The Marvel Cinematic Universe is preparing for a new era of films and TV shows, and the most important title in its phase 4 might be Spider-Man: Far From Home as the closing chapter.
Now, Marvel Studios is ready to move on with its highly anticipated phase 4, which will introduce new characters (like the Doctor Strange. The film will have Derrickson back as director, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as the Sorcerer Supreme, and has been teased to have a completely different tone to what the MCU has been doing so far.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will have a direct connection to WandaVision, as Scarlet Witch has been confirmed to appear in the film. In typical Marvel fashion, plot details haven’t been revealed yet, but from what is known so far about Doctor Strange’s second film, it all points at it being the one that completely changes the MCU.
Doctor Strange 2 Introduces The Real Multiverse To MCU
As the title says, Doctor Strange 2 will introduce and explore Marvel’s multiverse. In the comics, the multiverse is a collection of alternate universes with a similar nature and a universal hierarchy. Each universe or continuity is a single reality, such as the mainstream Marvel Universe/continuity Earth-616, though these shouldn’t be confused with “dimensions”. For example, characters like Odin come from separate dimensions as those on Earth, but they are still part of Universe-616. Some of these universes were born due to time-traveling, where a single reality splits into two nearly identical realities upon reaching a certain point in time – from then on, an event occurs differently in each diverging reality. Each universe has a Captain Britain as protector of its version of the British Isles, and are collectively known as Captain Britain Corps. Each universe appears to be defended by a Sorcerer Supreme as well.
In the MCU, however, the multiverse refers to the collection of dimensions contained within one universe, in this case Earth-199999. As such, settings like the Ant-Man, which presented the Quantum Realm, but it wasn’t formally introduced until Doctor Strange, which took viewers into a brief yet trippy ride through some dimensions. However, the multiverse as it is, with its many possibilities, scenarios, and threats, hasn’t been shown yet – but that will change soon.
Although the MCU has already shown some of the dimensions contained in the multiverse, there are many more to be explored, which opens many doors for the team behind The Infinity stones were the core of the “Infinity saga”, and the multiverse with all its possibilities can be the same in phase 4 and beyond.
Doctor Strange 2 Can Introduce Mutants... Or Vampires
Among some of the most exciting perks of Marvel finally exploring the multiverse is that it can bring other characters that couldn’t be introduced before for different reasons. Thanks to the Captain America: Civil War?). But the mutants are not the only characters that could benefit from the exploration of the multiverse – vampires could also use it to their advantage.
In Marvel Comics, vampires are magically reanimated human corpses inhabited by the spirits of the deceased person, and closely resemble the living human they were before their transformation. Like traditional vampires, they feed off the blood of the living, and can transform other humans they have fed from thanks to the enzymes carried in the vampire’s saliva. These characters can summon and control certain creatures as well as transform themselves into bats, possess the power of hypnosis, and in most cases are able to heal themselves quickly. Of course, they also have weaknesses, such as sunlight, aversion to religious symbols, silver, and wood (but only if impaled through the heart), among others. Vampires can also be defeated through magic thanks to incantations like the Montesi Formula, used by Doctor Strange to destroy all vampires.
Introducing vampires through the multiverse would also help setup Blade, one of the confirmed characters coming to the MCU in a near future, most likely in phase 5. Or, if Marvel is feeling adventurous, they could go as far as to introduce both (without making them the center of the story, as to avoid having too many characters in one film), making way for future films to have either the mutants or the vampires as part of their stories.
Doctor Strange 2 Is Defining Phase 4
Although the MCU is mostly known for its films, TV shows are also included in it. Netflix’s Marvel shows are also part of it, and even though they acknowledged the events of the films, they never had a connection with them. That will change with the Scarlet Witch will appear in Doctor Strange 2, and the events in her series will affect the ones in the film.
the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. The events in it will surely influence future seasons of the aforementioned series as well, so Doctor Strange 2 is a defining entry in the MCU’s new era.
Doctor Strange 2 Is A New Kind Of MCU Story
the horror side of Doctor Strange 2 could help make the transition to a horror-oriented path easier, thus helping Blade (and the mutants, if they also decide to go on a darker route) as viewers will already have an idea of what to expect.
Exploring a new genre will also open up more possibilities for other characters, not just Strange, Blade, and the mutants – and given the direct connection between films and TV shows, the horror-vibe could also be translated to television at some point. The MCU is (finally) trying new things with phase 4 and beyond, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can be the one that leads the MCU’s future phases, if done correctly.
