The existence and implications of the multiverse are the current overarching premise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as seen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The movie features different realities, such as Earth-838, as well as progressing the personal arcs of Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch and the rest of the characters in the film.
MCU movies overlap with each other, of course, so it’s all but a guarantee that the stories in Multiverse of Madness will continue anywhere from Doctor Strange 3 to other MCU movies or even TV series like WandaVision. Whether it has to do with the set-up provided by Clea or the impact of the Darkhold, there are plenty of MCU sequel hooks for fans to look out for in the new Doctor Strange movie.
America Chavez’s Search For Her Parents
America revealed that her powers first manifested when she accidentally opened a multiversal portal that dragged her mothers inside. Doctor Strange assured America that her parents didn’t perish in this event and were somewhere out there in the multiverse waiting to be reunited with their daughter.
With America now training at Kamar-Taj to learn how to control her powers, it’s a given that she will attempt to find her mothers when she’s in full control. America did realize that she could open portals to places she wanted to travel to, meaning she just has to locate her parents now. It’s entirely possible that this event will be seen either in a Doctor Strange sequel or a story centered around America as the protagonist.
The Implications Of A Multiverse Without The Darkhold And Book Of Vishanti
The Darkhold and the Book of Vishanti were supposed to contain magical knowledge across the multiverse but were destroyed in one of the more unexpected developments in Doctor Strange 2. Since their removal leads to a weakness in the Masters of the Mystic Arts’ defenses, it has big-time implications for the MCU’s future.
Earth-838’s Illuminati revealed they had turned to the Book of Vishanti to defeat Thanos – multiversal threats like Kang the Conquerer are set to arrive and such weapons are no longer available. Future Doctor Strange stories and team-up movies will have to address how the multiverse’s defenses are supposed to work now.
The Dark Dimension Incursion
The most obvious set-up for the future was in the final cameo in Doctor Strange 2, where the sorcerer Clea showed up. She arrived to ask for Doctor Strange’s assistance in dealing with an incursion due to the latter’s actions, with the pair having to enter the Dark Dimension to deal with the new threat.
Given the long gaps between sequels in the MCU (Doctor Strange 2 arrived six years after the original), it’s unlikely that this hook is solely going to be for Doctor Strange 3. The MCU is likely going to have to deal with the incursion as a whole, meaning more multiversal conflicts like the ones already set up by Loki – there’s a good chance that crossover is going to take place.
Doctor Strange’s Corruption
Sinister Strange was among the few alternate reality characters in Doctor Strange 2, who was corrupted by using the Darkhold. Doctor Strange was forced to do the same in order to combat Scarlet Witch, with the effect taking place at the closing moments of the film when he developed a third eye similar to Sinister Strange.
This opens up an arc for Doctor Strange for the future where he will need to find a way to fight off the corruption. Sinister Strange didn’t appear to have any redeeming factors, which leaves an uphill task for Doctor Strange to avoid a similar fate. Upcoming MCU stories featuring the characters are certain to depict the consequences that Doctor Strange will have to deal with.
Doctor Strange’s Search For Happiness
Doctor Strange’s personal arc appears to be similar to Thor’s by this point, in that he’s looking to achieve true happiness. The protagonist has seen it all by now, having traveled across space and into different universes. He was still unsure of how he would find happiness, although he found closure with the inability to be with Christine.
The MCU’s future should feature Doctor Strange teaming up with further characters and finding clarity. His new connection with America brought in a blend of a fatherly and brotherly side of him that allowed Doctor Strange to deal with his sister’s demise – his adventures in upcoming works have now been set up to center around his arc of finding happiness.
Karl Mordo’s Rise In The Illuminati
Among the biggest surprises in Doctor Strange 2 was the fact that the MCU Karl Mordo was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was the Earth-838 Mordo who showed up as part of the Illuminati, with the villain becoming angry when not all the members agreed in taking Doctor Strange out as he wanted.
Now that everyone in the Illuminati has been killed by Scarlet Witch, Mordo is left open to steer the group however he wants. It’s likely that he’ll take leadership and include whoever he wants, with Mordo also likely to go after Doctor Strange after he was outraged at being defeated by the latter. Future MCU stories now have a built-up villain in Karl Mordo should the multiverse be traversed once more.
Scarlet Witch’s Return
There’s very little chance that fans have seen the last of Scarlet Witch, especially since she wasn’t shown getting crushed by the debris that fell on her. Scarlet Witch has previously gone MIA, as seen in WandaVision, which means there’s a high likelihood that she will be appearing down the line.
With WandaVision having just one season and Doctor Strange 3 leaning toward an adventure into the Dark Dimension, Scarlet Witch’s next adventures are likely to be in a different movie or TV series. Her story is already set up, as Scarlet Witch is going to have to deal with finding a new purpose now that she can’t have the children she wanted – her redemption arc is seemingly next in line.
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