Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one of the most widely anticipated movies in the future of the MCU, as it looks set to provide us with multiple universes that we haven’t seen before. At present, there’s only a slight indication of what the plot of the film might be.
Based on what we’ve heard so far, we’ve compiled a list of scenarios that this movie could have. These are generally speculations on our part, but don’t be surprised if a few of these angles do end up being in the movie. The following scenarios aren’t exclusive to themselves, and can overlap with any of these 10 storylines that the film can have.
Preventing Mordo From Killing Sorcerers
This is the most obvious angle to choose, seeing as the stinger for Doctor Strange had Mordo take the turn toward the dark side by claiming there were “too many sorcerers.” We should be in to see him make good on his plan to eliminate the number of people who practice magic.
In order to make this story is a personal one, the movie could have Stephen and Mordo hark back to the times when the former had been training to become a sorcerer, thereby adding a level of familiarity to their conflict as Stephen would be on the move to stop Mordo’s maniacal ways.
Escaping Nightmare's Dream Dimension
We’ve previously looked into scenarios for future Marvel movies, one of which involves a storyline that comic book fans will see most probable. In case you don’t know, Nightmare happens to be one of Doctor Strange’s arch-nemeses.
The storyline we envision for Nightmare as the main baddie has to do with Doctor Strange realizing that he’s been living in Nightmare’s Dream Dimension for a while, and has to figure out a way to escape by using the Multiverse. This would bring in the horror aspect that the MCU is looking to inject within this film as Doctor Strange would see his worst nightmares come to life.
Becoming A Mentor To Scarlet Witch
One of the things that we know for certain is that Scarlet Witch will be appearing in this film as well, thereby bringing two of the most powerful magic-based heroes together. Of course, Scarlet Witch is far from a master at her craft, with her use of abilities only being raw talent.
Here would be Doctor Strange’s role coming into play as the Master Sorcerer could fill in the part of being Scarlet Witch’s mentor and teach her what true magic looks like. This can coincide with Mordo’s plan to eradicate the sorcerers, with Scarlet Witch being one of his targets.
Creating A New Infinity Stone
It’s too much of a plothole, at present, for the Time Stone’s absence to go ignored. After all, the Ancient One had made a big deal out of this stone remaining with the sorcerers for the protection of humanity. For this reason, we might be in for a new Time Stone to be made.
Scarlet Witch can be brought in to complete this task, seeing as she was the only one said to be able to destroy an Infinity Stone - she might be able to do the reverse. The point of the multiverses here could be for Doctor Strange to find the exact way how to craft a new Infinity Stone.
Encountering An Alternate Doctor Strange
Nobody thinks of a storyline to do with multiverses without also thinking of characters encountering different versions of themselves. It’s the best part about having different universes colliding, and the multiverse in the MCU can bring in another Doctor Strange.
The twist here would be that this alternate Doctor Strange isn’t exactly clear cut as the one we know, with there being a conflict in ideals between the MCU Doctor Strange and the one he encounters in the multiverse of madness. Their meeting could come about by having the alternate Doctor Strange warn the MCU one about Mordo’s threat.
Travelling Through The Past To Search For The Ancient One
We can’t simply assume that Doctor Strange will know how to take down Mordo, Nightmare, or any other villain that he’ll encounter, which means he’ll need the guidance of the Ancient One once more. We saw in Avengers: Endgame how the Hulk encountered her in the past, and something similar can be seen here.
It can be explained away that the “multiverse” in the MCU entails different versions of the past, which would make Doctor Strange’s mission one where he travels back in time to find the Ancient One and seek her knowledge in defeating his foes, or perhaps bring her to the future with him.
Saving Scarlet Witch From Her Dream
So far, WandaVision is being promoted as the first sitcom in the MCU, with the series carrying a highly comedic tone. Of course, having Vision be alive and for him and Scarlet Witch to be living an idyllic 1950s life sounds too “out there” to be true.
A great twist can be done by having Doctor Strange arrive to break this bubble and reveal to Wanda that she’s also trapped in Nightmare’s Dream Dimension as him. This can make Multiverse of Madness an escape story where Stephen and Wanda look to go back to the real world, the clue to which lies in Wanda’s dream.
Recruiting New Avengers
One of our great hopes with Doctor Strange is to have him eventually lead the newest version of the Avengers, and this film can begin proceedings in this regard. With a lot of the sorcerers fractured because of the Time Stone’s loss and Thanos’ attacks, now could be the time for Doctor Strange to step up.
To this end, the film can have the plot concern Doctor Strange’s visit to different universes in order to locate the perfect team that he has to put together. It would be a great way to show multiple Avengers, all the while having many established characters cameo in this movie.
Battling A Returning Dormamu
The whole “I’ve come to bargain” sequence took a life of its own in popularity, and we think it’s worth another visit to Dormammu, this time to see Doctor Strange encountering him without the Time Stone. The film can see Strange trying to come up with a win without his most prized weapon.
It’s hard to imagine Dormammu keeping his word if he finds out the Time Stone doesn’t exist anymore, so the plot could have Dormammu appear once more by having Mordo summon him as part of his grand act of eliminating all sorcerers.
Uniting The Other Sanctums
There are currently three sanctums that we know of in New York, Hong Kong, and London. Doctor Strange and Wong operate within the New York one, with the other two only seen fleetingly.
This can change in Multiverse of Madness as we can have Doctor Strange realize due to Mordo’s actions that the sanctums are better off united, paving the way for him to become the main leader of the Mystic Arts. This can be the conclusion of a story that predominantly has him contending with an unrest in the other sanctums, with something of a civil war situation happening.