Film Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Name: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Released: 2022-05-06
Duration: 126 min
Rating: 7.2
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Xochitl Gomez, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong

"Enter a new dimension of Strange."

Released May 6, 2022 2h 6m ★ 7.2TMDB ★ Essential to the MCU

Doctor Strange, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.

Watch note

Wanda (Scarlet Witch) is the villain — she dreamwalks universes to find her children, destroying the Illuminati including Professor X. Incursions (universe-collisions) are introduced as the multiverse's great danger. Strange confirmed for Doomsday.

Why It Matters in the MCU

Sam Raimi's entry in the Strange series is the most stylistically distinct MCU film since Ragnarok — the horror-cinema grammar he imports (jump cuts, crash zooms, demonic possession) is unmistakable and produces the franchise's most genuinely frightening sequences. Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch pivot from hero to antagonist is the logical endpoint of her WandaVision arc, and the film commits to it fully rather than walking it back. The Illuminati sequence is the most concentrated multiversal fan-service in the franchise, though the willingness to immediately incinerate those characters preserves the film's dramatic integrity.

Watch These First

26 titles lead into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — 64 hours in total. 22 of the 26 are essential.

Captain America: The First Avenger Essential 2h 4m ★ 7.0
Captain Marvel Essential 2h 4m ★ 6.8
Iron Man Essential 2h 6m ★ 7.7
Iron Man 2 Essential 2h 4m ★ 6.9
The Incredible Hulk Essential 1h 52m ★ 6.3
Iron Man 2 (Post-Credit Scene) Essential 0h 2m
Thor Essential 1h 55m ★ 6.8 +2 before this
Captain America: The First Avenger (Credits) Essential 0h 2m
Thor (Post-Credit Scene) Essential 0h 2m
The Avengers Essential 2h 23m ★ 8.1 +2 before this
Iron Man 3 Essential 2h 10m ★ 6.9
Thor: The Dark World Essential 1h 52m ★ 6.5
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Essential 2h 16m ★ 7.7 +3 before this
Guardians of the Galaxy Essential 2h 1m ★ 7.9
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Essential 2h 16m ★ 7.6
Avengers: Age of Ultron Essential 2h 21m ★ 7.3
Captain America: Civil War Essential 2h 27m ★ 7.5 +1 before this
Eyes of Wakanda (Season 1) Essential 2h ★ 6.2
Black Panther Essential 2h 14m ★ 7.4
Spider-Man: Homecoming Essential 2h 13m ★ 7.3
Doctor Strange Essential 1h 55m ★ 7.4
Thor: Ragnarok Essential 2h 10m ★ 7.6 +2 before this
Avengers: Infinity War Essential 2h 29m ★ 8.2 +5 before this
Captain Marvel (Post-Credits Scene) Essential 0h 2m
Avengers: Endgame Essential 3h 2m ★ 8.2 +10 before this
Avengers: Endgame Encore Essential 3h 5m +10 before this
WandaVision (Season 1) Essential 6h ★ 8.2
WandaVision (Ep 9 Mid-Credit Scene) Essential 0h 2m
Loki (Season 1) 5h ★ 8.2
Peter's To-Do List Recommended 0h 4m ★ 7.0
Spider-Man: Far From Home Recommended 2h 9m ★ 7.4
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 2h 12m ★ 7.5 +2 before this
Spider-Man: No Way Home Recommended 2h 28m ★ 7.9 +14 before this

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Where It Fits in the MCU

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sits at position 123 of 158 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Essential — must-watch for following the main MCU narrative. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.