Little is known at this point about what Marvel is working on when it comes to its Marvel Cinematic Universe storyline. The studio did confirm that it’s working on the next massive Endgame type of movie, but it will take years to get there. After the events of Avengers 4, we need new heroes to man the team, and we’re waiting to discover new villains, including the main ones who will replace Thanos. Marvel will do everything it can to prevent leaks, and we don’t expect to learn too many details about the upcoming MCU Phase 4 movies and TV shows until Marvel wants us to. In spite of that, the first major Phase 4 plot twist might have just leaked, and it’s such a huge spoiler that you might want to avoid it for the time being.
Marvel is apparently casting a movie in the UK right now, which happens to be the most interesting Phase 4 film given everything we’ve heard about it. Marvel already told us the movie will introduce heroes that we didn’t see coming, and that two TV shows will tie into it, including Loki and WandaVision. Rumors also said it will be the first time the X-Men appear in an MCU film, with Deadpool and Wolverine both rumored to get cameos. If you haven’t guessed it by now, it’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Scott Derrickson might not be directing Doctor Strange 2, but that doesn’t mean production has stopped or that the film will not be ready in time for the May 7th, 2021 launch date.
According to Backstage, Marvel’s casting is underway for the sequel, which is set to start shooting this summer in the UK. What’s interesting about Backstage’s report is that it actually offers a pretty revealing synopsis for Strange 2:
After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Dr Stephen Strange continues his research on the Time Stone. But an old friend-turned-enemy puts an end to his plans and causes Strange to unleash unspeakable evil.
That’s a lot of information right there, as the unofficial summary delivers two significant details about the MCU’s future. First of all, Strange isn’t happy about losing the Time Stone — a quick reminder that the Thanos in the main MCU timeline destroyed the Stones, turning them to dust early in Endgame, and the Infinity Stones the Avengers stole were taken back to the timelines where they belong.
The fact that Strange is researching the Time Stone is a fantastic detail about the future of the MCU, assuming this synopsis is accurate. Will someone be able to recreate the Stones soon? Also fascinating is that “old friend-turned-enemy” detail. That person will apparently force Strange to “unleash unspeakable evil,” which already makes me want to know more.
Who exactly is this old friend? ComicBook speculates that Baron Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) might be a good candidate. But another possibility is Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who is confirmed to be appearing in the film. She’s not exactly an old friend of Strange, but then, who knows how they measure time. What’s pretty clear after Endgame is that Wanda is the most powerful Avenger right now, something Kevin Feige said during a recent Q&A event.
Sources familiar with the matter told We Got This Covered that Wanda will indeed turn to the dark side, so to speak, after the events of the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision:
Specifically, we’re told that by the time the film kicks off, Wanda is starting to go crazy and beginning to lose her mind due to what happens at the end of the aforementioned
Disney Plus show. Her powers are growing, too, and as mentioned above, she’s being influenced by Nightmare. Her powers are starting to crack a hole in reality as well as she’s desperately trying to get her children back, who she loses at the end of WandaVision when Nightmare makes her realize that the reality she created for herself isn’t real and destroys it.This sets Wanda down a dangerous path and while she won’t exactly be considered a full-out villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, her desire to use her dangerous powers to get her kids back combined with Nightmare’s sinister influence will definitely make her a foe for Doctor Strange, with the Sorcerer Supreme said to be trying to reshape reality back to what it was with his magic and stop her and Nightmare.
We’ve already seen speculation that Wanda’s kids with Vision might not be real, which makes sense considering that Vision is dead. If any of this is true, then the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel could prove to be a pivotal MCU event, maybe just as important for the main storyline as Civil War was, because it could set the stage for a massive X-Men vs. Avengers confrontation. Interestingly enough, such a storyline is reportedly in the works for a future Avengers sequel.
