Summary

• An MCU Phase 3 villain actor wants to return to the MCU, but his character's death in 2016's Doctor Strange may make this difficult.
• Clea's appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hints at the Dark Dimension being a prominent location in Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange 3.
• Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, may have a major role in Doctor Strange 3, with the possibility of taking on a human form.

A massive Doctor Strange 3, but this could bring about a shocking change for his character. Over the last 16 years since the MCU began with 2008's Iron Man, Marvel Studios has become well-known for utilizing villains only once before removing them from the board. This pattern has seen powerful villains such as Malekith the Dark Elf, Ultron, Crossbones, MODOK, Gorr the God Butcher and the Red Skull, among many more, wasted in the MCU, but this trend could soon be changing if one dangerous MCU villain returns.

Marvel Studios hired Mads Mikkelsen in 2015 to portray the main antagonist in 2016's Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch's MCU debut as the neurosurgeon-turned-Master of the Mystic Arts. Mikkelsen played Kaecilius, a student of Kamar-Taj who renounced the teachings of the Ancient One and instead idolized Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange 3.

Mads Mikkelsen Wants To Return To The Doctor Strange Franchise

Despite being such an acclaimed actor, Mads Mikkelsen has only made one appearance in the MCU, but this may soon change. In a February 2024 article by Business Insider, Mikkelsen noted that Doctor Strange was the "most fun" he's had working in a major franchise, and stated that he "wouldn't mind going back to [Kaecilius]," despite the character's death. While Mikkelsen noted that his return as Kaecilius would be difficult, a shocking MCU theory suggests that he could return to the MCU as a powerful new version of an age-old villain, posing an even greater threat in Doctor Strange 3.

I love them all. The most fun must've been "Doctor Strange" because I got to do two things I love: doing magic and flying Kung Fu. Yeah, that one. I wouldn't mind going back to him. But I have a tendency to die in all the franchises, so it's going to be hard.

Dormammu Will Likely Have A Major Role In Doctor Strange 3

While Kaecilius was introduced as an Earth-based threat in 2016's Doctor Strange, the man-behind-the-curtain was actually the ruler of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu. In Marvel Comics, Dormammu was born a Faltine, but he and his sister Umar were driven from their home dimension after they murdered their parent. Settling in the Dark Dimension, Dormammu and Umar created human forms for themselves, far from the abstract being seen in 2016's Doctor Strange. However, Charlize Theron's appearance as Clea in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have hinted at a very dramatic change for Dormammu in the MCU's future.

Charlize Theron debuted as Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' mid-credits scene, and came with a warning that Doctor Strange had caused an incursion, threatening the stability of the multiverse.

In Marvel Comics, Clea is the daughter of Umar, making her Dormammu's niece. The end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Clea open a portal to the Dark Dimension, presumably her home dimension, which she and Doctor Strange jumped through. This implies that the Dark Dimension will be a prominent location in Marvel Studios' as-yet-unconfirmed Doctor Strange 3, which means that Dormammu himself will likely be reappearing as the ruler of the Dark Dimension. However, since Clea appeared as a human in Multiverse of Madness, it's possible Dormammu could see the same transformation in Doctor Strange 3.

Dormammu Gets A Human Body In Doctor Strange 3: MCU Theory Explained

One popular theory posed by Strange cut a deal with Dormammu to rid the Earth of his followers, which threw Kaecilius and his crew into the Dark Dimension. This means that Kaecilius' body is available to be used as Dormammu's human shape.

Mads Mikkelsen portraying Dormammu in Doctor Strange 3 would bring the villain closer to his Marvel Comics characterization, as the Dark Dimension ruler takes a human form in the comics. This would also help to solve complaints that Marvel Studios has been wasting villains by making them one-and-done, as both Dormammu and, in some shape, Kaecilius, will be returning. Mads Mikkelsen is an incredibly talented and coveted actor, so bringing him back to the MCU as a character as powerful as Dormammu would benefit the MCU, particularly after a recent rise in criticism aimed at lackluster storylines and disappointing foes.

Mads Mikkelsen Has Been Rumored For Another Major MCU Villain (But Dormammu Makes More Sense)

While Mads Mikkelsen has expressed interest in returning to the MCU's Doctor Strange franchise, he has more recently been rumored to be reing the MCU as yet another powerful and legendary Marvel Comics adversary. Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot has been rumored to be introducing the MCU's version of Doctor Doom, which many have suggested as the perfect role for Mads Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen commands every role he portrays, and often chooses to play formidable villains, so Doctor Doom would perhaps fit him perfectly. However, in the world of the MCU, his potential return as Dormammu makes a lot more sense.

In 2016's Doctor Strange, Mads Mikkelsen portrayed a staunch follower of Dormammu, so already has an established connection to the ruler of the Dark Dimension. The fact that Kaecilius' body was taken into the Dark Dimension at the end of Doctor Strange also means that Dormammu would easily be able to use his form. While it might be great to see Mikkelsen as Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four, it makes a considerable amount more sense for him to return as Dormammu in Doctor Strange 3, which could set up an even bigger role for Mikkelsen in the MCU's Multiverse Saga.

Doctor Strange 3 is yet to be officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, though is expected to be developed for the MCU's Phase 6.