Spider-Man: No Way Home
is the talk of the town, but a different MCU movie might turn out to be one of the most influential films of the MCU Phase 4. That’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which happens to be a pivotal multiverse story. We already heard many exciting leaks about the film’s plot, the cast, and the various surprise cameos. But a brand new report teases the kind of event we have yet to see in the main MCU timeline. One Avenger might kill another in Doctor Strange 2, and it might turn out to be one of the most emotional scenes of any Marvel movie. Mind you, a few massive spoilers follow below.
The Avengers deaths shaped the MCU
We don’t need superhero deaths in Doctor Strange 2 or other MCU films to get emotional moments. But we did see plenty of Avengers dying on the big screen so far that generated plenty of emotion. The deaths of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) broke our hearts in Endgame because we had spent so much time with those characters. We fell in love with them. That’s why seeing them disappear from the MCU hurt so much. The same goes for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who isn’t even dead. He’s just retired.
But those events were necessary in Endgame to make the audience realize how high the stakes were. We knew it wouldn’t be like other superhero films where the heroes always win without losing anything along the way. Doctor Strange 2 might feature the same type of high-stakes story as Endgame. And since it’s a multiverse story, we might witness Avengers facing off against other Avengers.
The most surprising Avenger sacrifice
Before that happens, I’ll remind you that Endgame wasn’t the first MCU movie to give us heartbreaking deaths. We saw Heimdall (Idris Elba), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) perish in Infinity War. Endgame returned two variants of those characters. We’ve yet to really meet the new Gamora, but we saw the new Loki in the Disney Plus TV series dedicated to him.
Infinity War also took away Vision (Paul Bettany), and that death is final despite what happened in WandaVision. White Vision will probably appear down the road, at least.
Even earlier than that, there was the death of Quicksilver (Aaron-Taylor Johnson) in the Age of Ultron. That was the most surprising death of an Avenger. Marvel never gave us any time to get acquainted with that character. But the plot required that death to shape the arc of a different team member, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff.
With that in mind, this is your final warning. Massive Doctor Strange 2 spoilers may follow below.
Avengers facing off against other team members
We last saw Avengers fighting other Avengers in Civil War. And that conflict culminated with the heartbreaking Iron Man vs. Captain America fight, which is easily a highlight of the Infinity Saga. It’s also a pivotal moment that dictates the events leading to Infinity War and Endgame.
Earlier this year, we saw Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) fighting against a newly anointed Avenger who quickly lost his shield. That’s Wyatt Russell’s Captain America, of course.
Marvel’s What If…? just teased similar battles. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) faced Strange Supreme (also Benedict Cumberbatch) in one episode. In a different one, surviving Avengers had to fight the zombie variants of their friends. And we’ll supposedly soon see Doctor Strange fight against Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in No Way Home.
Will Doctor Strange kill a fellow Avenger?
Down the road, Doctor Strange will reportedly have to decide whether or not to kill Wanda in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The choice will be very difficult. On the one hand, Strange swore the Hippocratic Oath when he began his medical career. He might not be a neurosurgeon anymore, but that oath still guides him. On the other hand, Wanda might turn out to become such a significant threat to the multiverse that Strange has to stop her.
The events in Doctor Strange 2 will apparently take place two years after the events in WandaVision. As a reminder, the
That’s according to The Cosmic Circus’s sources, who also discussed this conflict between Avengers:
Wanda’s actions will force Stephen and the Sorcerors of Kamar Taj (among others) to intervene in an attempt to subdue Wanda. Still, as the film progresses, the threat of the Scarlet Witch will be far too much for any one person to handle. Stephen will be forced to choose between attempting to save Wanda’s life or ultimately ending it, with the Multiverse paying the consequences for his decision.
It’s unclear what Strange will choose, however.
The surprise Avengers villain in Doctor Strange 2
Seeing these two mighty Avengers fight it out is certainly going to be interesting. And we’ll likely understand each point of view, just like we did in Civil War. Choosing between Strange and Wanda would be an impossible task, assuming this leak is accurate. Then again, Wanda becoming a villain isn’t exactly a surprise.
Previous reports claimed that Wanda will be one of the film’s antagonists. WandaVision already delivered us a villainous version of Wanda who has yet to pay for her actions.
Separately, Cumberbatch half-jokingly teased recently that the movie is going to be even more ambitious than Spider-Man 3. He also refrained from saying whether Strange will replace Iron Man as the Avengers leader but seemed to consider the possibility. We’ve already explained why it makes sense for Strange to help lead the heroes. The events in Doctor Strange 2, like fighting Wanda, might further cement his role in the team.
Whether or not we witness any Avenger deaths in Doctor Strange 2, we might see Wanda battle other superheroes in the movie. A recent leak said she might also antagonize a different beloved character. A Professor X variant from Fox’s X-Men movies might come on Multiverse of Madness.
That said, we have no idea how everything will unfold. So we’ll have to wait for Doctor Strange 2 to hit theaters — that’s March 25th, 2022, if the current schedule doesn’t see any new delays.