Trippy New Spider-Man Poster Splits Doctor Strange’s Head In Half

Due to the titular hero’s multiverse hijinks, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange has his skull split in two in a bizarre fan-made poster for Spider-Man: No Way Home. The third instalment of Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man trilogy is slated to be the web-most slinger’s epic adventure yet; as Peter Parker pushes the MCU closer to multiverse encounters.

Holland’s Spidey is threatened by enemies who were last seen fighting Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s incarnations of the wall-crawler in the newly released second teaser; with speculation mounting towards an expected team-up between the three film renditions of the character.

Such events are relatively high-stakes for a friendly neighbourhood hero; which explains Doctor Strange’s involvement. The trailers have established that Peter will see Strange in the first act of the film to ask for a reality-altering spell to undo the reveal of his identity in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Unfortunately, Peter disrupts the spell, causing dimensional barriers to break down; and allowing villains like Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx’s Electro to enter the mainline Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Instagram user spdrmnkyxxiii creates a surreal fan-poster picturing Strange’s skull split in half; revealing Peter in the centre of his own multiverse of lunacy; to symbolise this multiversal insanity. Holland’s Spidey falls amidst a nest of Doc Ock’s arms and Electro’s electricity, with the Green Goblin’s pumpkin bombs also incorporated into the design. Cumberbatch’s head, divided by one of his own portals; shows Holland’s Spidey falling amidst a nest of Doc Ock’s arms and Electro’s electricity; with the Green Goblin’s pumpkin bombs also incorporated into the design.

With Maguire and Garfield’s masks peering in from either side of Strange; the poster adds to the notion of other Spider-Men. The poster is heavily influenced by the most bizarrely designed Doctor Strange comics; which also share a co-creator in Steve Ditko with Spider-Man. Ditko’s often psychedelic artwork has served as a visual blueprint for both characters for nearly 60 years. The body-horror theme also acts as a nod to the character’s cinematic roots in the genre; with horror filmmakers Scott Derrickson and Sam Raimi directing his debut feature and the future sequel, respectively.

The poster is an innovative and visually appealing piece that displays a level of inventiveness that fans have criticised Marvel’s mainstream marketing for lacking. Marvel Studios’ posters are frequently chastised for being overly retouched and visually generic; with the posters for this Spider-Man trilogy, in particular, being chastised for their lack of creativity in depicting such visually intriguing characters. Nonetheless, this piece exemplifies not only the fanbase’s seemingly limitless inventiveness and talent but also their growing enthusiasm for Spider-Man: No Way Home.