Stephen Strange is officially coming back for Doctor Strange 2 in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Phase 4. Avengers: Endgame marked the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we’ve come to know it and gave closure to the arcs of some of the original Avengers while also making way for new stories for the rest of the heroes. With Spider-Man: Far From Home marking the end of the MCU’s Phase 3, there’s plenty of room for other heroes to step up.

One of the most anticipated sequels is that of Doctor Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme made his MCU debut in 2016, and even though director Scott Derrickson has been set to come back for the sequel, there hadn’t been a confirmation from Marvel. Luckily, the announcement of Doctor Strange 2 was among the plans of the studio for their panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Related: Marvel Studios Officially Announces Phase 4 Movies and Release Dates

Marvel Studios took over Hall H once more and brought some big announcements, including the confirmation of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as part of the highly-anticipated Phase 4, with May 7, 2021 as the projected release date. As mentioned above, Scott Derrickson will be back as director, with Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as the Sorcerer Supreme and Elizabeth Olsen coming back as Scarlet Witch.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue exploring the cosmic side of the MCU and now also the alternate universes and timelines that were created after the events in Avengers: Endgame. With Stephen Strange still being the keeper of the Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto, there are a lot of things he can do with it that go beyond creating time loops to bargain with Dormammu. According to Derrickson, they are making the “first scary MCU film,” so we can expect some truly dark, unexplored universes.

As for Scarlet Witch’s involvement, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained that the events in WandaVision will tie directly to those in Doctor Strange 2, confirming that the “connected universe” will expand to all the series that will stream on Disney+. Details such as the villain are still unknown, though it has been heavily rumored that Nightmare could make his MCU debut soon, especially after Derrickson himself expressed interest in including him in a sequel - but there’s also Baron Mordo, who started his conversion into a villain in the post-credits scene in Doctor Strange.

Phase 4 brings a lot of possibilities for all the titles included in it, as it’s a sort of fresh start for this new era in the MCU. The Doctor Strange universe has some very interesting characters (both good and evil) that can be explored not only in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but also in further sequels - and even in other Marvel films. For now, fans can rest assured knowing that the Sorcerer Supreme will be back with a new solo adventure.

More: Doctor Strange 2: 10 Things We Want To See

Source: Marvel Studios