Doctor Strange might be responsible for Kang's arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but not because of his actions in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The introduction of Kang the Conqueror in Phase 4 meant that the multiverse needed to be restored. Loki featured the Sacred Timeline breaking as part of He Who Remains' plan, but theories continued to swirl about what event in particular led to the recreation of the multiverse. It was commonly thought Doctor Strange 2 would provide the answer and continue to set up Kang as the Multiverse Saga's villain, but that did not come.

It is possible that Doctor Strange's actions before the sequel are actually what lead to Kang's arrival. In 2016's Doctor Strange, the arrogant sorcerer manipulates the natural laws of nature to stop Kaecilius and Dormammu's invasion. While it was a heroic moment for Doctor Strange, the movie ended with Mordo teasing that there will be massive repercussions for these actions. Audiences have since interpreted the line to be a tease of Thanos' actions in Avengers: Infinity War or even Mordo's quest to eliminate sorcerers. However, it might be that Kang the Conqueror's arrival is the true fallout of Doctor Strange's actions.

Related: Kang's Many Variants Can Force The MCU To Avoid An Avengers Trope

Doctor Strange Could Have Broken The Multiverse In 2016

Doctor Strange faces off against Dormammu in his first solo movie

The multiverse became a central part of the MCU storyline in Phase 4, but Doctor Strange includes multiple teases of its existence. Since sorcerers draw their power from other dimensions in the multiverse, Doctor Strange's powers have always been linked to the multiverse. The MCU has since proven that he can drastically impact the multiverse if his spells are not cast correctly. Spider-Man: No Way Home's multiverse plot is directly tied to Strange's spells. This is all the more notable because Doctor Strange is very experienced in the ways of the mystic arts at this stage, whereas he was still a novice during Doctor Strange.

There are a few different moments in Doctor Strange that could now be retconned to be the moment where he breaks the multiverse and allows Kang's conquering to return. The first time he uses the Time Stone does not go as planned, but that event is connected to Dormammu more than Kang. It would make more sense for Doctor Strange reversing time in Hong Kong or the Dark Dimension's time loop to be the incident that in some way breaks the natural laws holding the MCU timeline together.

Doctor Strange’s Kang Connection Sets Up Pivotal Secret Wars Role

Doctor Strange and He Who Remains.

The possibility that Doctor Strange is responsible for Kang's arrival could help Marvel set up the sorcerer's pivotal role in Avengers: Secret Wars. He might currently be exploring the multiverse with Clea to stop incursions, but Doctor Strange needs to be a key figure if the MCU heroes have any chance of stopping Jonathan Major's multiverse villain. It could even be through this adventure that Doctor Strange learns that Kang is the consequence of his actions. This would create a strong link between Doctor Strange and Kang, much like the one Marvel formed between Iron Man and Thanos. With that parallel in mind, the Kang connection can make Doctor Strange re-assess his past.

Next: Forget Quantumania: Ant-Man Might've Already Met Kang In His First Movie

Key Release Dates