Empire Magazine revealed the covers of its next issue to hit newsstands yesterday, which will feature the upcoming Marvel Studios’ feature about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, arriving in theaters on May 6th. In the new film, the other realities that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cracked open in last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home will get torn down in what Marvel Studios promises is going to be a dimension-hopping, horror-infused adventure from director Sam Raimi. In the upper right corner of the exclusive subscriber cover, illustrated by Chris Malbon, there is a floating Tyrannosaurus Rex, which is the best confirmation yet the Savage Land is appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

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     Empire  

Although the 28th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is already promising wild new variants of familiar faces, all of which are cosmic consequences for Doctor Strange being so cavalier in tinkering with the timeline, fans may now have confirmation of one more nightmarish new world, as well.

For a while now, rumors have been swirling among the Marvel paparazzi that the Savage Land would be making its MCU debut in Doctor Strange 2. When the second full-length trailer dropped in February, in a blink-or-you-miss-it moment, Doctor Strange and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) were seen going through a dimensional portal appearing to be the Savage Land (there is a dinosaur flying through the background much like the Empire Magazine cover, but the image is a lot less clear).

Doctor Strange 2 May Introduce the Savage Land

     Marvel Studios  

Now, the exclusive subscribers cover for Empire Magazine’s next issue clearly shows a dinosaur falling out of portal. While Marvel Studios could decide to go a different route and introduce something similar to the Savage Land, there is more than one character coming to the Marvel’s upcoming roster that’s closely associated with the Savage Land, including the Eternals, Devil Dinosaur, and possibly Skaar—and that’s not even getting to the mutant stories that cross over with the locale. With Sir Patrick Stewart’s return as Professor X, it isn’t entirely impossible that he could find his long-time foe Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen) living in the Savage Land like he does at one point in the comics.

But what is the Savage Land? And where is it? Marvel Comics’ Savage Land first appeared as The Land Where Time Stands Still in 1941’s Marvel Mystery Comics #22 and was quickly forgotten for a good reason, gaining its familiar moniker in X-Men #10 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Chic Stone, and Sam Rosen. In the comics, the Savage Land is a prehistoric land (created by aliens, yes, that’s correct) based in chilly Antarctica, and although it’s cold on the outside it’s oh-so-warm on the inside.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will not only star Cumberbatch as Strange and Gomez as America, but it will also Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo. The film will be released on May 6, 2022.