SPOILERS: 5 Awesome (And Surprising) Ways DOCTOR STRANGE Sets Up The Future Of The MCU
Doctor Strange is now in theaters, but just how much does the movie do to set up the futures of both the Sorcerer Supreme and the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Hit the jump for the answer to that and more.
We've already taken a look at what did and didn't work in Doctor Strange along with the movie's coolest Easter Eggs, but what exactly does the latest Marvel Studio release do to set up the future of their Cinematic Universe? While there's no denying that it's a fairly self contained origin story for the arrogant neurosurgeon turned sorcerer, there's also still a fair bit of world building in this movie.
It's that we take a closer look at here. From Avengers: Infinity War to Phase 3 (and 4) in general, Doctor Strange is a movie which could very well have as many ramifications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Iron Man did back in 2008. It's obvious that the hope is for him to potentially become the new face of this world, but that may only be the beginning of big things to come for Strange in the near future...
5. Doctor Strange Vs. Thanos
In the closing few minutes of Doctor Strange, Wong casually mentions that the Eye of Agamotto is an Infinity Stone. The fact that we had seen it glow green and manipulate time before then made that fact pretty obvious for fans who keep track of this sort of thing, but the confirmation means we now know for sure that Thanos is coming for it. As a result, its pretty obvious why Strange will get involved with Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Infinity War.
Wong also points out that Strange can train to master its powers, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the opportunity to do so before it's snatched from him. Assuming the Mad Titan plans on attacking every location where an Infinity Stone is kept, it could be that he'll make his presence felt at the Sanctum Sanctorum long before the Sorcerer Supreme in training ends up joining the ranks of what's left of The Avengers. Either way, these two are coming to blows!
4. New Mystical Threats
Had The Ancient One survived, it would have been easy to imagine her somehow factoring into Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, she's now gone, and Strange's mentor passed away without handing over the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to her brightest student. As a result, the Earth is currently without a well known protector of all things magic related, hence why Wong says that the floodgates to many new threats are about to open.
This obviously sets the stage for a Doctor Strange sequel to delve into any number of new characters (director Scott Derrickson has already suggested Nightmare as a big bad), while it could also be a reference to Thanos as The Ancient One may have been all that stopped him from attempting to get his hands on the Time Stone up until now. Either way, more mystical threats emerging in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward is now a guarantee, so who knows where they'll show up first!
3. No More Thor
We've known for a while that the God of Thunder will seek out Doctor Strange in Thor: Ragnarok, and the mid-credits scene for the mystical hero's movie gives us our first taste of what that meeting will look like. While early reports from screenings pointed to Strange telling Thor that he wants all and any Asgardians to permanently leave Earth, that was actually incorrect, though the hero does seem anxious to send the seemingly depowered God back where he comes from.
He seems to have a good knowledge of them anyway, and it doesn't look like we should expect these two to be close allies moving forward. That could very well lead to an interesting dynamic between the two heroes in Avengers: Infinity War, but time will tell on that front. What we do know is that we'll next see the Sorcerer Supreme in training in Thor: Ragnarok, and his role there could be bigger than any of us initially expected...
2. Dormammu's Return
Most of us hoped that Dormammu would appear in Doctor Strange, but it's fair to say that his cameo didn't play out exactly as expected. Sharing very little in terms of appearance with his comic book counterpart, the iconic villain was instead a floating face made of energy voiced by an unknown actor. I'm not saying that didn't work within the context of the movie, but it was still a tad disappointing, and it would be nice to see him return somewhere down the line.
Thankfully, Doctor Strange definitely sets the stage for that to happen in a couple of different ways. Dormammu retreats back to the Dark Dimension, but it's pretty obvious that he'll want vengeance for being humiliated, and that alone leaves the door open to some sort of return. Throw in the fact that it looked like the Zealots were transformed into beings who look an awful lot like The Mindless Ones, and we'll definitely see more of this guy at some point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
1. A New Big Bad
That's surely going to lead to him crossing paths with Strange again, and it's there that we can probably expect this rivaly to truly begin. Still, it should be interesting seeing whether Marvel takes the slow burn approach with Mordo or if he'll be a full blown bad guy when he next appears. Either way, this is one of the most complex and exciting characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Doctor Strange, so what he does when he crops up next promises to have major ramifications for this world.
Are you excited about what Doctor Strange means for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.