Who Is Rintrah From Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness? The Extradimensional Being Explained
Warning: Major SPOILERS ahead for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
The MCU has been home to various mystical creatures and interdimensional beings, some of which are taken from Marvel Comics lore, while either being developed further or referenced in passing as a fun callback or Easter egg. Sam Raimi's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is rife with twists and surprises, some of which were already glimpsed via the teaser trailers and rumors surrounding unexpected cameos.
An interdimensional being who is prominently featured in one of the scenes, yet does not quite play a major narrative role, is Rintrah. In case you're unsure, Rintrah is the large, green-ish minotaur-like creature fighting alongside the sorcerers at Kamar-Taj when Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) attacks the fortress.
We see glimpses of his horned head many a time, but he doesn't do much apart from fight and look cool. But the connections between this being and Stephen Strange are deeper than you think (at least according to the Marvel comics).
A powerful magician apprentice
Rintrah was first referenced in "Doctor Strange" #80, in its September 1986 issue, and the character was created by Peter Gillis and Chris Warner. An intelligent being from the planet of R'Vaal, Rintrah's kind resembled green-skinned minotaurs but exhibited physical characteristics that eclipsed this particular description. His magical potential was noticed by Enitharmon the Weaver, a sorcerer from a different dimension, who decided to train him in the mystical arts and took him in as an apprentice.
This begs the question: how and when did Rintrah run into Earth-616's Strange in the comics? Strange had happened to rip apart his Cloak of Levitation (the poor thing has gone through the ringer, even in the film), and had gone to Enitharmon to repair it, after which the latter asked Rintrah to return the repaired cloak back to the sorcerer. However, things go awry when Strange was wounded by a demon by Urthona, an alien mystic, which led to him parting with his astral body and sharing a consciousness with Rintrah eventually (this minotaur rules, not gonna lie).
While Strange had initially refused to take in Rintrah as an apprentice, due to the usual shenanigans with other malevolent forces back on Earth, Rintrah ended up studying at Kamar-Taj while Strange was busy battling evil. This explains his presence in "Multiverse of Madness," and the loyalty he displays towards the sorcerers, despite hailing from a different interdimensional planet.
Rintrah is not to be underestimated
While Rintrah appeared pretty defenseless against Wanda's brutal attacks (to be fair, she annihilated Earth-838's Illuminati in a matter of minutes), he is an extremely gifted being with a range of abilities. Owing to his alien psychology, Rintrah has superhuman strength and endurance — the full extent of his strength was displayed when he punched a raging Hulk (!) in the comics. In terms of sorcery, Rintrah is an able sorcerer, with the ability to witness the "Strings of Fate" around living beings, which is a power alien to Strange.
Apart from this, Rintrah can also partake in dimensional travel, create force shields, and astral project, while also being able to shapeshift into humans (one of his favorite forms is Humphrey Bogart, and I'm legit sobbing at the cuteness). As per the comics, Rintrah eventually became an Adjunct Professor at the Strange Academy, teaching the foundational principles of algebra and geometry, which can be harnessed for mystical purposes.
Although Rintrah is not a focus in the film, which is understandable, as there is a LOT going on already, here's hoping that our green friend appears in more MCU projects, and maybe even fights beside Strange in the wars to come.
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is currently playing in theaters.