Fortunately, you have me! Once we have unpacked all the nuggets Marvel hid within these two minutes, you can watch the trailer again with renewed eyes.
I suppose the opening scene is a decent starting point. We see Doctor Strange standing before a decrepit sanctum sanctorum, surrounded by the skulls of the dead. So, what did you miss? Nothing. This is a stretch, but people keep speculating about it. So, we might as well discuss it.
Strange starts by mentioning the nightmares plaguing his sleep. Some people think Marvel is planning to finally introduce Nightmare, one of Strange’s most fearsome foes, a nigh-omnipotent creature that rules the Dream Dimension.
Far more interesting is the inclusion of Rintrah, the green Minotaur we saw at the temple before that dark cloud rolled in. Most viewers probably dismissed him as a random alien. But Rintrah is a significant character from the comic books, an extra-terrestrial being that repaired Strange’s damaged cloak before eventually becoming the sorcerer’s apprentice.
Remember that opening scene with Doctor Strange standing outside the Sanctum Sanctorum? His cloak has a blue patch near the neck. Rintrah’s handy work? Maybe. Mordo’s back, but I doubt he’s the same character we remember. This Mordo is more likely, the Sorcerer Supreme of another universe. Well, many of us forgot about him the moment we saw that cameo.
Do you know why people are raving about this trailer? Ever since Disney bought Fox Studios, we have been wondering when the X-Men would make their appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Well, it finally happened. When Strange is led into that large hall to stand trial for whatever he did, we hear Patrick Stewart’s voice. Yes, that guy that played Professor Xavier. Why the hell is Marvel’s most prominent mutant here? Because Professor X is part of the Illuminati, a shadowy organization from the comics consisting of the leaders of earth’s strongest factions.
Black Bolt (Inhumans), Reed Richards (Fantastic Four), Iron Man (Avengers), Namor (King of Atlantis), and Doctor Strange (Sorcerer Supreme) have all been members at some point.
You know that Tony will appear because the Illuminati HQ was littered with Ultron Bots. But is this our Tony or an alternate version? Who knows? Don’t expect Black Bolt to show up. Marvel’s Inhumans TV show was such hot garbage that Kevin Feige would be foolish to associate his movies with that travesty.
Some people are adamant that they saw Black Panther in that scene. I expect him to replace Black Bolt, but I have seen the blurry pictures, and it is just a collection of pixels. What else? I suppose we should discuss the sidekick. Did you see that girl running around with Doctor Strange? That’s America Chavez, another character from the comics.
In the comics, she can open doors between universes. Did Strange seek her out, or did she come to him? We must wait and see. Then, someone suggested quite strongly that the screaming entity we see at the start is Cytorrak, a demonic god from the comics that gave Juggernaut his powers.
We saw a piece of him in Avengers: Infinity War. Remember those red wrappings Strange used to hold Thanos’ arm while the others pulled the gauntlet off? Those were the crimson bands of Cyttorak.
If you did not know, that is Strange’s MO. His spells borrow the powers of supernatural entities. If Professor X has entered the MCU, this is as good a time as any to introduce the creature that made his brother an unstoppable fiend.
This trailer had more intriguing morsels than I could possibly cover. Go watch it again. Those two minutes have far more to offer than you realize. This movie is a comic book nerd’s wet dream.
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