Coming hot on the heels of Loki, the next Marvel Studios TV series is just about to debut on Disney Plus. Fans should prepare themselves for animated anthology series What If…?, which will reveal a new alternate universe, featuring different variants of familiar heroes and villains, each week. That sounds like it’ll be mostly standalone and disconnected from the wider franchise, then, but – come on – this is the MCU we’re talking about.
We’re hearing from our reliable sources – the same ones who told us Rachel McAdams was going to be in the movie too before that was confirmed – that one dark variant from What If…? will return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Which variant? An evil version of Strange himself. And, yes, we’ve also been told that the Sorcerer Supreme will face off against his sinister self in the sequel in what promises to be a thrilling mystical battle.
The Dark Strange in question was first glimpsed in the recent trailer for the animated show. In one intriguing scene, Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter (a variant of Peggy who took the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers) encounters a black-clad Strange. What’s more, the same trailer also teased Captain Carter battling an interdimensional monster known as Shuma-Gorath, who could prove to be the main villain of Doctor Strange 2. It looks like Atwell’s episode – which is thought to be the series premiere – could be the most important one of the season.
Benedict Cumberbatch isn’t expected to lend his voice to this Dark Strange, even though the character clearly bears his likeness. This leaves the door open for someone else to portray him in live-action, however, much like many of the Loki variants weren’t played by Tom Hiddleston. That said, it might be more fun to have Cumberbatch fight himself in the movie rather than getting someone else in to take on the part.
What If…? premieres on August 11th. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, meanwhile, hits theaters next March.
