Summary

  • Doctor Strange 3 is rumored to be adapting Marvel Comics' "Time Runs Out" storyline, which involves a race against time to stop a massive-scale incursion that threatens to destroy reality.
  • The events of Phase 4's Marvel projects, such as Loki, What If...?, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, have set up the concept of the multiverse and established the groundwork for a "Time Runs Out" adaptation.
  • The ending of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hints that Doctor Strange may bring together the MCU's Illuminati team and potentially become a leader, leading to potential division and a comic-accurate adaptation of "Time Runs Out" in Doctor Strange 3.

Rumored to be adapting a major storyline from Marvel Comics, Doctor Strange 3 may have already been perfectly set up by five previous Marvel Studios projects. Although it hasn't yet been confirmed by Marvel Studios, Doctor Strange 3 is expected to be an inevitable title releasing in the MCU's Phase 6, setting up Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange as a major player in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The cliffhanger ending of Phase 4's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness created the perfect opportunity for a sequel, but Doctor Strange 3 may have also been set up by several other projects in the MCU's Multiverse Saga.

Cumberbatch debuted as Doctor Strange's titular hero in 2016, and quickly became a key character in the MCU, having a massive role in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and helping to introduce the concept of the multiverse in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Strange is expected to remain at the core of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, with the Doctor Strange 3 speculated to be paving the way for Avengers: Secret Wars epic storyline at the end of Phase 6. Recent popular rumors have reinforced these ideas, pointing to Doctor Strange 3 adapting one of Marvel Comics' most intense and world-changing storylines.

Doctor Strange 3 Is Rumored To Be Adapting Marvel Comics’ Time Runs Out

Time Runs Out in Marvel Comics

Recent speculation has suggested that Doctor Strange 3 could be adapting Marvel Comics' Time Runs Out storyline, which unfolded over issues of Avengers and New Avengers in 2014/15, culminating in 2015's Secret Wars crossover event. This storyline saw the heroes of the Marvel Universe already informed of a massive-scale incursion threatening to destroy reality, and several groups embarked on a race against time to try and halt the devastation. Time Runs Out began eight months after the Illuminati had used an antimatter bomb to destroy the planet of the Great Society, the most recent planet to witness an incursion, leading to the Avengers and SHIELD trying to hunt them down.

While the Avengers try to track down the Illuminati, however, the Illuminati try to stop an incursion from wiping out the multiverse, as they realized the whole of reality had been crumbling. Eventually, both the Avengers and the Illuminati fought to save their world, with a plan being devised to construct lifeboats capable of letting a few survive the incursion. While Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom, and the Molecule Man face the Beyonders, the main Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe collide, leading directly into the events of Secret Wars. This is a massive storyline to adapt for the MCU, but it seems the road may have already been paved.

Time Runs Out’s Storyline Has Already Been Set Up In The Multiverse Saga

Reed Richards explaining incursions in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Time Runs Out is such a huge storyline that it would be difficult to tell the entire story in only one project, which suggests that Marvel Studios has been planting the seeds of the story in a variety of previous MCU projects. The multiverse is key to Time Runs Out, which means Phase 4's Loki was crucial to establish the story's events. The multiverse was explored more in What If...?, which also saw Doctor Strange cause universal destruction by breaking an Absolute Point, perhaps teasing a more sinister role for Strange in the MCU's future. Phase 5's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also provided some important information about the multiverse that continued to make this story adaptation a possibility.

Perhaps the most important project setting up a Time Runs Out adaptation is, of course, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The Phase 4 film saw Strange journey to another reality and come face-to-face with the Illuminati, during which Reed Richards introduced the idea of incursions, perfectly setting the stage for Time Runs Out. One unexpected piece of setup came during Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, however. In Marvel Comics' Time Runs Out, Namor forms the Cabal, a villainous group who destroy alternate realities in an attempt to stop the incursions. As such, Namor's debut in the MCU's Phase 4 could hint at a surprising multiversal character arc for the new antihero.

Marvel Comics’ Time Runs Out Is Perfect For Doctor Strange 3

Clea and Doctor Strange in the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' cliffhanger ending created the perfect opportunity for Doctor Strange 3 to adapt Time Runs Out, as Clea's surprising debut came with a warning that Strange had already caused an incursion. After the events of Strange's Phase 4 adventure, it's likely he could bring together the MCU's official Illuminati team, potentially setting himself up as a leader. His potentially controversial opinions on how to deal with incursions could lead to division between the Illuminati and the MCU's New Avengers team in Phase 6, setting the stage for a comic-accurate adaptation of Time Runs Out in Doctor Strange 3.

Although Marvel Studios hasn't yet officially confirmed Doctor Strange 3's development, the film is expected to release as part of the MCU's Phase 6, potentially before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but certainly before the Multiverse Saga's conclusion with Avengers: Secret Wars. If Doctor Strange 3 releases immediately prior to Secret Wars, the film could end with an incursion ravaging the MCU just as it does to the Marvel Universe in the Marvel Comics event. Strange has been teased as both a powerful hero and dangerous threat to the MCU's Multiverse Saga, so Doctor Strange 3 could explore what happens when his actions cause a catastrophic incursion.