Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness blew the MCU wide open, bringing us face to face with alternate versions of Earth, and universes with heroes that are not yet present on Earth. The film left audiences on a cliffhanger. Stephen Strange has grown a third eye, something that is established as a sign of the Darkhold corrupting its user. Strange also accompanied Charlize Theron’s Clea into the Dark Dimensions, to stop an incursion that he allegedly created.
A new rumor suggests that Strange is gearing up for his third outing with Marvel Studios, and it is supposedly going to involve Dormamu, the antagonist of the first Doctor Strange movie from way back in 2016. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness already introduced Clea, who has had a romantic history with Strange in the comics and could take it forward in the sequel, given that it’s been firmly established that Christine and Strange are never destined to be together.
Doctor Strange 3 will take place before Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars is currently due to release on 7 May 2027. Marvel has several announced and unannounced films including Deadpool & Wolverine and Avengers: Secret Wars. A third Doctor Strange film could be slotted in on any of these dates. Given that Strange was the first character to introduce audiences to the concept of incursions, it only makes sense if the character has one more shot at the multiverse, which is sure to have been his battlefield since the last film.
Strange’s third outing could not only serve as a pallet cleanser for his own IP but also tie together the multiverse into a single film, bringing together the references and cameos that we have seen throughout Phases 4 and 5. This means he could not only tie in his own film’s ending, but also include the post-credit scene from The Marvels, and pay a visit to Tobey and Andrew’s universes while also dealing with incursions. The film can then directly lead into Secret Wars, perhaps with Strange beginning the creation of a multiversal Illuminati to check incursions and fight Kang.
Doctor Strange is due for another multiverse journey
Doctor Strange left Earth 199999 to assist Clea, Dormammu’s niece, in dealing with an incursion in the Dark Dimension. It is possible that while the events of Strange’s native universe have been playing out, Strange, wrongly blamed for causing incursions, could be traveling the multiverse to use his sorcery to prevent them, and that is where we will find him at the beginning of Doctor Strange 3.
Stephen Strange could also encounter Loki at the center of the multiverse and work together with the TVA. Alternatively, if the TVA remains an antagonistic force after Deadpool & Wolverine, we could see Strange battle them, perhaps along with some mutant companion (perhaps Psylocke, Magyk, or Captain Britain).
