While it’s not exactly on the same level as, say, HBO’s Fort Knox-like protection of Game of Thrones plot details, Marvel does a pretty outstanding job of keeping the lid on Cinematic Universe spoilers. Even when Sylvester Stallone is paying visits to the Guardians of the Galaxy set or Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor are playing make-believe magicians in the middle of a huge city, us fans are still mostly clueless as to what they’re actually doing, and that’s obviously a good thing, because that’s why we pay to see the movie. Even if, you know, we are really, really, really stupidly curious.
We still have plenty of time before Doctor Strange hits theaters on Nov. 4, and way more time – too much even – until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens on May 5, 2017, so if you need a little fix, the good news is that both films have new plot synopses this week, via Stitch Kingdom, and if anything they open the door for a little more speculation, which is always a blast. First up, Doctor Strange…
Marvel’s Doctor Strange follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.
So, what exactly lies beyond? Well, if we look to Lego sets for movie answers and SPOILERS [seriously, beware, possible spoilers about to sit on your face-holes] we are led to believe that the Doctor has two specific villains to take on, presumably one entering our dimension because of the other. First, as we probably all know, the official Doctor Strange Lego set box cover reveals some tentacles coming through a fancy-looking portal-thingamajiggy, and we believe that is Shuma-Gorath, the ruler of ancient Earth, making his big-screen debut. Also of mystery and intrigue has been Mads Mikkelsen’s role, and a Lego minfigure set [again, POSSIBLE SPOILER!] has allegedly revealed that he is Kaecilius, a disciple of Baron Mordo. That’s not the biggest surprise, as that identity has been making the rumor rounds for a few months, but this offers some certainty. Is Kaecilius responsible for bringing Shuma-Gorath back to Earth after a million years or whatever? Sure, probably!
What about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, you ask? As we know, filming wrapped this week and James Gunn announced with some help from Chris Pratt that the film’s cast would be appearing at San Diego Comic-Con this summer, presumably with a fancy sizzle reel that we’ll never see unless we fight through a massive crowd of geeks, dweebs, and studio coffee runners. The director says it will still be “a long while” before we see the first trailer, and we assume that will happen when Doctor Strange hits theaters. Other than that, again, Stallone has a super-mysterious role in this film (please be a fun Judge Dredd cameo in the same style as Howard the Duck) and that’s about all we know, other than…
Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
Dan Seitz and I had a really nerdy conversation about that whole “Old foes become new allies” part, and I’m still waiting to be shoved into a locker. My guess, though, is Nebula has a nice change of heart and teams up with the Guardians to take on Thanos as Star-Lord meets up with Star-Dad. I’m probably wrong, but that’s definitely nothing new.