The debut of Doctor Strange added an exciting and unique Marvel superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his mystical magic. Although Strange’s origin story stood strongly on its own as a solo movie in the MCU, the Sorcerer Supreme is expected to pop up in future entries in the next wave of Marvel movies - including an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War.

However, you won’t have to wait until Infinity War to see Cumberbatch reprise his role as Doctor Strange in the MCU. A surprise mid-credits scene in Doctor Strange reveals a conversation between the title character and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in which Strange uses his powers to refill his mug with booze. The scene strongly hints at Doctor Strange’s appearance in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. An official synopsis for the upcoming third Thor installment all-but confirmed Doctor Strange’s involvement too.

Tom Hiddleston, who has memorably played the villainous Loki in the first two Thor movies and the first Avengers, was walking the red carpet at Sunday’s Golden Globes, where he won the award for best actor in a miniseries for The Night Manager. He stopped to speak with MTV News, which posted the exchange on its official Twitter account. Hiddleston - after hesitating at first - confirms Doctor Strange’s expected involvement in Thor: Ragnarok, while also shedding light on his role in the plot.

new #GoldenGlobe winner ?Tom Hiddleston ? drops hints about Doctor Strange's role in Thor: Ragnarok pic.twitter.com/kZFfxMxxxl— MTV News (@MTVNews) January 9, 2017

Although Thor: The Dark World came out in 2013, there’s still more to learn about what’s going on between Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Loki, who assumes the throne of Asgard and impersonates Odin’s form at the end. Here’s how Hiddleston described Doctor Strange’s role in Ragnarok:

“Let’s put it this way: Doctor Strange has very intensely cerebral time-bending powers. … At the end of Thor: The Dark World, Loki is on the throne. What happened to Odin? ... Maybe Doctor Strange has to help out with that particular conundrum.”

Odin’s mystifying transformation into Loki at the end of The Dark World will clearly call for some kind of help via Doctor Strange’s magic abilities. It sounds as if Ragnarok picks up where The Dark World left off, with a fully developed Doctor Strange joining the action and Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) also playing a major role. In a setting like Thor’s that spans multiple worlds, Doctor Strange’s dimension-shifting abilities will be a welcome addition.

It’s unclear how significant of a role Doctor Strange will play in Thor: Ragnarok. Hiddleston’s description certainly sounds like the Sorcerer Supreme’s role in the plot will be crucial to helping Thor determine exactly what happened to Odin at the end of The Dark World, but could be setting up fans for disappointment if Strange isn’t integral to the story. But it sure sounds like Doctor Strange will be an indispensable character not just to Ragnarok but the entire MCU moving forward.

Source: MTV News

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