While secrecy and Marvel Studios go hand in hand, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has arguably been on another level. From the time of its announcement and up to the start of marketing, Marvel fans knew little of what this film had in store, apart from its horror vibes and Wanda Maximoff's role. However, in the days leading up to its theatrical debut, more of Doctor Strange 2 has been revealed than either Marvel Studios - or its fans - would like.
One of the film's first official reveals was that of Patrick Stewart's Professor X in Marvel's Doctor Strange 2 Super Bowl trailer and the implied existence of the Illuminati, which Marvel has now officially confirmed in a new trailer. Weeks later, Marvel Studios confirmed another familiar character would have a role in the Multiversal flick, What If...?'s Captain Carter. But for some, this was one reveal too many.
Unfortunately, the internet is the MCU's greatest Phase 4 villain; and now, a new spoiler-heavy leak has many fans online wishing Doctor Strange's forgetfulness spell from Spider-Man: No Way Home was canon in reality.
While many Marvel fans are going dark or muting keywords, some Marvel creatives are choosing to condone the leak with some comical humor; and who better to help Marvel fans laugh off this loss than James Gunn?
James Gunn Acknowledges Doctor Strange 2 Spoilers
Following new Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness leaks that are making the rounds on social media, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn posted his own amusing response on Twitter.
His tweet reads as follows:
"Who leaked this Doctor Strange 2 footage? Not cool."
It's followed by a video of the supposed footage which is actually a parody of Loki, seemingly about to crucify Iron Man, in a musical mashup of R.E.M's "It's The End of the World" and "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba.
Clearly, Gunn's not lying. This is definitely both strange and madness; but hang on, it gets a little weirder.
The clip is actually from a church service in Winnipeg, Canada, known as the Church of the Rock, which is known for its live-action, pop-culture-inspired passion plays.
His full tweet - and this clip - can be seen below:
Who leaked this Dr Strange 2 footage? Not cool. pic.twitter.com/F3WsosZO6f
Follow James Gunn; Avoid Spoilers Like the Darkhold
If anyone should be brought to the Illuminati to answer for crimes against our current timeline, it's definitely internet leakers.
But yet, as James Gunn has shown, the internet and social media aren't all bad; it's just that certain social media pages should be avoided, much like pages of the Darkhold.
The real takeaway is that Marvel creatives - and no doubt the studio's executives - are aware of the leak; and sadly, this has become a reoccurring problem, despite Marvel's great lengths to protect its audiences from its surprises. Whether anything can be done to resolve this chronic issue, however, remains to be seen.
Considering Gunn is responding to the spoiler, it will be interesting to see if and how he's able to avoid the same ahead for both this year's Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness debuts in theaters on May 6.
