Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

A Reel Leadership Article

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Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Doctor Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. The movie is one many moviegoers have long waited for. Myself included.

The first Doctor Strange movie was a fun, trippy movie into the world of mystic arts. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is an attempt to bring a touch of horror to the Marvel universe.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness/Doctor Strange 2

The new movie isn’t bad. However, the movie struggles to find itself. Directed by the amazing Sam Raimi (the original Sony Spider-Man movie director and the creator of Army Of Darkness) just couldn’t seem to find the right mix. Despite this, I still highly recommend the movie.

You’ll get more than your fair dose of entertainment, horror, and comic book goodness. If you see Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, you will also find many leadership lessons.

In today’s Reel Leadership article, we will dive into what Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness can teach us about leadership.

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

1. Great leaders don’t sacrifice their people:

The movie opens with Defender Strange (a multiverse version of Doctor Strange) helping America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). She’s a young girl on the run from Gargantos, a giant squid-like monster.

Defender Strange feels his only option is to kill America Chavez so that Garagantos and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) cannot get her power to hop between multiverses.

This shocks America Chavez. Defender Strange and her had been friends. Now he’s looking to kill her!

When I think about this, I think of all the leaders out there who sacrifice their people to save the organization. They ration if they let Bobby or Susie or Jill go, they will save the company.

Yet, what they’re really doing is sacrificing a person. They’re saying, “Our greater good rides on your sacrifice. We’re cutting you off. Fend for yourself. You’ve been sacrificed.”

Be cautious in sacrificing your people. It can haunt you in the end.

2. Dr. Nic West (Michael Stulhbarg):

Was there any other path?

At the wedding of Doctor Strange’s ex, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), and Charlie (Ako Mitchell), Nic approaches Doctor Strange. Nic had been erased as part of the Blip.

During the five years he was gone, Nic lost his brother. He lost his cats. He was upset with Doctor Strange.

Why?

Doctor Strange had peered into all of the solutions to defeat Thanos. The only reality that won was the one Doctor Strange helped create.

People will question whether or not there was another path you could have taken as a leader. Could the decision you made have been different? Would the results still be the same?

As a leader, you will have to be willing to admit you made a decision. The decision may have had consequences. Those consequences ripple out.

Know the path you have taken is the only path you could have once you have made the decision.

3. Wanda Maximoff:

You break the rules and become a hero. I do it and I become the enemy. That doesn’t seem fair.

Doctor Strange broke mystical rules that should never be crossed. He used his powers to see through the multiverse. He also used his powers to help Peter Parker in No Way Home.

Wanda used her powers to try to return Vision to her in WandaVision.

Both were rule breakers. Doctor Strange became a hero. Wanda became a villain.

This type of situation plays out between leaders and the people they lead pretty often. The leader has power. He wields it to get the results he desires. Sometimes, this means breaking the rules.

When it is successful, he is hailed as a hero.

On the flip side, when an employee sees that something needs to be done, she does it while breaking a rule and is punished. She becomes the villain.

We allow grace and leniency for us; we rarely allow it for those we lead. Let’s start extending grace to those we lead.

4. Our fears can hurt others:

As Doctor Strange and America Chavez are fleeing Wanda, they reach a multiverse that has a memory pad. The memory pads allow people to step onto the pads and see their memories.

America Chavez steps on one of the pads. The memory she sees is of the first time she uses her powers to open a portal to a different universe.

Unfortunately for her, her powers suck her moms into the alternate universe. She has never been able to find them again.

What caused her powers to manifest? She saw a bee. She was terrified. And her powers activated.

What do you fear? What causes you to tremble? Is this fear of yours causing you to lash out at others?

Take a good look at yourself and your actions. You will see the fear you have impacting how you lead and treat others.

Begin working on yourself. Work to make yourself overcome your fear so you don’t hurt people.

5. We don’t like our actions when they’re done to us:

One of the multiverses brings America Chavez and Doctor Strange to a world with the Illuminati, a team compromising of Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor),  Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Reed Richards (John Krasinski), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), and Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Mordo pretends to be friendly to Doctor Strange. Then, he spikes the tea America Chavez and Doctor Strange are drinking.

Mordo tells Doctor Strange that he is a danger to their universe. He is only doing what Doctor Strange would have done.

Does this sit well with Doctor Strange? Nope.

Does this sit well with us when others do it to us? Nope.

But why? Why do we get so upset when others do the same thing we would do?

Because we know it’s not the right thing to do. It may be what we would do. Yet we know there’s a better way to do something.

Let’s stop getting upset at others for doing things that we do. Instead, let that frustration that boils up within you be the impetus to improve yourself.

6. Professor X:

Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.

The Doctor Strange of the Illuminati’s universe lost his step. He wanted to save the world. To do so, Doctor Strange turned to the Darkhold. The Darkhold corrupted Doctor Strange.

Mordo and the rest of the Illuminati were cautious of any Doctor Strange. They felt he could be a threat.

Professor Xavier had a different take. He knows that the people who go astray don’t have to be lost forever. They can be redeemed.

Let’s start using Professor Xavier’s wise words in our leadership. Don’t strike out at the people who have stumbled.

They made a mistake. They’re trying to recover their step.

You will be there one day too.

Be there for them. Support them. Help them find themselves again.

7. Think before you act:

Wanda was trying to obtain America Chavez’s powers so she could see her two children, Tommy (Jett Klyne) and Billy (Julian Hilliard), again. Wanda’s magic to create them in WandaVision wasn’t strong enough to keep them around once she left the town she had taken over.

America Chavez tried to reason with Wanda. She asked Wanda what Tommy and Billy would think. Would they approve of the actions their “mother” was taking?

What aren’t you thinking of before you act? Do you think what your spouse may think? Do you think what your team may think? Do you care what you may think?

Slow down. Think through your actions. Make sure they align with who you are and who you want to be.

8. Zombie Strange:

Trust your power.

America Chavez hadn’t been able to control her multiversal power. Her powers only manifested themselves when she was scared. She had never been able to create a portal when she needed them.

Zombie Strange (a dead version of Defender Strange) knew America Chavez could control her powers. All she needed to do was trust.

You don’t have superpowers, but you have wisdom, knowledge, and insight. Many times you will doubt yourself.

STOP IT!

Trust what you know. Trust what you’ve done.

9. It can be hard to see what you’ve become:

America Chavez teleports Wanda to a universe with Billy and Tommy. There, Wanda attacks herself in that universe.

The children see Wanda attacking their mother. The children are terrified. They believe she is a monster.

Wanda had become a monster. Her desire to have Billy and Tommy back pushed her to become something ugly.

It was only through Billy and Tommy that she could see what she had become. And she didn’t like it.

We’re more like Wanda than we think. We are so driven, so focused that we can struggle to see what we’ve become as we’ve pursued what people have told us is the perfect leader.

How do you avoid becoming what you hate?

Take stock of your actions regularly.

Ask people around you for their honest opinion of you.

See what your actions are doing to others.

When you pay attention to yourself, you will see which direction you’re going. Make sure it is in the right direction.

10. Wanda Maximoff:

I opened the Darkhold. I have to close it.

Wanda eventually realizes what she’s done. She’s become evil. She also created something evil with the Darkhold.

There’s only one thing she can do. Wanda must take responsibility for opening the Darkhold. She has to close and destroy the book.

What do you do when you screw up? Do you let it ride? Do you say it’s already done? Or do you find a way to make things right?

Great leaders do what it takes to make things right. Make things right when you’ve messed up.

11. Doctor Strange:

Are you happy?

Doctor Strange had been asked this question. He then asks Wong (Benedict Wong) the same question.

Yet, it’s not Wong’s answer that is important. The important answer is the one that comes from Doctor Strange.

Doctor Strange talks about saving the universe. How one would think this would make someone happy.

Though Doctor Strange had saved the universe multiple times, this accomplishment did not make him happy. There was more to happiness than accomplishment.

Remember this! Your accomplishments will only bring you temporary happiness. These moments will be fleeting. You’ll be left wondering what’s next.

The truth is that happiness takes more than accomplishment. I know because I feel as if I’ve accomplished a lot. From becoming an award-winning leadership blogger to paying off our house mortgage 15 years early, these accomplishments are great. The happiness is only momentary.

True happiness comes from something much deeper. If I could, I would like to tell you where true happiness and contentment come from. You will only find this peace when you come to realize you cannot make it on your own. There’s something bigger out there than you.

The love of Jesus Christ will change your life. When you submit to him, your life won’t magically become better. However, you will be able to find the peace and sense of happiness or joy that you’ve always longed for. If you would like to know more about this, feel free to message me.

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