Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue the MCU's Phase 4 variation theme by featuring multiple distinct incarnations of Stephen Strange. One of the varieties was seen in the first Doctor Strange 2 teasers, while apparel for the movie had previously disclosed others. Although just these two variants—also known as Strange Supreme and Defender Strange—have been revealed for the film, other forms of the sorcerer may likely appear to aid or impede the MCU's Doctor Strange.
The Disney+ Loki series brought the notion of variations into the MCU, with many versions of Loki emerging throughout the show, some quite similar to the character fans are familiar with, and others dramatically different. Marvel's What If...? series and Spider-Man: No Way Home both explored this multiverse with various diverging histories and permutations on classic characters. Doctor Strange 2 will go into the aftermath of No Way Home as well as the greater multiverse as a whole.
Stephen Strange is the third MCU hero to meet other versions of himself in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, following Loki and Peter Parker. It will be interesting to see how the wizard handles the situation, especially as one or more of the versions appears to be one of Doctor Strange 2's enemies. Here are the three confirmed Doctor Strange varieties in the second film.
Even though some viewers speculated that the MCU's Doctor Strange might embrace his sinister side for Doctor Strange 2, the teaser debunks that assumption. In the sequel, Stephen Strange seems to be more or less his normal self, backing Wong's quest to become the next Sorcerer Supreme, among other issues. Doctor Strange will have forgotten about Peter Parker by the end of No Way Home and will be attempting to clean up the mess from the impending cataclysm that almost destroyed Earth. Despite Peter's sacrifice, the multiverse's stability remains in doubt, and Doctor Strange will need to collaborate with other heroes, such as Scarlet Witch, and other versions of himself to rectify whatever went wrong.
The first teaser for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness shows an evil Doctor Strange, whose MCU debut occurred in Marvel's What If...? miniseries. The tragedy that sent Stephen on the path to become a sorcerer in the Disney+ series was not hurting his hands in a vehicle accident but losing Dr. Christine Palmer in the accident. Filled with sadness, this Doctor Strange variation researched black magic in an attempt to bring her back from the dead, eventually consuming a large number of mythological entities to grow more powerful. Unfortunately, the power changed him in more ways than one, and What If...? episode 4 saw Doctor Strange become as wicked as the monsters he absorbed, all in a frantic attempt to rectify something that could not be reversed. His actions have caused reality to collapse, with structures and other surroundings dissolving into a type of black ooze, as shown in the Doctor Strange 2 teaser.
In What If...?, the sacrifices made by Evil Doctor Strange—also known as Strange Supreme—were for naught since Christine was frightened by what he'd become and the state of the world around them. By the time he regained consciousness, it was too late, and Strange Supreme was forced to spend the rest of his life in a jail of his own deeds. The multiverse of Madness likely finds this Strange variation suffering his fate alone when he finds a means to leap into another reality. At the end of What If...? season 1, Evil Doctor Strange struck a bargain with the Watcher to help secure the multiverse from danger, and it's plausible that he might regard the MCU's Doctor Strange to be one of those threats. Even though he has previously faced and destroyed another version of himself in What If...?, he will also have to contend with Scarlet Witch and whatever other friends Doctor Strange has recruited in the interim.
Doctor Strange 2 merch provides a clear look at yet another Doctor Strange variation - Defender Strange. Defender Strange's Marvel Legends box displays the character's black and red suit, along with a caption that reads, "Doctor Strange is Earth's greatest magical defender, guarding our reality from supernatural dangers from throughout the multiverse." This Defender Strange variation is most likely a reimagining of the hero that worked with the original Defenders in the comics. His involvement in Doctor Strange 2 is uncertain, although he has the potential to significantly impact Doctor Strange's destiny in the MCU.
Even though Marvel had previously launched a Defenders group on Netflix consisting of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, the original comics team from the 1970s and 1980s included Doctor Strange as the informal leader, along with Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner, with the Silver Surfer joining not long after. Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Beast, Gargoyle, and Hellcat were among the other heroes that joined the Defenders during their first comic run many of these characters have previously been featured or will be presented in the MCU, implying that a version of this group might be developed for the big screen. Unlike the Avengers, who have a more stable reputation, the Defenders were only designed to link up when absolutely required. Strange encountering this Defender variation in the MCU may inspire him to form his own such squad.
The Disney+ Loki series brought the notion of variations into the MCU, with many versions of Loki emerging throughout the show, some quite similar to the character fans are familiar with, and others dramatically different. Marvel's What If...? series and Spider-Man: No Way Home both explored this multiverse with various diverging histories and permutations on classic characters. Doctor Strange 2 will go into the aftermath of No Way Home as well as the greater multiverse as a whole.Stephen Strange is the third MCU hero to meet other versions of himself in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, following Loki and Peter Parker. It will be interesting to see how the wizard handles the situation, especially as one or more of the versions appears to be one of Doctor Strange 2's enemies. Here are the three confirmed Doctor Strange varieties in the second film.
#1 The MCU's Doctor Strange
Even though some viewers speculated that the MCU's Doctor Strange might embrace his sinister side for Doctor Strange 2, the teaser debunks that assumption. In the sequel, Stephen Strange seems to be more or less his normal self, backing Wong's quest to become the next Sorcerer Supreme, among other issues. Doctor Strange will have forgotten about Peter Parker by the end of No Way Home and will be attempting to clean up the mess from the impending cataclysm that almost destroyed Earth. Despite Peter's sacrifice, the multiverse's stability remains in doubt, and Doctor Strange will need to collaborate with other heroes, such as Scarlet Witch, and other versions of himself to rectify whatever went wrong.#2 Strange Supreme, Aka Evil Doctor Strange, From What If...?
The first teaser for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness shows an evil Doctor Strange, whose MCU debut occurred in Marvel's What If...? miniseries. The tragedy that sent Stephen on the path to become a sorcerer in the Disney+ series was not hurting his hands in a vehicle accident but losing Dr. Christine Palmer in the accident. Filled with sadness, this Doctor Strange variation researched black magic in an attempt to bring her back from the dead, eventually consuming a large number of mythological entities to grow more powerful. Unfortunately, the power changed him in more ways than one, and What If...? episode 4 saw Doctor Strange become as wicked as the monsters he absorbed, all in a frantic attempt to rectify something that could not be reversed. His actions have caused reality to collapse, with structures and other surroundings dissolving into a type of black ooze, as shown in the Doctor Strange 2 teaser.In What If...?, the sacrifices made by Evil Doctor Strange—also known as Strange Supreme—were for naught since Christine was frightened by what he'd become and the state of the world around them. By the time he regained consciousness, it was too late, and Strange Supreme was forced to spend the rest of his life in a jail of his own deeds. The multiverse of Madness likely finds this Strange variation suffering his fate alone when he finds a means to leap into another reality. At the end of What If...? season 1, Evil Doctor Strange struck a bargain with the Watcher to help secure the multiverse from danger, and it's plausible that he might regard the MCU's Doctor Strange to be one of those threats. Even though he has previously faced and destroyed another version of himself in What If...?, he will also have to contend with Scarlet Witch and whatever other friends Doctor Strange has recruited in the interim.#3 Defender Strange
Doctor Strange 2 merch provides a clear look at yet another Doctor Strange variation - Defender Strange. Defender Strange's Marvel Legends box displays the character's black and red suit, along with a caption that reads, "Doctor Strange is Earth's greatest magical defender, guarding our reality from supernatural dangers from throughout the multiverse." This Defender Strange variation is most likely a reimagining of the hero that worked with the original Defenders in the comics. His involvement in Doctor Strange 2 is uncertain, although he has the potential to significantly impact Doctor Strange's destiny in the MCU.Even though Marvel had previously launched a Defenders group on Netflix consisting of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, the original comics team from the 1970s and 1980s included Doctor Strange as the informal leader, along with Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner, with the Silver Surfer joining not long after. Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Beast, Gargoyle, and Hellcat were among the other heroes that joined the Defenders during their first comic run many of these characters have previously been featured or will be presented in the MCU, implying that a version of this group might be developed for the big screen. Unlike the Avengers, who have a more stable reputation, the Defenders were only designed to link up when absolutely required. Strange encountering this Defender variation in the MCU may inspire him to form his own such squad.