Marvel Studios and Director Sam Raimi cast a powerful spell with DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. The sequel starring the Master of the Mystic Arts was a mind blowing, cheer and fear inducing epic giving fans supernatural showdowns, the most incredible journeys in other universes yet and conjured lots of questions. What will be the impact of Strange’s adventure mean for the future of the Marvel Comics Universe?
Here are the biggest questions and hopes for what’s next in MCU after the latest blockbuster.
Before we dive in let me give you a SPOILER ALERT!!! If you have not seen DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS and WANDA VISION stop reading now.
Seriously.
Here it comes.
STRANGE
The mid-credits scene showed the hero drop in pain then reveal a third eye. Is the supernatural hero possessed by an evil entity from this or another universe as a result of wielding dark magic? Will Strange pay a price for dreamwalking to possess the body of a dead variant of himself? It’s possible this a physical version of the Eye of Agamotto?
CLEA
If the mid-credits scene didn’t make you jump, make way for Charlize Theron mystically appearing inviting Strange to join her in stopping an incursion! Enter Clea – in comics she is a student of Strange who became a powerful sorceress and Strange’s wife. Clea’s not just a human with magical abilities. She is the niece of the demonic Dormammu – ruler of the Dark Dimension. Is this Clea from this 616 Earth or a different version?
WANDA
Just like her comic book counterpart, Wanda Maximoff has been put through emotional hell, turned into a victim, heroine and villain. If you hurt the one you love, then writers must adore Wanda. After the events of WANDA VISION in which Wanda created a perfect family including two boys. It was a perfect illusion. Wanda had become the Scarlet Witch armed with the Darkhold – an evil book of supernatural knowledge to be with her boys again. Could Wanda have survived the destruction of Wundagore Mountain?
This film feels like the story is over for Wanda – at least for a while. Scarlet Witch committed some horrific crimes, but Wanda seemed to have redemption before being crushed under the mountain. Is the Darkhold and the Elder God Cthon finished with its Scarlet Witch? With Blade coming to the MCU – that means vampires. Cthon is the sources of Marvel’s versions of vampires, werewolves, demons and other supernatural beings. Wanda was even possessed by Cthon and turned on the Avengers. Wanda is critical to major storylines involving the X-Men and the Young Avengers – if and when they make their MCU debut.
BILLY and TOMMY
Wanda’s boys were her own creation and vanished in the 616 while a happier ever after version of mother and sons lives on in other universes. In the comics Billy and Tommy become teen heroes in the Young Avengers. Billy inherits his mother magical abilities and first goes by Asgardian then Wiccan. Tommy inherits his uncle Quicksilver’s super speed and goes by Speed. Other members of the Young Avengers (Cassie Lang, Kate Bishop, Eli Bradley, Tommy and Billy and Ironlad – kinda, it’s complicated) have been introduced in the MCU via film or series. The only ones missing are Teddy aka Hulkling and Noh-Varr aka Marvel Boy but with SECRET WARS on the horizon it may only be a matter of time. Time for a segue way to another teen hero.
AMERICA CHAVEZ
The breakout character who can break into other universes was central to the latest Doctor Strange adventure and pivotal to the future of the MCU. In the comics, America was from a place called the Utopian Parallel. She took the name Miss America and joined the Teen Brigade to battle the Young Masters of Evil. After entering the main Marvel Universe, she was part of the Ultimates (including Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Spectrum) and later was recruited by Kid Loki to join the second incarnation of Young Avengers. America was a member of A-FORCE – an all-women Avengers team in a time between the end and rebirth of the Marvel universe.
As Marvel’s first Latina and Lesbian superhero, America is a hugely popular character. She has been a great addition to all the teams in comics. Given her abilities, America is critical to the future of exploring the multiverse and making her a target for villains who make want to seize that power.
INCURSIONS
If you are comic book reader, you know incursion is an ominous word. In the Jonathan Hickman era, Black Panther discovered parallel earths were clashing into each other with only one surviving. T’Challa assembled a new version of The Illuminati to solve the crisis and save our Earth from the incursions of other Earths. From the post-credit scene, Doctor Strange and Clea are already on missions to stop incursions. What does that mean? In the comics some heroes took desperate measures including teaming up with villains to wipe out other Earths before they could incur with ours. It could signal a future Avengers team-up film could be an Illuminati, battles with teams of heroes or villains from other Earths – and the introduction of the Fantastic Four and mutants into the main MCU.
By Editor