted by Baron Mordo, who is the Sorcerer Supreme of this reality. Mordo appears friendly, inviting them in for tea, but the drinks are laced with sedatives. Strange and America collapse, realizing too late they have been tricked.
They awaken in a high-tech facility where their powers are dampened. Strange encounters the Earth-838 variant of Christine Palmer, a multiverse scientist who analyzes him coldly. Strange is then brought before the Illuminati for trial. The council consists of Mordo, Captain Peggy Carter (the First Avenger), Blackagar Boltagon (Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans), Captain Maria Rambeau (Captain Marvel), Reed Richards (the smartest man alive), and Professor Charles Xavier. They reveal a dark truth: their Stephen Strange didn't die a hero. He used the Darkhold to dreamwalk, causing an "incursion" that annihilated an entire universe. To prevent further damage, Black Bolt executed him, and the Illuminati fabricated the hero narrative.
Massacre at the Headquarters
Back on Earth-616, Wanda forces Wong to lead her to the source of the Darkhold’s power after a sorceress named Sara sacrifices herself to destroy the physical book. Wong reveals the book is a copy; the original spells are carved into the walls of a temple on Mount Wundagore. At the unholy site, Wanda uses the rock to "dreamwalk," possessing the body of her Earth-838 counterpart, a suburban mother living in Westview.
The possessed Wanda-838 storms the Illuminati headquarters. The heroes attempt to stop her, but are slaughtered one by one. She removes Black Bolt’s mouth, causing his sonic scream to backfire and crush his skull. She unravels Reed Richards into ribbons, bisects Captain Carter with her own shield, and crushes Maria Rambeau beneath a falling statue. Professor Xavier attempts to enter her mind to free the innocent Wanda within, but the Scarlet Witch snaps his neck in the psychic plane. Strange tricks Mordo into breaking his restraints and flees. He reunites with America and Christine-838, escaping into the sewers while Wanda, covered in oil and blood, limps relentlessly after them.
The Book of Vishanti and The Incursion
The trio reaches the Gap Junction, the location of the Book of Vishanti, the antithesis to the Darkhold. Just as Strange grabs the book, Wanda intercepts them. She blasts the book, disintegrating it instantly. She then seizes America Chavez and uses her powers to banish Strange and Christine-838 to a sinister, decaying universe. Wanda drags America back to Earth-616 to begin the ritual of power absorption.
Strange and Christine find themselves in a reality ravaged by an incursion, where New York is dissolving into nothingness. They enter the Sanctum to find Sinister Strange, a variant corrupted by the Darkhold who possesses a third eye on his forehead. He refuses to help, warning that the Darkhold extracts a heavy toll. Desperate, Strange engages him in a duel using musical notes from sheet music as magical projectiles. The battle ends when Strange blasts his variant out of a window, impaling him on a fence.
Dreamwalking into the Dead
With no way back, Strange decides to use the Sinister Strange’s Darkhold to dreamwalk. However, the only vessel available on Earth-616 is the corpse of Defender Strange that America brought with her earlier. Strange performs the forbidden spell, reanimating the rotting corpse. The Spirits of the Damned attack him for violating the natural order, but Christine protects his physical body while Strange asserts dominance over the spirits, turning them into a cloak of darkness. The zombie-Strange, now imbued with the spirits, flies to Mount Wundagore.
The Scarlet Witch's End
At Wundagore, Wong is near death as Wanda begins to drain America’s life. The undead Strange arrives, using the spirits to subdue Wanda temporarily while Wong helps free America. Realizing he cannot defeat the Scarlet Witch in combat, Strange urges America to stop fearing her power and use it. America realizes she can't beat Wanda, so she gives her what she wants. She punches a hole in reality, opening a portal to the living room of Wanda-838.
The Scarlet Witch steps through, expecting a reunion, but Billy and Tommy recoil in terror, screaming for their "real" mother to save them. They throw things at the Scarlet Witch, viewing her as a monster. Heartbroken, the Scarlet Witch watches as the 838-Wanda comforts the terrified children. The alternate Wanda looks at her weeping counterpart and gently says, "Know that they will be loved." Realizing the horror she has become, the Scarlet Witch returns to Earth-616. She brings the temple of Wundagore crashing down upon herself, destroying the original Darkhold and burning every copy of the book across the entire multiverse to ensure no one is ever tempted again.
New Paths and the Third Eye
In the aftermath, Strange and Christine-838 share a final moment before she returns to her world. Strange admits that he loved her in every universe but was too afraid to commit. Back on Earth-616, Kamar-Taj begins reconstruction. America Chavez stays to train as a sorcerer, finally finding a home. Strange returns to the New York Sanctum, seemingly at peace. He fixes the watch Christine gave him years ago, placing it in a drawer. However, as he walks down the street, he collapses in agony. A third eye, identical to Sinister Strange’s, tears open in the center of his forehead—a consequence of using the Darkhold.
In a mid-credits scene, Strange is walking when a sorceress named Clea approaches him. She slashes a hole in reality, revealing the chaotic Dark Dimension, and accuses him of causing an incursion. She asks if he is afraid. Strange, donning his cloak and revealing his third eye, smiles and says, "Not in the least." Together, they leap into the Dark Dimension.
