Just when we thought the madness was ending, Doctor Strange 2 snaps back with a big reveal right in the final few moments. How? Why? What next? Are the questions that instantly pop into your head.
Thankfully we do have a mid-credits scene that will explain more of that shocking ending.
Doctor Strange 2 ends with a scene of Strange experiencing a mental attack and a third eye opening on his forehead. This indicates that his limited use of the Darkhold has already corrupted him. On the flip side, he now may be more powerful than he was before.
Instead of jumping directly into that last scene, I want to do a recap of how the movie actually resolved all its major arcs. Here we go:
Wanda Sacrifices Herself
Seeing her kids absolutely terrified of her is what jolts Wanda into accepting that her plan was always futile. She may have the same face and make up as any other Wanda in the infinite universes, but she could never truly be a mother to any of her alternate kids.
Ultimately, she has to destroy every single Darkhold in existence so that no one (even another version of herself) would be tempted to attempt what she wanted to do. In doing so, she sacrifices herself.
As a die-hard Wanda fan myself, it was truly woeful to see her as the villain even though I was aware of how similar it is to her comic book arcs. But is this the last we see of her in the MCU? All I can say is never trust a death that’s not on screen.
America is Inducted into the Mystic Arts
One of my favorite dynamics in this movie was how America and Strange earned a soft spot for each other.
It seems like now she will be training under Wong’s guidance in Kamar-Taj to learn how to control her own powers, and of course pick up some tricks about the mystic arts as well. With this, she may be able to find her mothers one day!
So far, the MCU has been lining up quite an impressive fleet of proteges (Peter as Tony’s, Yelena as Natasha’s, Kate as Clint’s, etc.) — Does this mean America will be under Strange’s wing? Will we see them work together more? Food for thought.
Strange Turns Sinister
It’s time for a happy ending— Wait, was that a third eye on MCU Strange’s head?! What is happening? There’s no way they can end the film on that note.
When the mid-credits scene pulls up and we see Strange again, it’s almost like the theater let out a collective “phew!” Enter Charlize Theron as Clea, a clear sign that the multiverse of madness is far from over.
Our Strange has a little bit of sinister in him now. Not only did he use the Darkhold to dream walk, he did so in a dead body which violates a whole different set of cosmic rules. There have to be repercussions.
Since apparently every single Darkhold in existence has been destroyed, we don’t know how “corrupt” Strange is, but I’m sure it will be explored in the next project he appears in.
What we do know is that all the events in MoM has succeeded in causing an incursion.
An incursion occurs when traversing the multiverse can cause imbalances that causes one reality to crash into another. This results in either one or both those realities collapsing and getting destroyed.
A pissed Clea arrives through a portal to inform Strange that his actions have caused an incursion. To note, not only do Clea and Strange seem to be familiar with each other but Clea is not surprised of the third eye appearing on Strange’s forehead.
Although the MCU has portrayed Christina as Strange’s one true love (even if he can’t be with her), it’s actually Clea with whom he has a longer relationship with in the comics. She even ends up marrying him.
What is of larger significance in the mid-credits scene is that she is canonically Dormammu’s niece. She also seems to have a device that lets her portal through different dimensions.
The next big question is: Where does all of this lead to? The short answer is Doctor Strange 2’s ending is setting up Secret Wars, just like how Loki’s storyline contributed to it. Things are about to get messy, and then some!
About Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the sequel to the 2016 movie Doctor Strange. The film is directed by Sam Raimi with a screenplay by Jade Bartlett and Michael Waldron.
It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Xochitl Gomez.
The sequel revolves around the dangerous consequences of Doctor Strange opening the multiverse.
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