Doctor Strange 3 Gives Marvel 1 More Chance To Finally Redeem This MCU Villain

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The ending of Doctor Strange introduced a potentially great villain. Chiwetel Ejiofor played Karl Mordo, who became disillusioned with the Ancient One and frustrated by Doctor Strange’s actions. He decided to take away the powers of other sorcerers, and the scene after the credits showed him coldly stealing magic from Jonathan Pangborn.

Marvel Studios later moved away from that story idea. Instead, the movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness showed a version of Mordo from another universe (Earth-838), and the original Mordo from our universe (Earth-616) hasn’t been seen for six years. But there’s still a chance to bring him back! Marvel could give this villain a compelling story in Doctor Strange 3 and finally give fans the showdown they’ve been waiting for, almost ten years after it was first hinted at.

In the first movie, Mordo feels incredibly betrayed after years of faithfully serving the Ancient One, realizing she wasn’t what he believed. This disappointment is made worse by Stephen Strange, who challenges Mordo’s views and is praised for a talent Mordo refuses to acknowledge.

After the credits rolled, the scene showed Mordo facing Jonathan Pangborn, the man who had used magic to regain the ability to walk. Mordo angrily accused Pangborn of misusing magic, saying sorcerers should manipulate power and nature, not heal. He then took Pangborn’s magic, paralyzing him once more. Mordo finished by stating he finally understood the world’s problem: there were simply too many sorcerers.

This scene clearly showed what Mordo believed in. He thought the Ancient One was wrong to take power from the Dark Dimension by bending the rules of nature, and he saw Stephen Strange doing the same thing with the Time Stone. According to Mordo, both actions deserved to be punished.

As a fan, I really appreciated that Mordo wasn’t just evil for the sake of it. He truly believed he was right – that sorcerers were actually causing more problems than they solved. It was fascinating to see his beliefs taken to the extreme, showing just how dangerous rigid ideologies can be. He wasn’t a typical bad guy, and that made him way more compelling.

The movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness didn’t continue the story of Mordo from the main universe (Earth-616). Instead, it introduced a version of Mordo from another universe (Earth-838) who was a powerful sorcerer and part of a group called the Illuminati.

According to screenwriter Michael Waldron, they chose to feature the Earth-838 version of the character because they found it more compelling, and they decided to save the Earth-616 version for a future story, as he told Yahoo! Entertainment.

Originally, director Sam Raimi intended to feature a scene with Mordo from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-616). Early plans and concept art showed a beginning sequence where Mordo would fight the Scarlet Witch, confronting her about the dangerous influence of the Darkhold and her growing power.

Wanda would overcome and kill Mordo, and later present his severed head to Strange. The scene showed Mordo walking with a limp, implying he’d been in many fights since we last saw him.

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a quick mention is made of Mordo from Earth-616. The Mordo from Earth-838 says, “I think I’m beginning to understand why your Mordo… didn’t like you very much!”, hinting that the two Mordos had previous conflicts. Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays Mordo, also revealed that his character survived Thanos’ attack, but was still actively involved in events during that time.

Doctor Strange 3 Is the Perfect Opportunity To Redeem Mordo

A third Doctor Strange movie is reportedly being planned, and Benedict Cumberbatch has stated he’s discussing the possibility with Marvel Studios.

If a sequel to Doctor Strange is made, the villain should have a personal connection to Stephen Strange. The first Doctor Strange film had a villain working for an outside force, and Multiverse of Madness’s antagonist also posed an external threat. The next film needs a villain whose motivations are directly tied to Strange himself.

Mordo is a unique villain because of his close relationship with Doctor Strange. They were once close friends and training partners, even fighting side-by-side. This personal history makes their conflict much more intense than Strange’s battles with other enemies.

The ending of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also cleverly establishes a strong reason for Mordo to return as a villain. Strange and Clea traveling into the Dark Dimension to resolve an incursion would likely be seen by Mordo as irresponsible magic – exactly the kind of behavior that fuels his opposition to them.

Unexpected interference with different universes caused dangerous tears in reality. Mordo believes these events confirm his view that powerful sorcerers like Strange create disasters through their pride and overconfidence.

The movie might show that Mordo has been tracking down irresponsible sorcerers for years, stopping disasters by taking away their magical abilities. This would portray him as someone with understandable, if extreme, motivations, rather than just a typical bad guy.

Mordo could gather a group of followers who agree with his beliefs. He could portray them as people who believe magic needs to be controlled, and focus their anger at Doctor Strange, claiming his recklessness put the entire multiverse at risk.

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2026-02-19 12:35