A new TV spot for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness features a big reference to the first season of Loki.
The 30-second promotional video for the upcoming Marvel movie, which you can see in the tweet below, may not seem like it's teasing anything major on first viewing. However, in the blink of an eye and you'll miss it in 0:10 of a second, The Living Tribunal is revealed to be appearing, albeit as an Easter egg or brief cameo, in Doctor Strange 2.
Open the door to a vast multiverse. Check out Marvel Studios' #DoctorStrange in the Multiverse of Madness only in theaters May 6. Get tickets now: https://t.co/VoGdr7T8HN pic.twitter.com/Iw7QwAg7KXApril 25, 2022
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Die-hard Marvel fans will know that this isn't the first time we've seen the Living Tribunal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Eagle-eyed viewers spotted a Living Tribunal easter egg in Loki season 1 on Disney Plus, with the head of a Living Tribunal statue seen scattered across the landscape of The Void in episode 5 of The TV show The Marvel's Phase 4 Void.
However, Doctor Strange 2 is expected to be the first time we'll see a live-action iteration of the Living Tribunal, though there's no guarantee it will play a significant role in the film's plot.
It's no surprise that the Living Tribunal appears in some capacity in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Sorcerer Supreme's second solo film was written by Michael Waldron, who also served as editor for the first season of Loki. So it seems that Waldron has some affinity with the cosmic being he judges.
This is not the first time the Living Tribunal has been referenced in the MCU. In 2016's Doctor Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor's Karl Mordo wields a weapon called the Living Tribunal Staff. Meanwhile, the all-seeing multiversal being was originally supposed to appear in Avengers: Endgame, but his appearance was cut from the final version of the film.
For more MCU-based content, check out our definitive ranking of every Marvel movie to date. You can also find out when Moon Knight Episode 5 will be available to stream on Disney Plus.
Analysis: who is the Living Tribunal?
While the biggest Marvel fans will know who the Living Tribunal is, calmer fans of the comics or MCU may not.
So who, or rather what, is the Living Tribunal? In short, the Living Tribunal is a cosmic humanoid entity that oversees all the universes of the Marvel Comic Multiverse. He acts as judge, jury, and executioner of each reality and dimension to maintain balance and prevent timelines from branching (see Avengers: Endgame and Loki) or multiple realities merging (see Spider-Man: No Way Home).
In the comics, the Living Tribunal has the power to destroy a single planet if it deems that inhabited world to be a threat to that planet's universe and the multiverse at large. The Living Tribunal attempted to enact such a judgment on earth in the Marvel comics, but Doctor Strange was able to talk him out of it.
The Living Tribunal is most notable for its three-sided head, each of its faces representing a different facet of its personality. The forward-facing head, which represents fairness, usually does the most talking. The partially covered face on the right represents Need, while the fully covered face on the left represents Vengeance/Revenge. The three leaders must agree on a case before the Living Tribunal can step in and potentially take action against a planet, star, or living creature.
If the Living Tribunal makes more than a passing appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it may be the most powerful entity we've seen in the MCU thus far. According to a 1992 Marvel comic involving Adam Warlock, the Living Tribunal's powers are virtually limitless and he has the power to prevent the simultaneous use of the Infinity Stones. You can see why this would have been a useful ally in the battle against Thanos in Infinity War and Endgame.
Speaking about the Living Tribunal ending game eventually being cut (according to ComicBook.com), Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed how they would have factored in the film's final act.
"I wanted to make sure that we didn't lose the kind of psychedelic "Starlin's verse" aspect, where people travel inside their eyeballs and things like that. So we brought the Living Tribunal into the movie," Markus said at Comic-Con 2019. .
"When Thanos and Doctor Strange came to blows, Doctor Strange blew Thanos's mind and sent him through the mindscape. The idea was that he kind of zips through the universe, presenting himself with all of his many crimes. He then told him they throw bodies, he lands and things turn into bodies, hands grab him, and it's really quite creepy. And at the end, he's thrown before the Living Tribunal, who finds him guilty."
Considering how Doctor Strange 2 will explore the multiverse (and the ramifications of manipulating it), a proper introduction to the Living Tribunal would make perfect sense. Still, we don't expect him to make more than a brief appearance. However, with the large number of surprise characters that can appear in the superhero movie, we may be in for a pleasant surprise.
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