Doctor Strange 2: Strange's Visions & Nightmare Dimension Explained

screenrant.com:

The Super Bowl trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hints that Stephen Strange is being plagued by visions cast into his mind by a classic comic book villain, Nightmare. Marvel has long tended to take advantage of Super Bowl to drop major trailers, and 2022 was no exception; the studio released a new trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, giving viewers a sense of just how spectacular this multiversal adventure could be. The trailer showcased variants of Doctor Strange, hinted at the film's villain, set up the return of Patrick Stewart from Fox's X-Men films, and — most curious of all — hinted at the MCU debut of a classic villain from the comics, Nightmare.

There's long been intense speculation over just what would prove to be the inciting incident of Doctor Strange 2, the trigger event that causes Stephen Strange to enter the multiverse. That question is finally addressed in the opening scenes of the Doctor Strange 2 trailer, with Strange waking up from what has apparently been a recurring nightmare. Assuming the trailer is being honest, his dreams are haunted by visions of multiversal chaos, with America Chavez and other variants of Strange himself caught up in the anarchy. Prophetic dreams are a staple of supernatural fiction, and it makes sense for these to be integrated into the MCU.

Related: Who Is Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness' Villain?

However, despite the familiarity of the trope, this is actually the first time a sorcerer has been shown to have precognitive dreams in the MCU. Until now, precognition like this could only be accomplished by the use of the Time Stone, which has now been destroyed. While it's true Doctor Strange's experience with the Time Stone