Doctor Strange 2 Writer Reveals Dark Truth About Marvel Movie's Emotional Scene in Illuminati Universe

The world of The Illuminati, as it appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, doesn't seem like such a great place. Michael Waldron, the film's head writer, confirmed as much in an interview with Empire magazine, describing Earth-838 as a "police state" and revealing that the heroes' reaction to the threat of Thanos made them a threat to the people they aimed to protect. These kinds of themes have been explored in superhero media before, most notably in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, which tackled post-9/11 paranoia in a very direct way.

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's a lot more subtle, but if you look close enough, it's there. Accoridng to one of the film's writers, Earth-838 is such a nightmare that it's possible the people of that world will see Wanda as a hero for her actions there.

"The funny thing about Memory Lane is that... It's not in there, but my secret history of 838 is it's a little bit of a police state," Waldron said. "And you can see, everybody is dressed uniformly, it's like a little bit of an Orwellian feel to it. Cause I was always like, 'Alright, why does this Memory Lane thing exist?' I wrote a bunch of what was essentially fine print that I do think we recorded, but it just doesn't... You can't quite hear it, but it's like the guy is saying in the background, he's like, 'Disclaimer: Any memories of crimes committed or so-and-so can be admissible in a court of law...' Memory Lane is really the state's attempt to minority report you into admitting a crime you committed. That's my dark secret about Memory Lane."

You can see the official synopsis for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness below.

Now that Iron Man and Captain America have left after a fierce battle in Avengers: Endgame, former genius surgeon and the strongest magician of them all, Doctor Strange, is expected to play an active role as a central figure in the Avengers. However, using his magic to manipulate time and space at will with a forbidden spell that is considered the most dangerous has opened the door to a mysterious madness called "the Multiverse."

To restore a world where everything is changing, Strange seeks help from his ally Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Avengers' most powerful Scarlet Witch, Wanda. But a terrible threat looms over humanity and the entire universe that no longer can be done by their power alone. Even more surprising, the greatest threat in the universe looks exactly like Doctor Strange.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now streaming on Disney+ and will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 26th. Pre-order details can be found here. 

h/t The Direct