With Doctor Strange soon to appear in the highly-anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s easy for Marvel fans to forget that his next cinematic outing, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is still on the horizon. Set to release on May 6th, 2022, the film will be entering theaters nearly six years after its predecessor — the longest wait yet between a single MCU hero’s solo films.
Plenty of fans are excited for Sam Raimi to return to the director’s chair of a superhero movie for the first time since Spider-Man 3 in 2007. However, even though the film is only a few months away, very little is known about its plot, making the identity of the movie’s villain a long-debated mystery — Chiwetel Ejiofor has confirmed that he’ll be reprising his role as Karl Mordo, but it’s unknown what part Mordo will be playing in the story. It’s impossible to know for sure until Marvel Studios gives official confirmation, but here are just a few possibilities for the enemies Doctor Strange will face in his multiversal misadventure.
Shuma-Gorath
Arguably Doctor Strange’s third most infamous enemy behind Dormammu and Mordo, Shuma-Gorath is a natural fit for a multiverse-spanning epic. One of the eldritch otherworldly beings known as the Great Old Ones, Shuma-Gorath rules over hundreds of dimensions in the comics, and has often battled Strange as he attempts to expand his empire. Though his name was taken from a short story by Conan the Barbarian creator Robert E. Howard, Shuma-Gorath has more in common with H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, making him a perfect bad guy for Raimi to show off his horror roots. In fact, if a leaked merchandise picture is any indication, Shuma-Gorath’s appearance in the film has already been confirmed.
Nightmare
Speaking of horror, few of Strange’s foes are quite as horrifying as the aptly-named Nightmare. Though he may look like a hybrid of Morpheus from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and David Bowie’s Goblin King in Labyrinth, Nightmare is no joke. In the comics, Nightmare is one of the demonic Fear Lords, like Shang-Chi’s own Dweller-in-Darkness. He rules over the Dream Dimension, where he can capture the souls of sleeping humans and trap them in terrifying nightmares, feeding on their fear to strengthen himself — like a cross between Freddy Kreuger and Pennywise. Definitely a villain who could put the “Madness” in Multiverse of Madness.
Mephisto
Of course, any list of devilish adversaries wouldn’t be complete without Marvel’s number one demon lord, Mephisto. WandaVision fans will remember that Mephisto once menaced Scarlet Witch in the original storyline that revealed that her and Vision’s twin children, Billy and Tommy, were actually constructs created by Wanda’s own power. But while Mephisto never showed up in WandaVision, Wanda’s story will be continuing in Multiverse of Madness. And as a powerful foe who’s battled both Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch in the comics, Mephisto would be a perfect candidate for the film’s main villain.
Chthon
That said, Mephisto isn’t the only demon who’s bedeviled both Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange in the comics. Chthon is a shadowy entity who created the Darkhold — Earth’s first book of dark magic, which is responsible for the creation of vampires and Morgan Le Fay’s rise to power, among other destructive deeds. Chthon has been aware of Wanda’s power since her birth, and has frequently tried to control said power by making her his mortal vessel. Not only would bringing Chthon into the MCU be perfect for a Strange-Wanda team-up, introducing the Darkhold and its lore would also set the stage for the upcoming Blade film.
Dormammu
However, another possibility is that the sequel could return to the ultimate of the original Doctor Strange — the Dread Dormammu, lord of the Dark Dimension. After all, Dormammu wasn’t destroyed or sealed away during his last battle with Strange, only outsmarted. He’s still out there lurking in the multiverse, still scheming to consume all reality. Bringing him back could provide more background on one of the MCU’s most powerful (yet most mysterious) characters yet, not to mention build on an already-established rivalry.
Umar
Speaking of Dormammu’s background, he actually has a sister in the comics. Umar is an otherdimensional being of incredible power just like her brother, but she prefers to manifest in humanoid form rather than a raging maelstrom of shadow and flame. Once again, introducing Umar could develop more lore around the dwellers of the Dark Dimension. And while Dormammu prefers brute-force conquest, Umar is more of a subtle manipulator, making her a natural foe for the easily-misled Wanda.
Doctor Doom
This one is admittedly a bit of a stretch, but it’s not impossible. Doctor Doom’s inevitable MCU arrival has been the subject of countless fan theories for years, but it’s still unknown when or how he’ll make his debut. Since Doom and Strange have clashed many times in the comics, it’s plausible that Multiverse of Madness could foreshadow the tyrant lord of Latveria — more likely through a brief reference or post-credits scene than an actual major role from Doom, but still.
Scarlet Witch
Now, obviously, Wanda Maximoff isn’t a villain. She’s not truly evil in the way that most MCU antagonists tend to be, but WandaVision proved that this hero has quite a dark side. She was willing to manipulate, brainwash, and torture thousands of people (including her own husband), robbing them of their free will in order to preserve the false utopia she thought she deserved. She showed remorse for her crimes, yes, and she ultimately tried to atone by defeating Agatha Harkness and breaking the Hex around Westview. However, the series’ post-credits scene shows her scouring the multiverse through astral projection, desperately searching for her lost children. It’s possible that Wanda will fall back into her ruthless ways of her own accord, committing more atrocities for the sake of being reunited with her sons. It’d definitely be a dark direction to take her character, but it’d also make for a compelling story.
Mysterio?
This one is also more than a little out there, but it has a basis in fact. It’s no secret that Bruce Campbell is a longtime collaborator with Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi, from his starring role in the Evil Dead series to his once-a-movie cameos in the Spider-Man trilogy. However, concept art for the cancelled Spider-Man 4 depicts a cameo that never was — Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man brings a captured Mysterio into a police station, and the villain’s fishbowl helmet is removed to reveal the unmistakable face of Bruce Campbell. With Raimi directing a new Marvel film focused on multiversal travel, it’d be a real treat to have Campbell finally cameo as a Mysterio variant. It’s a slim chance of course, especially since Sony would have to give permission, but that doesn’t make the idea any less appealing.