Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) conquered the box office as Marvel Studios conjured new mystical heroes, villains and dimensions from comics.
The Phase Three film exposed the Multiverse in Strange’s out of this world excursions across time, space and the astral plane, unleashed a major super villain and tied Strange to Asgard and the upcoming Infinity War.
In his first big screen adventure Strange took on rival sorcerer Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) but fans saw an even more powerful super villain emerge.
Who is the mystery villain and what could those post-credits scenes mean for the future of Marvel movies?
Before we continue here’s a SPOILER ALERT!
If you have not seen Doctor Strange yet stop reading now.
Seriously.
OK.
Here it comes.
Kaecilius was a zealot serving Dormannu, ruler of the Dark Dimension. This cosmic entity took the form of a evil cloud-like being or giant face full of dark stars and shades of purple (like another cosmic big bad guy Thanos!)
Who is Dormannu?
Dormannu is a creation of legendary Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. He’s been haunting comics for six decades. The immortal evil made of mystical energy can project it, manipulate matter, resize, teleport, possess others, wield necromancy and the power to create demon lords to enforce his sinister agenda. Dormannu is the most powerful of Marvel’s higher-dimensional beings and clashed with Agamotto (founder of the Sorcerer Supremes) millions of years ago.
What else you need to know about Dormannu that could turn up in future Marvel movies:
Faltines – Dormannu is the most powerful of these inter-dimensional beings made of mystical energy.
Umar – Dormannu’s sister. This is a Faltine energy being trapped in human form appearing as a powerful sorceress.
Clea – A sorcesses trained by Strange. She becomes his prize student and lover. Clea is the niece of Dormannu, daughter of Umar who later overthrew her evil relatives to become Sorceress Supreme of the Dark Dimension.
Mindless Ones – Creatures from Dread Dimension. Because the Mindless Ones have no will of their own, they can be summoned via dark magic to do the bidding of others. The slave army are made of rock without faces except one glowing eye that fires beams of energy.
Loki – Dormannu once formed an alliance tricking the Avengers and Defenders into fighting each other for a mystical artifact known as the Evil Eye, which would allow Dormannu to merge his dimension with ours. (Note: In the comics Doctor Strange is a longtime member of The Defenders. Marvel’s Defenders will be a Netflix series starring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.)
Ghost Rider – Dormannu tricked Strange into a battle with original Ghost Rider. A different version of the supernatural hero is a big part of this season’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mid-Credits Scene:
Thor and Doctor Strange share beverages (beer and tea) as the Odinson recruits the Sorcerer Supreme to join him and his brother Loki in a search for their father Odin.
In Thor: The Dark World, When we last saw Loki, he was sitting on the throne of Asgard impersonating his father. Thor believed Loki died in battle against Malekith and the Dark Elves. In that film’s mid-credits scene, Odin ordered Sif to deliver an Infinity Stone to The Collector, a villain later seen in Guardians of the Galaxy.
You may remember Thor saw a vision in a mystical pool in Avengers: Age of Ultron forcing him to leave Earth for parts unknown. Did Thor discover Loki’s deception leading to his new search for Odin?
Thor could be recruiting Doctor Strange for his quest with Loki and to watch out for Loki’s manipulations. The trickster God of Lies is also a powerful sorcerer.
This Strange encounter leads to Thor: Ragnarok coming in November 2017. This mid-credits scene could actually turn up in the sequel just like the Ant-Man mid-credits scene ended up as part of Captain America: Civil War.
Post-Credits Scene:
Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a mentor, sidekick and ally of Strange until he learns of the Ancient One’s deception: she had been using the power of the Dark Dimension to remain immortal.
Mordo was against Strange’s use of the Eye of Agamotto to turn back time to stop Kaecilius.
Mordo is strict believer in natural law and feels betrayed by his mentor and ally and takes off after the film’s climatic battle.
After the credits, Mordo approaches John Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt) and steals his magic declaring the world has “too many sorcerers.”
In the comics Baron Karl Mordo was a treacherous student who betrayed The Ancient One. The film version looks to be a supernatural vigilante seeking to wipe out every magical being until he’s the last sorcerer standing.
Marvel’s Doctor Strange pulled the cloak opening new dimensions, unleashing big cosmic threats and weaving mystical ties to the Thor mythology and the march to Avengers: Infinity War.
And about Infinity War…Wong casually mentioned the Eye of Agamotto contains an Infinity Stone and should not be used. Strange does use the artifact to twist time and save the Sanctum, saving the world and reality. This was the Time Stone. What else does Wong or the other Sorcerers know about the other Stones? Do they know about Thanos?
By Editor