Doctor Strange was the talk of the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, both for the tantalizing hints of his role in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film and his role's implications for Phase 4. But Strange's appearance was somewhat jarring -- coming across as flippant, over-confident and almost reckless considering the trailer’s Multiverse-shattering implications. As of right now, little more is known for certain about the Sorcerer Supreme's role in No Way Home, but What If…? created some intriguing theories to explain his strange behavior.
The strongest theory involves “Strange Supreme,” a variant version of the character from What If..? Season 1, Episode 4, “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” In an effort to return his lost love to him, Strange ends up destroying his own universe and is left alone to lament his folly in an empty void. And some fans believe that the Strange seen in the No Way Home trailer is, in fact, Strange Supreme and that the cataclysm that follows was all part of some evil design.
However, while it's an interesting theory, it negates a much more likely option. The Sorcerer Supreme in the trailer may be the prime MCU Strange, in which case he’s not evil at all but reckless, overconfident and inclined to attempt universe-shattering works of magic seemingly on a whim. And while that might be even more terrifying than Strange Supreme, it does hold some water in MCU canon.
As predominant as Strange feels at this particular time in the franchise, he has only had one movie to himself thus far. His appearances in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame were essentially cameos, and as a victim of the Blip, he didn’t exist for five years. All of this is a roundabout way of saying he’s reasonably inexperienced, and while he may understand the responsibilities he holds, his cockiness might not have vanished as quickly as many assumed.
Without further experience, Strange could easily be the reckless, devil-may-care Strange seen in the trailer, one eager to help Peter with a delicate and dangerous spell seemingly because he thinks he can. And that makes him more dangerous than an actively evil Strange, who, at least, someone understands the magnitude of what he’s unleashing.
This is all still in the realm of speculation, of course, and No Way Home likely has a few surprises. It’s entirely possible that both the prime Strange and Strange Supreme were seen in the trailer, or that the MCU has something entirely different in mind. But just because he seems cockier than usual, doesn't mean the Sorcer Supreme has been replaced by an evil doppelganger.
To see which Strange appears, Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters Dec. 17.