Time stone, schime stone; nothing can stop vampires! Not even Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as I believe they lack garlic in timeless voids created by widowed witches.
While Benedict Cumberbatch’s next tussle with forces beyond our imaginations is still a ways away, Marvel is hard at work bringing it to life. Or undead life, whatever vampires are. Why am I talking about vamps so much? Because Dracula himself might be a sub-villain in the Doc’s next adventure.
Per our sources – the same ones who told us that Taskmaster will be the villain in Black Widow and that a Green Lantern show was in the works, both of which turned out to be true – the House of Mouse is pulling out all the stops for this upcoming sequel. We already know the infamous Nightmare is set to be the big bad, and they may be portrayed by Jared Leto, which would be the real nightmare, but big bads always have some help, right? Well, our sources are saying that Marvel’s thinking of including Dracula in the film and if he does indeed show up, he’ll be recruited to help track down our errant hero in the titular multiverse before going off to stalk a certain daywalker in Blade.
Honestly, I think this is a cool idea. Even if it’s just that, an idea, as things can always change at this early, early stage. Marvel and director Scott Derrickson have already gone on the record saying that Doctor Strange 2 is going to be a full-on horror movie. And what’s more horrific than actual horror icons popping up in the film? On top of Dracula, smaller Marvel character Werewolf By Night, who’s, uh, a werewolf, may also show up in some capacity, we’re told.
I really like that Marvel, fully aware that their formula absolutely has to change for the next phases, is actually taking steps to address audience fatigue by following new moods and finding organic ways to introduce characters. I mean, seriously, how else could you introduce vampires into this strange world outside of a universe dedicated specifically to horror? This is as good a strategy as any, in my totally expert opinion on the matter.
I’ll just come out and say it: I’m really excited for the Blade reboot, and I certainly hope Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness does its due diligence in setting up that film, on top of being good on its own merits, of course.
