History YMMV / DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness

* HesJustHiding: [[spoiler:Despite Wanda's seeming demise at the end of the film, the fact that a red burst of energy shoots out of the collapsing tower makes many think that this isn't the end of the road for Creator/ElizabethOlsen's tenure in the MCU. The book Marvel Studio's Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline would later confirm that Wanda in fact did die in this film.]]

** In a similar vein, this feels like an ''Franchise/EvilDead'' that never was. A wise-cracking ByronicHero with [[BornUnlucky rotten luck]] gets caught up in a magical adventure he largely doesn't want to be on, deals with a demonic and corrupting book, confronts evil versions of himself, is haunted by his past personal failures, and mainly solves problems with [[GuileHero quick wits]] and resorts to half-baked ideas that [[DoomMagnet inevitably cause bigger problems in the long-run]].

** The fact that the designation for the mainline universe is denoted as 616; this rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way, especially comic book fans, as the designation given to the MCU is 199999 (something ''WesternAnimation/SpidermanAcrossTheSpiderverse'' later corroborates). On the flipside, there are fans who find the numbering unimportant, or at the very least should've chosen a more original number than the mainline comics universe.

** In order to understand most of the film's major plot beats, you have to be familiar with the first ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'', ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', ''Series/WandaVision'', ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'', and ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''. This isn't even mentioning the [[spoiler:cameos from the members of the Illuminati, which requires the viewer to be familiar with ''What If...?'' and ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', as well as general lore on ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', ''ComicBook/XMen'', and ''ComicBook/TheInhumans'']].

* AttemptedHomewrecker: Strange seems to fit here given that he goes to Christine's wedding & uses her reception as the time to confess he still has feelings for her. Upon telling him that they never would've lasted, he inists on asking her why. After hearing her answer and that she is happy with her new husband, he wishes her well.

* LovingAShadow: Can be argued this is the case for Strange with Christine. A key factor is him failing with his universes Christine, and becoming preoccupied with her in other universes. He inquires about his variants & if they got Christine. When he meets 838 Christine, he confesses to loving & wanting to be with her even though she is not the person he had history with a despite looking like his universe's Christine, she is different with different life experiences. It can call into question how altruistic his feelings really are if he head is easily turned by variants after the one he did share history with rejected him.

* LoveHungry: Strange's usbplot this film focuses on his inability to move on from Christine, to the point of asking if his variants from other universes ever ended up with her. Negative. He confesses he still has feelings for Christine at her wedding which she responds kindly tto, but lets him know they were never going to work out. Finally, he falls for her 838 variant and confesses he loves her, but she also rejects him. It is only at that point, he finally gives up on the idea of having any version of Christine.
** Sinister Strange becomes this to a perverse degree - even being willing to let his variant barrow the Darkhold if he agrees to give him the Christine with him. Out Strange refuses on the grounds that Christine would not like that.

** [[spoiler:Creator/JohnKrasinski's portrayal of Reed Richards was met with a very positive reception, and a vocal portion of audiences (especially the proponents of [[AscendedFancast the fan casting campaign that no doubt influenced his casting in this film]]) are hoping he will reprise the role of Reed Richards for the upcoming ''Fantastic Four'' reboot.]]

* MoralEventHorizon: See [[MoralEventHorizon/MarvelCinematicUniverse here]].

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Like was the case for the first film, the effects involving magic are stunning. In contrast to its [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 predecessor]], whose visual spectacles were mainly about psychedelic and kaleidoscopic dimensions; this film's spectacles lie in Sam Raimi's dynamic camerawork and frenetic editing. The 3D presentation is also fantastic, to the point it received the first IMAX 3D release in the US in over two years.[[labelnote:Explanation]] The COVID-19 pandemic caused all movie theaters to close in March 2023. When theaters reopened, IMAX went 2D-only to help minimize contact points, as most IMAX 3D glasses are washed (thoroughly).[[/labelnote]]

* AssPull: The fact that, in the conclusion, [[spoiler:Wanda is somehow capable of destroying every single copy of the Darkhold across the multiverse with a single spell (and seems to have possibly died not from strain, but from being crushed). While she had summoned demons in other dimensions before, and she destroyed magic items at range - such as Strange's Sling Ring - this is a multiversal feat beyond anything we have seen from her before with no communication from the film of how it was done.]] There are certainly plausible explanations - [[spoiler: affecting copies of items through sympathy is classic magic, Wanda has access to multiversal powers, Wanda has already ascended to her throne on Mount Wundagore as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda was chosen by Cthon, and we already saw a copy of the Darkhold destroyed]] - but which if any of these explanations apply are not specified.

** Even seasoned Marvel Studios fans who watched all the films as well as ''[=WandaVision=]'' have complained about [[spoiler:Wanda's seemingly sudden villainous turn]]. However, for viewers of ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', specifically Season 4, it is in no way a surprise, and makes perfect sense. That's nearly 15 hours of the middle of a television show's run that shows in greater detail the [[spoiler:corruption of minds that use the Darkhold]], whereas in this film it was shown by implication.

* AssPull: The fact that, in the conclusion, [[spoiler:Wanda is somehow capable of destroying every single copy of the Darkhold across the multiverse with a single spell (and seems to have possibly died not from strain, but from being crushed). While she had summoned demons in other dimensions before, and she destroyed magic items at range - such as Strange's Sling Ring - this is a multiversal feat beyond anything we have seen from her before with no communication from the film of how it was done.]] There are certainly plausible explanations - [spoiler: affecting copies of items through sympathy is classic magic, Wanda has access to multiversal powers, Wanda has already ascended to her throne on Mount Wundagore as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda was chosen by Cthon, and we already saw a copy of the Darkhold destroyed]] - but which if any of these explanations apply are not specified.

* AssPull: The fact that, in the conclusion, [[spoiler:Wanda is somehow capable of destroying every single copy of the Darkhold across the multiverse with a single spell (and seems to have possibly died not from strain, but from being crushed). While she had summoned demons in other dimensions before, and she destroyed magic items at range - such as Strange's Sling Ring - this is a multiversal feat beyond anything we have seen from her before with no communication from the film of how it was done.]]

* EvilIsSexy:
** Obviously, [[spoiler:Wanda Maximoff wears dark eyeliner, a form fitting red suit and is played by the beautiful Creator/ElizabethOlsen.]]
** Sinister Strange. Despite his extremely unkempt design, his EvilSoundsRaspy voice has won many fangirls over.

** [[spoiler:Mix this with unexpected actor. While some didn't expect Reed Richards would make an appearance in this film before his scheduled appearance in his own film, ''nobody'' expected he would be played by Creator/JohnKrasinski, who was an extremely popular fan casting for the character.]][[note]][[spoiler:What makes this a case of unexpected actor is that John Krasinski was labeled as too popular of a choice for Marvel Studios to actually cast him as Mr. Fantastic as traditionally, they cast actors who are either [[DarkhorseCasting not well known]] or use someone [[WTHCastingAgency that seems out of the left field initially]] to play one of their main characters.]][[/note]]

** [[spoiler:Anson Mount's Black Bolt]] debuted in [[Series/{{Inhumans}} one of the MCU's most maligned entries]]. His surprise return in this film won many fans over with his [[spoiler:more comic-accurate costume, more impressive use of his powers, and his shockingly graphic death.]]

** Strange (616) and Sinister Strange's MagicMusic battle is often talked about by fans, simply due to how damn creative and fun it was to see and listen to.

** To Raimi's ''Film/SpiderMan2''. [[spoiler:Both films have the protagonist witness their loved one prepare to marry someone else (though unlike Peter-2, Strange ultimately [[DidNotGetTheGirl lets go of Christine]]), and feature a villain who's willing to use something that is actively corrupting their mind to the point where they're willing to destroy worlds for what they want, only to see that they have to do what's right for everyone and set aside their dreams.]]

** The stinger of ''Series/WandaVision'' implied Wanda's children were in danger, and suggested she would have to rescue them from an unknown entity, mirroring an arc in the comics where her children were being held prisoner by Master Pandemonium. This movie ignores the stinger almost entirely and focuses on Wanda attempting to abduct children from another universe.

* ToughActToFollow: The film follow's ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', one of the most beloved MCU films of all time. ''No Way Home'' being a major InterContinuityCrossover was also expected of this very film given its title, premise, and [[Creator/SamRaimi its director]] also helming [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy one of the film continuities]] involved in said crossover. Suffice to say, many were disappointed when it wasn't the case.

** Designating the MCU's sacred timeline (IE, the main universe) as "Earth-616" in the multiverse, as that's the designation of the main comics universe. Fans of all stripes, especially to the comics (including [[Series/MsMarvel2022 Ms Marvel herself]], Iman Vellani) take umbrage with it as it falsely suggests that the MCU ''is'' the comics universe, or at least a strong adaptation of it, [[AdaptationDeviation which it really isn't]]. Kevin Feige reportedly insisting on this point doesn't help matters.

** A minor case, but Earth-838 designating the core MCU universe as "Earth-616" has annoyed some comicbook fans, [[AllThereInTheManual partially because it contradicts the official designation of the MCU universe in previous handbooks (it's Earth-199999)]], but especially because Earth-616 is the designation of the main Marvel Universe in the comics, causing a contradiction. While this was likely done as an attempt at nodding to the comics, it comes off as not understanding the reasoning behind these designations (so that ''every'' iteration of Marvel canon is uniquely counted as canon ''somewhere''). It also has the unintended side-effect of drawing attention to all the other cases of TheyChangedItNowItSucks in the MCU, [[AdaptationDeviation given that the MCU doesn't really resemble Earth-616 very much]], so calling it Earth-616 comes off as disingenuous. Even some MCU cast members (most notably ''Series/MsMarvel2022'' lead star Iman Vellani) who have knowledge over the source material call this out. What's worse, it retroactively makes [[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome Mysterio's claims]] of the MCU being Earth-616 an InUniverse example of AccidentallyCorrectWriting, which undermines the fact that he is supposed to be a fraud making things up as he goes.[[note]]In all fairness though, "199999" sounds quite a mouthful to say and it's entirely possible each person who maps the multiverse has a different designation for the MCU.[[/note]]

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: As per usual for a Doctor Strange film, the effects involving magic are stunning. In contrast to its [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 predecessor]], whose visual spectacles were mainly about psychedelic and kaleidoscopic dimensions; this film's spectacles lie in Sam Raimi's dynamic camerawork and frenetic editing. The 3D presentation is also fantastic, to the point it received the first IMAX 3D release in the US in over two years.[[labelnote:Explanation]] The COVID-19 pandemic caused all movie theaters to close in March 2023. When theaters reopened, IMAX went 2D-only to help minimize contact points, as most IMAX 3D glasses are washed (thoroughly).[[/labelnote]]

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: As per usual for a Doctor Strange film, the effects involving magic are stunning. In contrast to its [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 predecessor]], whose visual spectacles were mainly about psychedelic and kaleidoscopic dimensions; this film's spectacles lie in Sam Raimi's dynamic camerawork and frenetic editing. The 3D presentation is also fantastic, to the point it received the first IMAX 3D release in the US in over two years[[labelnote:Explanation]] The COVID-19 pandemic caused all movie theaters to close in March 2023. When theaters reopened, IMAX went 2D-only to help minimize contact points, as most IMAX 3D glasses are washed (thoroughly).[[/labelnote]].

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: As per usual for a Doctor Strange film, the effects involving magic are stunning. In contrast to its [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 predecessor]], whose visual spectacles were mainly about psychedelic and kaleidoscopic dimensions; this film's spectacles lie in Sam Raimi's dynamic camerawork and frenetic editing.