Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch will have zombie variants

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the second film starring Marvel’s sorcerer supreme, will introduce audiences in more detail to all the chaos that surrounds the multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Thus, in the second trailer released, there is a glimpse of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in their zombie versions.

_{Watch the 2nd trailer for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. (Reproduction/YouTube)}

The sequel's story revolves around the MCU's multiverse finally being “unlocked.” Because of this, Doctor Strange decides to travel into the unknown, with the help of old and new allies from the mystical side of Marvel, crossing several alternate realities (some harmless, others dangerous) to face a new and mysterious adversary head on.

Zombies?

Just as it was introduced to the public in the Loki series, the new Marvel Studios film will show different versions of the characters in other universes, known as: variants. The first teaser released as a post-credit scene in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, showed viewers a darker version of the beloved hero, while the second trailer presents unexpected versions of Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch as zombies.

_{Zombie Doctor Strange in the poster for “What If…?”. (Photo: Reproduction/Geek do Infinito)}

Although they have not been addressed in live action, zombies are not new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as these creatures had already appeared in “What If…?”, the first animated series of the MCU that features alternative timelines, telling alternative versions of moments already known to fans. In this case, the fifth episode of “What If…?” shows the audience what would happen if the Avengers and other heroes had turned into zombies. In the episode, Dr. Hank Pym rescues his wife, Janet Van Dyne, from the Quantum Realm (similar to what happened in “Ant-Man and the Wasp”), however, Janet had been infected with a quantum virus that turned her into an undead creature. The character ends up infecting Hank and, when they return to the laboratory, she infects Scott Lang and, in a surprising 24 hours, the virus spreads. Several heroes are transformed into the undead, among them is Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff, who was held captive by Vision (who fed her with the survivors).

After “What If…?”, it was revealed to the public that there will be a live-action Marvel movie with zombies, so the “Multiverse of Madness” should be the first step towards that. For now, nothing has been confirmed regarding whether these versions are variants that appear in the main MCU timeline due to the multiverse or if they are, in fact, a corrupted version of the characters.

_{Zombie Scarlet Witch in the Marvel series “What If…?”. (Photo: Reproduction/Fala! Universities)}

Something interesting about the behind-the-scenes is that the director of the Doctor Strange sequel is Sam Raimi, responsible for the Spider-Man trilogy (starring Tobey Maguire), well-known for his horror-oriented productions such as the “Evil Dead” franchise (a trilogy released in 1981, 1987 and 1993) and the film “Drag Me to Hell” (2009). Therefore, Marvel Studios may be betting once and for all on bringing horror elements to the cinema.

Featured Photo: Zombie Doctor Strange in the 2nd trailer for “Multiverse of Madness”. Reproduction/Olhar Digital.