Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: Non-Spoiler Review

Comic References and Fan-Service

That’s not to say that if you’re a Marvel comics O.G. you won’t enjoy what is on offer here. If you’re not interested in goofy visuals and elaborate monsters then rest assured there is Marvel lore aplenty dotted throughout the film. It’s hard to prove this to you without giving exact spoilerific details, but cheers and applause could be heard throughout the promised land of Leicester Square Cineworld when certain references were made, and characters appeared.

From well-known items that have arisen in the various Marvel TV shows already, to concepts and ideas that fans have been theorising about for ages, there should be plenty of Easter eggs and fleeting mentions there to get your fill. The down-side to this, of course, is that at times it felt very fan-service-y. There are only so many times you can get away with unashamedly dropping a string of “hey look at this, everyone! I know you’ll lose your s**t over this!” moments one after another, and in one particular stretch of the film they were really pushing the limits.

At times it borders on cringe, and I know that for a fair portion of viewers it’s going to cross over that border incredibly easily. But for each semi-cringe reveal and reference, you can at least be comforted knowing that they have weight - even the briefest of beats. The film opens big doors for the future of the MCU, meaning that whether you like it or not this whole multiverse gimmick is here to stay, and certain concepts (and maybe even characters) are counted out for future.