MCU Phase 4 slate. The studio has slipped into a pattern of launching one new franchise every year, with at least one sequel as well. Doctor Strange 2 is one of those sequels that's coming in Phase 4.
The sequel has been given an unusual title: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. What's more, Marvel has confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch will be ed by an unexpected guest-star, Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. In the comics, Scarlet Witch has the power to manipulate reality itself, and has been at the heart of several Multiversal plots. That means Doctor Strange 2 could be key to introducing some major new elements into the MCU, and most fans are assuming that will mean the X-Men.
But the X-Men aren't the only new character or concept about to enter the MCU. Marvel has also revealed that Blade will make his MCU debut in Phase 5. Could it be that, rather than set up the X-Men, Doctor Strange 2 paves the way for Blade?
Kevin Feige Has Linked Doctor Strange 2 With Blade
The Mahershala Ali ed them and asked to play Blade. Interestingly, though, in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Feige suggested that the timing was pretty opportune - because he believed Blade could spring out of Doctor Strange 2.
"We have, for years, wanted to find a new way into Blade, we love that character. We love that world. Now, with Doctor Strange and the supernatural elements coming into the MCU, it felt like we could definitely start exploring that..."
In truth, this shouldn't really be much of a surprise. Doctor Strange 2 has been billed as the Deliver Us From Evil. If Doctor Strange 2 is influenced by the horror genre, then it makes a lot more sense for it to introduce vampires than mutants.
Doctor Strange 2 Could Explore The Origins Of Vampires In The MCU
The introduction of Blade actually poses a subtle problem for the MCU, simply because there's currently no evidence that vampires exist in Marvel's shared universe at all. It's possible Marvel will simply do a retcon, revealing that they've existed in the shadows all along; as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it would have been only a matter of time before some vampire-related file was decrypted.
Frankly, a better approach would be for Doctor Strange 2 to be the origin story of the MCU's vampire race. In the comics, vampires were brought into the world by a cult called the Darkholders, who serve an extradimensional entity named Chthon. They used a book of forbidden knowledge called the Darkhold to weave an enchantment that turned one of their own, Vernae, into the first vampire. Doctor Strange 2 has the intriguing title of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and in the MCU, the word "Multiverse" denotes other planes of reality, such as the Dark Dimension or the Quantum Realm, as well as alternate timelines. It's not difficult to imagine a scenario where a cult attempt to bring Chthon to Earth, and thus create the first vampire in this modern setting.
The Darkhold Could Be The Key To The MCU's Vampires
The first Doctor Strange film actually had a subtle nod to the mentoring a time travelling Doctor Doom. And one of the sources of Cagliostro's arcane knowledge was, in fact, an even older book of magic called the Darkhold.
The Darkhold was created by Chthon in ancient times in order that this monstrous, mystical being could invade the Earth. In the comics, more recently, Chthon chose a potential vessel for his power - Scarlet Witch. Wanda was born in a place that was rich in magical energy, and as a result Chthon was able to imbue her with latent mystical potential. It took years for that potential to be realized, and when it was, Chthon possessed Scarlet Witch and had his Darkholders attempt to bind him to Earth permanently. Wanda is already confirmed to co-star in Doctor Strange 2, and there's evidence Marvel is Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary suggested that the Infinity Stone simply triggered "something latent inside her." The potential is clearly there for Scarlet Witch to be linked to Chthon and the Darkholders, just as in the comics.
Further ing this theory, one of the most important issues featuring the Darkhold was Doctor Strange #60, in which Stephen Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Monica Rambeau worked together against Chthon's acolytes and vampiric legions in order to protect the Darkhold and prevent it being used to disastrous effect. The MCU's Monica Rambeau appeared in Captain Marvel, which was set in 1995; Marvel has cast Doctor Strange 2, perhaps meaning the adult Monica Rambeau could make the jump to the big screen as well. The pieces certainly seem to be set in place to do a modernized origin story for the MCU's vampires, with Chthon as the villain, and Blade as a new franchise spinning out of this blockbuster.
Why The Time Is Right For Blade, Not The X-Men
In truth, it shouldn't really be a surprise that Marvel is closer to introducing Blade than they are to setting up mutants and the X-Men. Marvel has been quite open about the fact they've wanted to do something with Blade for years; in fact, back in 2016, Kate Beckinsale revealed that Marvel turned down the idea of a Green Book, and Marvel recast the role, jumping at the chance to have him the MCU as a franchise lead.
In contrast, the studio hasn't had anywhere near the same amount of time to work on plans for the X-Men. Until the Disney/Fox acquisition, it was almost impossible to imagine a scenario where Marvel Studios regained the X-Men's film rights from Fox. Even when that became public knowledge, Marvel would initially have been prohibited from developing concrete ideas, for fear of complicating the regulatory hoops the acquisition had to jump through. It's true that, now the purchase is complete, Marvel has settled on their plans for the X-Men; as Kevin Feige told Comic-Con 2019, "there's no time left to talk about mutants, and how mutants fit into the MCU." But these plans would naturally be less well-developed than those for Blade, meaning it would definitely make more sense for Doctor Strange 2 to introduce vampires rather than mutants.
