Secrecy has become a massively important part of the modern world of blockbuster filmmaking. Because information can spread fast on the internet, movie studios work hard to keep leaks to a minimum and maintain an air of mystery surrounding their biggest productions right up until release. The consequence of this is that fans are left asking all kinds of questions that have no answers available – and the conversation surrounding the production of Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness a.k.a. Doctor Strange 2 is a perfect example.
The project was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, set to hit theaters on November 5, 2021, and confirmed cast members include Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, and Chiwetel Ejifor as Karl Mordo. Beyond that, though, there is a lot about the film that remains a mystery – so we’ve decided to use this feature as a vehicle to address the eight biggest questions we have about Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
Who will be Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ main villain?
Marvel Cinematic Universe movies often feature numerous antagonists, the majority of them pulled directly from the comics, however each title is also defined by a character that can be called the main villain. While many battles may be fought over the course of a single blockbuster, when the third act rolls around, the main villain is one that the central hero/heroes have to face off against. Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange was no exception to this, with the Master of the Mystic Arts going above Kaecilius’ head and having a showdown with Dormammu, and it’s very much expected for its sequel, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
As will be discussed at greater length later in this article, Karl Mordo is back in the upcoming blockbuster – but will he be the main villain in the story, or will those duties fall to a new character? In the comics, Doctor Strange has a rogue gallery full of baddies ready to make their big screen debuts, from Nightmare to Mephisto, and any of them being a part of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness would obviously have a massive impact on our expectations for the sequel.
How will Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness incorporate Karl Mordo’s mission?
When we last saw Karl Mordo, it was in the post-credits sequence for the first Doctor Strange. The green-robed wizard was shown paying Benjamin Bratt's Jonathan Pangborn a special visit, and using the time to essentially rob his body of magic, returning him to the crippled state he was in prior to his training at Kamar Taj. Mordo then announced his new view on life while Pangborn writhed on the floor: that the greatest problem plaguing the world is that there are too many sorcerers.
Given that post-credits scenes are typically used to set up sequels, there will be some expectation that Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness will pick up this plot thread in some capacity – the question is “how?” When you consider the movie’s title, it seems like Doctor Strange is going to be a bit busy in the film dealing with a crisis across multiple realities, so one has to wonder how that narrative will accommodate Karl Mordo’s particular goals. And that’s not even the only big question we have about the character’s role in the blockbuster given that we don’t know what he’s been up to in the last seven years (was he Blipped for five years, or has he just been doing all kinds of serious damage to the sorcerer community continuously?).
How close will Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness be tied to WandaVision?
There has been a distinctive line drawn between Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and television show going back to 2013 and the launch of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. – but soon that distinction will no longer exist. The introduction of Disney+ has opened a whole new storytelling avenue for the superhero franchise, and soon we will be seeing the launch of limited streaming series that will directly tie into big screen adventures. This very much includes Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, which will have connections to the developing WandaVision series, but what we don’t know is exactly how massive those connections will be.
It has been confirmed that the events of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness will take place after the events in WandaVision, and Scarlet Witch is set to be a key player in the story (more on that in a bit), but exactly how vital is it going to be to watch the show before seeing the movie? Will those without Disney+ subscriptions be totally lost, or will it simply be that fans who watch both the show and the movie are rewarded with small-yet-key details? It’s a key query given that WandaVision may debut as much as a year prior to the release of the Doctor Strange sequel.
What role will Scarlet Witch play in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness?
It was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 that Elizabeth Olsen will have a key supporting role to play in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, but details pretty much stopped there. While this was hardly surprising given that Marvel Studios loves playing its card close to the vest, it’s also frustrating because the situation generates significant follow-up questions about the nature of her role, particularly with the story directly following the events of WandaVision.
In the comics, Scarlet Witch has the power to morph and change reality, and it’s expected that ability is at the heart of her Disney+ show – with the character not coping too well following the death of Vision in Avengers: Infinity War. But exactly how will that fold into the events of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness? Will her gifts simply be an asset to the titular sorcerer as her finds himself on a journey through alternate realities, or perhaps will it be because of Scarlet Witch’s changes to reality that Doctor Strange has to act? It’s a mystery we’re hungry to solve.
Will Vision have a part to play in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness?
A whole lot of characters were brought back from the dead in Avengers: Endgame courtesy of Hulk’s reversal snap with the Nano Gauntlet, but one hero not included in that group was Paul Bettany’s Vision. Rather than being turned to dust by Thanos’ original snap, the android was killed with the Mad Titan ripped the Mind Stone from his head in Avengers: Infinity War, and thus his death was not reversible. That being said, Vision is definitely coming back for WandaVision, so does that mean he may also be featured in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness?
The biggest hitch with this question is that it is actually a secondary question, with the first being “How is Vision alive in WandaVision?” There are many theories and possibilities, with the dominant one being that he is part of a reality manipulation executed by Scarlet Witch – and that circles us back to the Doctor Strange sequel. Could Vision coming back be the problem at the center of the madness in the multiverse? Hopefully this is something that will be cleared up by the Disney+ series.
Could Loki make an appearance in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness?
Part of what’s fun about the integration of Disney+ shows and the films is that we may not see the blockbusters only correlate with single series. While Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is definitely going to connect to WandaVision, as we learned at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, it may not ultimately be the only streaming program involved… and we mostly bring that up because of the existence of Loki.
The Disney+ series about the God of Mischief has been confirmed to follow the Loki in Avengers: Endgame who used the Tesseract to escape arrest after the Battle In New York, and the reason why that’s interesting is because his mere existence means that he is causing issues in the space-time continuum. This is why the Time Variance Authority is going to be on his ass in Loki, but could that extend to multiverse disruption and land him a role in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness? Time will tell.
Will we see parallel universe versions of Avengers characters in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness?
One of the great bits of fun that can be had with multiverse storytelling is the exploration of the simple question “What if?” An infinite number of realities means an infinite number of possibilities, and they can all be freely explored without damaging existing canon. It’s such a fun concept that Marvel Studios is producing a whole animated series based on the idea, with What If? set to arrive on Disney+ in 2021, but there is a very real possibility that we could see more of it in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
As one basic example, Doctor Strange could potentially visit a universe where he never got in the car crash that crippled his hands, eventually leading him on his path to become a master of the mystic arts – but the film could go much bigger. Given Scarlet Witch’s involvement, what if the heroes visited a reality where Vision wasn’t killed (feeding back into the Vision question above), or perhaps a reality where Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver is still alive? The potential for cameos is really endless.
How will Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness contribute to the big picture of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Following the end of the Infinity Saga, the big picture goals of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are currently unknown – but you’d be a fool to think that something isn’t being cooked up. All of the upcoming releases will surely have ties into a larger machination, and while some titles will be more significant than others in this regard, there is expectation that each movie will provide at least a piece of the puzzle.
So how will Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness play into this idea? That’s a million dollar question. Given the potential scope of the storytelling, it’s possible that it will wind up doing a lot to build toward whatever is coming in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s also possible that it will be the total opposite. It’s certainly an element of the blockbuster that fans will be most excited about walking into the theater to see it.
What do you think of all the questions we’ve posed above? Do you have pressing questions of your own about Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness? Hit the comments section with all of your thoughts, feelings, and options, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all the latest updates about the film.
