In less than two months, Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will come out and wreak havoc in countless theaters around the world. With Benedict Cumberbatch playing the titular character and Sam Raimi behind the steering wheel, the film is expected to blow up everything the studio has been working on since Phase 4 started after Avengers: Endgame. But even with all the trailers, interviews, and countless rumors spreading around, it seems that we've barely scratched the whole surface.

Since this is the multiverse we're talking about, there are bound to be a handful of surprises that will change the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the years to come. We take a deep dive down below at what we know so far about this upcoming Doctor Strange film.

The Multiverse is about to break

Last year, fans got their first glimpse of the multiverse when Loki ended its first season on Disney+. With the very construct of multiversal reality expanding to infinite branches, it only makes sense for this concept to reach its climax in the upcoming Doctor Strange film.

Of course, this won't happen without Marvel building it up in their other films and projects. Some of the earliest teases occurred during Spider-Man: Far From Home when Mysterio was initially introduced from a different reality, which made Peter Parker's jaw drop at the idea of the multiverse becoming real. But like the illusionist himself, this was something that proved to be false later in the film.

And speaking of Spider-Man himself, the Wall-Crawler's most recent release saw the multiverse break further. With Doctor Strange's help, the entirety of existence all forgot Parker as the costumed hero, but at the cost of the multiverse.

With the events of Loki and No Way Home laying the foundation for Doctor Strange, it won't be a surprise anymore to see countless variants making an appearance in this film. Judging from the trailers alone, fans will get to see different variants of the Sorceror Supreme, including Defender Strange, Supreme Strange, and Zombie Strange, to name a few. And that's just the tip of the iceberg because the film promises to explore the multiverse and give life to new forms of storytelling in the MCU.

New additions to the cast

Speaking of building what has come before, Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff continues her journey here right after WandaVision ended. Her, and Xochitl Gomez who'll be playing America Chavez in Multiverse of Madness.

In the comics, Chavez is a teenager with the ability to jump between realities, which allows her to travel the multiverse. Gomez's character has the same premise, based on information released about this Doctor Strange film, which makes her a key piece in moving the plot forward.

Along with Chavez, the Scarlet Witch makes a comeback here after all the trouble she caused in Westview. From last we saw her, Wanda was seen studying the Darkhold and seeing what she can do to bring her children back. It's expected that Strange will seek Maximoff for her help in dealing with a multiverse-level threat. But if some rumors are to be believed, along with a key scene in one trailer, Wanda herself will evolve into one of the movie's antagonists.

While nothing has been confirmed yet, there's also a chance a variant of Wanda can be the one who'll cause trouble for the Sorceror Supreme. With Gomez and Olsen the two main additions to this cast, things will surely get a lot more interesting for fans. But of course, the new faces won't end with these two.

Doctor Strange will face the Illuminati

Even before principal photography began, there have been rumors about the Illuminati making an appearance here in the Multiverse of Madness. In the comics, Tony Stark, Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, Namor, Professor X, and Strange himself formed this secret group to tackle various threats without the involvement of their peers. Their key MO is they somehow felt that it was their responsibility to act in the interest of everyone without involving key players in the Marvel Universe in executing those decisions.

In short, they're the end-all-be-all when it comes to keeping Earth safe. That same premise can find its way to the film itself.

There are rumors that the movie's version of the Illuminati will have Patrick Stewart's Professor X, a Tony Stark variant played by Tom Cruise, and other alternate reality versions of well-known characters in the MCU. These individuals will reportedly confront Strange, which was seen in trailers for Multiverse of Madness.

It isn't known yet if the main antagonist will be the Illuminati, one of the Strange variants, or even Wanda herself. What's sure is that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will propel the MCU to new heights as it surges through Phase Four, and beyond when it comes out in early May.