Super Bowl LVI featured numerous commercials for public companies and also premiered trailers for a handful of upcoming movies and television shows. One particular trailer is getting a ton of attention given a cameo of a character from a beloved movie franchise.
What Happened: A new trailer for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” premiered during Super Bowl LVI on NBC, a unit of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA).
Those who closely watched the trailer may have caught some key people that could play into the plot of the movie and set Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) up for the future of movies using characters from the X-Men franchise and bringing them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart, can be seen in the trailer, which has led to fans circulating theories as to who else could be in the movie and what the X-Men character’s role could be in the movie.
The trailer highlights the plot of Doctor Strange being punished for the actions he took in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” a movie from Sony Group Corp (NYSE:SONY). Many fans point to Professor X and the Illuminati being introduced in the film.
The Illuminati was featured in a Marvel Comics storyline that included other characters such as Reed Richards (of the Fantastic Four), Iron Man, Black Panther, Namor, the Sub-Mariner and more. Doctor Strange is also a member of the Illuminati in the comics. One storyline for the Illuminati kicked off the “Secret Invasion” arc, which Disney is adapting for its Disney+ streaming platform.
Patrick Stewart is listed in the credits for the upcoming Doctor Strange movie on IMDB.
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Why It’s Important: Fans are particularly excited about the potential of Tony Stark returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although it could be without Robert Downey Jr. portraying the legendary character.
Ultron guards escort Doctor Strange in the movie. Tony Stark was the creator of Ultron in the comics, which could point to a connection.
Rumblings of Wolverine, the Fantastic Four and other Marvel characters who have yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are also creating a buzz online.
The fan excitement dates back to the acquisition of the 21st Century Fox assets from Fox Corp (NASDAQ:FOX) in 2019. The deal, which was announced in 2017, gave Disney access to additional movie franchises and brought the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters under the same roof as Marvel.
The introduction of at least one X-Men character could reward patient fans who have waited for the movie franchises to intersect. The move could also create several additional revenue opportunities for Disney and highlight that the $71 billion purchase for Fox assets was worth it.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe ranks as the top-grossing movie franchise of all time on BoxOfficeMojo with 30 movies grossing $9.88 billion. The "X-Men" franchise ranks seventh with 14 movies grossing $2.46 billion.
Disney dominates the franchise list with "Star Wars," Disney Live Action and "Avengers" also ranking second, third and sixth, respectively. The "Spider-Man" franchise, which is linked recently to Disney, ranks fourth with $3.26 billion in box office revenue.
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is scheduled to open in theatres on May 6, 2022, and is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, according to IMDB, a unit of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).
The new Super Bowl trailer for the movie has nearly 33 million views on YouTube since premiering on Feb. 13 and is a top-10 trend on the video platform.
DIS Price Action: Disney shares are trading up 0.46% on Wednesday morning at $155.46.
Photo: Screenshot from the MCU "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" trailer via YouTube
