Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is set to release next year, the eagerly anticipated second outing for Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme. Sam Raimi is directing, the cast list includes many MCU stars reprising their roles, but it may have also unveiled Ariyon Bakare as a new character in their first big-screen appearance, Shuma-Gorath.
Doctor Strange has tangled with Dormammu and Thanos in his appearances in the MCU, his cast of villains are among the most unique in the Marvel canon. This second Doctor Strange movie promises to be much stranger in staging and tone than its predecessor, so it will require a fittingly weird antagonist.
Shuma-Gorath was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Frank Brunner in the early 70's, named as a reference to a creature in a Robert E. Howard short story. The primary inspiration behind Shuma-Gorath is clearly the works of H.P. Lovecraft, known for his catalogue of bizarre gods and monsters who span all of time and function so far beyond our comprehension that we would be driven mad by their appearance. He was introduced as a nemesis of Doctor Strange, one so powerful that Strange must often enlist friends or even enemies to defeat him.
Power amongst Marvel characters has a tendency to waver between versions of characters, but there is a reasonable argument to be made that Shuma-Gorath is a greater threat than even Thanos. Whether the film version will stack up to that remains to be seen, but the same was true of Doctor Strange villain Dormammu, who Strange defeated without really having to fight. Creativity will likely be on display against this bizarre threat.
The history of Shuma-Gorath spans the entirety of time itself, and possibly even longer. He is one of the Old Ones, also referred to as the Many-Angled Ones, both terms used by Lovecraft and his ilk. He is depicted much like a Lovecraftian horror, a writhing mass of tentacles emanating from a single massive eye. His size seems to be completely up to him, occasionally only a few feet long, often unfathomably large. He is a being of pure chaos, motivated to cause suffering and rule everything. He was worshipped as a god at several points in history and in thousands of alternate universes. He ruled the world in a prehistoric age and is still revered by cults and dark sorcerers. He is immortal, though he can be temporarily destroyed, banished, or contained by suitably powerful magic. His powers are vast and numerous, from energy projection to shapeshifting to reality manipulation, and he is able to destroy entire galaxies with little to no action.
Shuma-Gorath has been a major villain in events such as 2013's Infinity, wherein he was summoned by an underling of Thanos and temporarily defeated by a team of superheroes. The character, despite his epic scale and fascinating concept, has remained relatively obscure amongst the Marvel canon. He has rarely escaped the pages of comic books to other media. Many more casual fans may only recognize him from his appearances in many fighting games, most recently Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. These fighting game appearances reduce his power and physical size for balance purposes, but his portrayal is spot on and generally seems to breed fondness for the multi-angled one. He retains his shapeshifting, energy projection, and strange magical powers which make him a unique competitor in gameplay. His bizarre appearance and relative obscurity lend him an air that is threatening, yet absurdist.
Shuma-Gorath may be introduced to the MCU in a film that stars the eponymous Doctor Strange, as well as Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlett Witch. The two of them facing off against an immense power like Shuma-Gorath is a fascinating clash of abilities and wills. Shuma-Gorath's role is obvious, he is a massive scale villain motivated only by chaos and violence. MCU films have a checkered past with villains, some are beloved classics and others are decried by fans as dull or unoriginal. While the realm of Lovecraft-inspired eldritch horror is quite popular in the modern-day, and the first Doctor Strange film featured a dimension-hopping alien bent on destroying the world for its own sake, Shuma-Gorath has the potential to bring weirder elements to play in this film.
In all fictional universes, there are levels of immersion that one can undertake. Someone could be a Marvel fan while only knowing the main Avengers line-up, or they could learn every side-character and alternate timeline in the encyclopedia. As the MCU has gone on, it has delved deeper into the stranger and more complex aspects of the lore, finally getting into branching timelines with the currently airing Loki.
Rumor has it that the MCU will enter the multiverse. Dormammu may have been the first multi-dimensional threat to make it into the MCU, but Shuma-Gorath will introduce much more. With this eldritch horror's introduction, will come Marvel's long list of demons. Among Shuma-Gorath's minions alone are the sleep-demon Nightmare and the Mighty Scaled Sligguth, but his stories regularly see him interacting with ancient deities and bizarre high concepts that will be a welcome joy for fans of the Marvel Universe. Interestingly, Shuma-Gorath is immortal, meaning he could be a recurring antagonist. Fans could get to enjoy the chaos demon in multiple bizarre and wonderful storylines over the following films.
Shuma-Gorath is a character who immediately grabs attention, with the potential to become an iconic villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The potential to open up the already sprawling film franchise into a realm of demons and eldritch gods makes Doctor Strange in The Multiverse Of Madness even more exciting for fans both new and old.