Doctor Strange has not even hit theaters yet, but Disney and Marvel Studios appear to have big plans for the Sorcerer Supreme moving forward. With Benedict Cumberbatch locked in to play the character now, it should not come as a surprise to fans that they will be seeing more of him in the future. He has already been confirmed to appear in Avengers: Infinity War along with the other major players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - and it's also been revealed that Infinity War will feature an appearance from another Doctor Strange character.

Moving past Phase 3, Strange will continue to be a main player in the MCU, with Cumberbatch himself teasing a 'key role.' That, and a healthy box office return for the first Doctor Strange movie, should grant a sequel. Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson has already start thinking about the direction the sequel could go.

Den of Geek had the chance to interview Derrickson and asked him about the possibilities of a second Doctor Strange movie. Although a sequel has not officially been announced yet, it would be a bigger surprise if one wasn't green-lit eventually. Derrickson previously teased his plans for a sequel, and it sounds as though he wants to build on what is shown in the first film:

I love the character, I love the visual possibilities, and I know the comics so well. [The first movie is] the tip of an iceberg. There's so much progress that can be made.

Doctor Strange - Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo

Derrickson is not revealing any specific details about his sequel plans yet, but it appears an emphasis on villain(s) would be made. He points to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight as a prime example of delivering great villains - something Marvel has struggled with in the past:

What made The Dark Knight so great was that the origin story of Batman had been well-told, and then it was time to bring in a villain where you really got to go deep. And not just the Joker, also Two-Face. It was a more visceral experience, I'd love to be able to do that for Doctor Strange.

Should Derrickson be lucky enough to come back to direct a Doctor Strange sequel, he has already laid some of the groundwork that would be necessary to created a well-developed villains. He previously said that Doctor Strange is as much Baron Mordo's origin story as it is Strange's, so fans could see Chiwetel Ejiofor's character turn to evil in the MCU, sooner rather than later. That turn could very well already be underway by the end of Doctor Strange - but spoiler leaks aside, fans will have to wait and see the actual movie to find out where it leaves Mordo.

Regardless, making Mordo the main antagonist for Strange next time around would bring complications for the hero in more ways than one. Not only would he have to worry about stopping Mordo's plan, but the two appear to form some level of friendship throughout the first movie, which could make that turn to evil that much more devastating for Strange down the road.

Mordo may be the favorite to be the villain in the sequel, but Marvel could very well further develop the character and his battle between siding with Strange or the darker magical practices. If Strange is given a different threat, or Mordo teams up with another villain, the possibility of other formidable foes such as Dormammu or Nightmare could potentially be in play. Derrickson could very well have ideas on where the franchise could go in a sequel, but that could largely depend on how the rest of Phase 3 plays out.

NEXT: Doctor Strange Early Reviews

Source: Den of Geek

Key Release Dates