Benedict Cumberbatch’s newDoctor Strange 3comments have me very excited, especially when it comes to the Dark Dimension. A location that has barely been explored despite debuting in his firstmovie, it was teased at the end ofDoctor Strange 2that the titular sorcerer’s next adventure will predominantly be set in the realm ruled by the powerful entity known as Dormammu. As such, Cumberbatch’s newMCUcomments have me pretty hyped about what’s likely in the works.
In 2016’sDoctor Strange, Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius led a group of like-minded followers seeking to merge Earth with the Dark Dimension in the hopes of giving mankind eternal life. However, Kaecilius was defeated byDoctor Strange who bargained with Dormammu himself, promising to break the time loop he’d trapped Dormammu in if he agreed to spare Earth and banish Kacilius and his followers in the Dark Dimension.Now, Cumberbatch’s teases aboutDoctor Strange 3have me very excited that we’ll finally get to see more of the Dark Dimension (perhaps even setting up the events ofAvengers: Secret Warstoo).
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Meeting Clea and Working To Prevent An Incursion
After saving America Chavez and the Scarlet Witch’s defeat at the end ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange gains his third eye. In the comics, Doctor Strange’s third eye represents a magically heightened consciousness, allowing Strange to see into the souls of others and see through illusions, the original Eye of Agamotto.However, the third eye in the MCU looks to be connected to Doctor Strange’s use of magic with the Darkhold. However,Doctor Strange 2’spost-credits scenesuggests there was an even greater consequence thanks to the subsequent debut of Charlize Theron’s Clea.
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In the comics,Clea is the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension, Dormmamu’s niece, and Doctor Strange’s wife. Coming to Earth and finding Doctor Strange at the end ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Clea claims that the Master of the Mystic Arts recently triggered a multiversal incursion in the Dark Dimension, and that he needed to come with her to help set things right.As such, the assumption isDoctor Strange 3would largely cover this mission in the Dark Dimension, especially with incursions being the catalyst that leads to the end of the multiverse at the start of Marvel’sSecret Warsevent in the comics.
Cumberbatch’s New Comments Tease The Dark Dimension Will Actually Be Explored
Doctor Strange 3 Could Be The Best Chapter Yet
During a recent interview withVariety,Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed the level of Doctor Strange’s involvement in the nextAvengersmovies, revealing that while he wouldn’t be inAvengers: Doomsday, Doctor Strange will have a central role inAvengers: Secret Wars. However,Cumberbatch also teased that development onDoctor Strange 3was indeed happening:
“They are very open to discussing where we go next. Who do you want to write and direct the next one? What part of the comic lore do you want to explore so that Strange can keep evolving? He’s a very rich character to play. He’s a complex, contradictory, troubled human who’s got these extraordinary abilities, so there’s potent stuff to mess about with.”
As a result, it does seem as though Doctor Strange’s future is bright, and thatDoctor Strange 3may very well be one of the few MCU movies that will be released betweenDoomsdayandSecret Wars.Also, this hopefully means that the Dark Dimension teases won’t get dropped and that the alternate reality will finally be explored on a level that hasn’t been shown outside Strange’s brief visit during his bargaining with Dormammu. Furthermore,Strange and Clea investigating an incursiondoes feel like it could lead right into theSecret Wars, perhaps even serving as a sort of prelude to the final Multiverse Saga movie.
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Time Runs Out?
In the original comics,Secret Warsdid have its own prelude event entitledTime Runs Out, a name some MCU fans have proposed as a perfect subtitle forDoctor Strange 3(especially if it’s released just ahead ofAvengers: Secret Wars). InTime Runs Out, a collection of Marvel’s greatest heroes and villains (including Strange) desperately attempt to save their world from the same fate so many other Earths had already faced, having been destroyed due to the collision of realities known as incursions. Likewise,Time Runs Outdirectly leads toDoctor Strange having a key role inSecret Warsright alongside Doctor Doom.
The same could very well happen for the MCU’s Strange with an investigation beginning in the Dark Dimension. Perhaps the incursion will be just the start of a much larger crisis of cascading multiversal crises (as teased by Kang inAnt-Man 3), heralding the end of the multiverse just like in theSecret Warscomic. While currently conjecture,I am incredibly hyped and excited to see whatDoctor Strange 3will bring to the table, not only on its own with the Dark Dimension but also as a means to potentially set up what will likely be the MCU’s biggest crossover movie yet.
