After Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is back on with its new director, The Evil Dead’s Sam Raimi, leading the way. Poised to be the MCU’s first full-blown horror movie, the Doctor Strange sequel will see Benedict Cumberbatch’s goateed sorcerer ripping open the multiverse to tackle another interdimensional threat.
With Elizabeth Olsen set to appear as the Scarlet Witch following the events of WandaVision and the filmmaker who gave us Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man behind the camera, Multiverse of Madness could drastically change the MCU.
It Could Act As A Sequel To WandaVision
Throughout the entire Infinity Saga, Wanda Maximoff was presented as one of the dullest, least interesting heroes in the Avengers. And then WandaVision came along and turned her into one of the most complex and compelling characters in the franchise.
With Elizabeth Olsen on board to appear as the Scarlet Witch in a ing role, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to double as a sequel to Doctor Strange and a sequel to WandaVision.
The Multiverse Antics Could Tear Open The Space-Time Continuum
Opening up the multiverse isn’t something that should be taken lightly, as Bruce Banner learned when he encountered the Ancient One in an alternate 2012 and Loki is about to learn as he contends with the Time Variance Authority in his Disney+ series.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange could possibly tear open the space-time continuum and explore MCU “what if...?” scenarios too dark to explore in the What If...? animated series.
Unleashing The Darkhold
After WandaVision teased the existence of the Darkhold in the MCU, Doctor Strange 2 could release the ancient mystical book’s awesome power.
It’s a collection of evil spells that was effectively penned by Chthon the Chaos God, who personally chose Wanda Maximoff to wield Chaos Magic, which was also explored in WandaVision.
America Chavez Could Be Crucial To The Young Avengers
The Doctor Strange sequel will introduce America Chavez, a fan-favorite from the comics set to be played by Xochitl Gomez. In the comics, America and Kate Bishop (Hawkeye’s successor) are the best of friends, and both are key of the Young Avengers.
For a while, the MCU has been building toward the assembly of its own Young Avengers team, and America and Kate will likely be crucial to its formation.
Strange Could Finally Become The Sorcerer Supreme
In the comics, Stephen Strange is known as the Sorcerer Supreme – the leader of the Masters of the Mystic Arts – but he has yet to receive this title in the MCU.
Whether Multiverse of Madness reveals that Strange became the Sorcerer Supreme right after the Battle of Earth or it shows how he earns the position, he should finally take on his official job title in the sequel.
Karl Mordo Is Killing Sorcerers
Karl Mordo complained that there are “too many sorcerers” in one of Doctor Strange’s mid-credits scenes, suggesting that he’ll be picking off sorcerers one by one in the sequel.
As Mordo goes around the world serial-killing magic s, he could kill a fan-favorite character. Obviously, Strange is safe – and it’s fair to say Wanda’s safe, too – but Mordo could still get Wong.
It Could Set A Precedent For More MCU Horror Movies
All of Marvel’s movies are broadly superhero blockbusters, but some of them explore individual genres. Thor: Ragnarok is a pulpy sci-fi adventure, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a coming-of-age teen comedy, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a ‘70s-style paranoid political thriller.
With Sam Raimi helming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as the MCU’s first full-blown horror movie, it could pave the way for Marvel to make more horror movies.
A Memorable Score
One of the main problems with the MCU is that none of its original scores are memorable. The licensed soundtracks of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies are unforgettable, but outside Alan Silvestri’s Avengers theme and Michael Giacchino’s orchestral reworking of the old Spider-Man animated series’ theme song, Marvel doesn’t have a lot of distinctive original music.
That could change with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, whose score is being composed by Danny Elfman, the man behind the iconic themes from Tim Burton’s Batman and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.
Introducing Mephisto
Marvel fans were hoping that Mephisto – and just about every other beloved character – would appear in WandaVision. However, the series wisely kept the focus on Wanda and Vision’s relationship and Mephisto never showed up.
Instead, Mephisto could make his debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He’s based on the demonic Mephistopheles from the Faustian legend.
Strange Could Form A New Avengers Team
With the death of Tony Stark and the retirement of Steve Rogers, the Avengers disbanded after the final battle in Endgame. But there’s no way Disney is going to call it a day at four Avengers movies.
Earth’s mightiest heroes will be back someday, likely with Sam Wilson’s Captain America leading the way. Stephen Strange could also be crucial in forming the next Avengers team.