The long-awaited Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is finally hitting theaters, but the Marvel universe will continue to expand as there is another MCU film coming not too long after Doctor Strange 2. At this point, audiences have grown used to two or more Marvel films being released in the same year, and it does not seem like that trend will end. As the movie theater business gets back to normal, so does the flow of MCU properties finding their way to the big screen.
As a result of both the pandemic and the Disney+ launch, the MCU now has another format to tell its stories: the TV shows. In the lead-up to Multiverse of Madness, for example, audiences got a chance to follow the stories of Marc Spector and Steven Grant in Moon Knight. Even so, the MCU is still saving its biggest events for the big screen – which can be exemplified by Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange 2.
It is curious to note that between the releases of the first and second Doctor Strange, the MCU saw Spider-Man receive a complete trilogy. The original director's departure, Strange's prominent role in other films like Avengers: Infinity War and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the scope of the Multiverse story help explain this delay. In addition to Stephen Strange's journey, Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange 2 also deals with Scarlet Witch's story and could redefine the concept of the Multiverse in the MCU. While it may take a while for the consequences of the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to affect future movies and shows, the Marvel universe will keep going with the next MCU film after Doctor Strange 2: Thor: Love and Thunder.
Given how No Way Home and Doctor Strange delve into the complex idea of the Multiverse, it is refreshing that the next MCU movie will not be dealing with that concept as its main focus. After redefining the Thor franchise in Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi is tasked with continuing the story of the God of Thunder following the tragic events of Infinity War, such as Loki's death, and the seemly closing chapter of Avengers: Endgame. In the Thor: Love and Thunder trailer, it is revealed that Thor's superhero days are over - at least for now. Thor: Love and Thunder will feature new additions to the Marvel universe like Gorr, the God Butcher, Zeus, and will also see the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster – this time also as Mighty Thor.
Doctor Strange 2 will not be the end of the MCU's Multiverse arc as both Loki and What If…? are getting a season 2, but that is not where the franchise is going next. Instead, the MCU will present audiences with a new chapter in Thor's story, one that could solidify the MCU's great Thor character arc started in Ragnarok. If Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is an event film involving many different characters, the following MCU movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, seems to be a more character-centered journey.
