The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now in theaters.
The one-sided showdown between the Illuminati and Scarlet Witch has rapidly become one of the highlights of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The assembled heroes of an advanced reality confidently face what they believe to be a readily dispatched opponent, only to be undone by her reality-twisting powers as swiftly as if she were taking out the garbage. The high point was the beginning when -- in a gag typical of director Sam Raimi -- Black Bolt steps up to dispatch Wanda, only to find her removing his mouth and causing his voice-based powers to backfire on him.
However, even more than the act itself fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are pointing the finger at Reed Richards -- ostensibly the smartest man in the Marvel pantheon -- who blurts out Black Bolt's powers, alerting Wanda to the danger. Mister Fantastic's taken quite a ribbing on social media in the last few days, which connects to another curious response to the scene. “Star-Lord” has begun trending in association with Multiverse of Madness, which is curious because neither Peter Quill nor any other version of Star-Lord appears in the film. But while the connection exists, it's a little more complicated than it seems.
The gag itself is shocking and opens up an unhinged five minutes in which Wanda unleashes a gruesome series of effects to wipe the Illuminati out. But it’s Richards' mouth rather than Black Bolt’s that drew snickers from fans. “Black Bolt can destroy you with one whisper from his mouth,” he tells Wanda authoritatively. “What mouth?” Wanda replies, erasing it from Black Bolt’s face and kicking off the lopsided battle in a gruesome fashion.
It's a clever exchange of witticisms, demonstrating both the Illuminati’s hubris and Wanda’s correct assumption that none of them pose any real threat to her. But as fans pointed out, Richards’ line did alert her to the danger before she may have been aware of it -- a clear sign of hubris that also indicates that the world’s smartest man may not be nearly as smart as he thinks he is. Considering the Fantastic Four’s long-anticipated arrival in the MCU, as well as John Krasinski’s appearance in the role, it makes the short-sightedness of his comment stand out all the more.
And that is where Star-Lord comes in. Peter Quill has never been the canniest of the MCU’s heroes, and his status as an overgrown boy often leads him to look before he leaps. That proved disastrous during a key point in Avengers: Infinity War, when his teammates have Thanos on the ropes and need him to pull the Infinity Gauntlet off of him. Instead of completing the job and sparing the galaxy the Snap, he demands that Thanos tell him where Gamora is, then tries to kill him when he learns that she’s dead. It’s very much in character but possibly the stupidest thing anyone in the MCU has ever done.
Mister Fantastic may be giving him a run for his money, however. The tactical blunder works on so many levels -- everything from the visual gag itself to the further reminder that the Illuminati bit off more than they could chew from the beginning -- that making Richards a proper fool is worth it for the payoff. And considering that he himself dies in a similarly spectacular manner scant seconds after Black Bolt, he pays for the mistake in a way that Star-Lord doesn’t.
Yet, while Quill’s idiocy is accepted, Richards is held to a much higher standard. And while Wanda doesn’t cause as much damage as Thanos did, it’s a very near thing and comes no thanks to Mister Fantastic. Fans likely would have dog-piled on whoever it was, and that’s the point -- the entire scene is a sly dig at the excess pomposity of superheroes. Richards just makes a particularly egregious example, particularly when compared to Quill. And that might just be the reason Raimi picked him for Multiverse of Madness' big moment.
To see Mister Fantastic give Star-Lord a run for his money, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently playing in theaters.