Doctor Strange Will Meet One Of Christine's Variants In Multiverse Of Madness
Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) will be experiencing pure chaos in the upcoming "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," as he will be facing much more than the hidden dangers and overt implications of the mysterious multiverse. He won't just be facing an evil version of himself — he'll also be running into an ex. The horror!
Strange will be meeting one of Christine Palmer's (Rachel McAdams) infinite variants during his quest to revert our world back to normalcy, per the May 2022 issue of Empire Magazine. Presumably this is the red-haired Christine we see in the image above, as Empire also confirmed that the Christine we saw getting married in the trailer is the same Christine we met in "Doctor Strange."
The introduction of one of Christine's variants is an opportunity to establish a fresh dynamic between Strange and variant-Christine (which does not necessarily have to be romantic in nature), as McAdams teases that she will be very different to the version of the gifted surgeon we met previously.
Not just wearing scrubs this time around
"Doctor Strange" presented an impactful story about a talented but egotistical surgeon who learns the art of sorcery at Kamar-Taj, going on to save the world from the Dark Dimension. However, one of the few gripes with this Marvel Cinematic Universe offering was the treatment of McAdams' character, whose presence as Strange's girlfriend (in the beginning) walks the line of solely acting as Strange's anchor to grounded empathy, rather than being a character in her own right. Of course, Christine does not completely follow the "girlfriend's sole purpose is to support the male lead" trope in "Doctor Strange," as she is proved essential to the plot in the latter half of the film, especially for her prowess as a surgeon and her ability to help Strange as a friend despite how he treated her in the past.
Nevertheless, Christine did not really have much to do as the major focus was on Strange and his character arc, his powers, and the whole Dormammu situation. This seems to be (somewhat) rectified in "Multiverse of Madness," at least, as per the trailers: Strange has been running around, trying to fix his accidental multiverse oopsie with MCU newcomer America Chavez and the variant of Christine, who seems to be wearing some form of a superhero costume. Meanwhile, the Christine we know is seen walking down the aisle with another man, although the event is bound to be disrupted by the sudden unraveling of the multiverse.
Variant-Christine is supposed to be much more involved in terms of her impact on the narrative, as she might even sport powers of some sort that might be integral to taking down the shadows that lurk in the multiverse. McAdams spoke about this experience of playing these dual roles, and how Christine as a character (in all realities and worlds) has been granted more autonomy:
"I wasn't just wearing scrubs this time around ... I was certainly a part of things I've never seen on screen."
This is good news for the most part, as this allows McAdams to demonstrate her acting chops within the ambit of greater character development. However, one can hope that the Christine we know is not completely sidelined in the process, and I, for one, hope that she gets to live her life without being lost in the caverns of the multiverse.
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 6, 2022.