Doctor Strange and Doom: will he oppose the Avengers?

Doctor Strange might directly oppose the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday. According to a report, it wouldn't be because he thinks they're evil. It would be because he believes there's only one way to save the multiverse, and that the Avengers' way won't work.

The report claimed Strange has a very pragmatic, sensible way of thinking about the multiverse, its collapse and how to save it. Apparently he doesn't agree with the Avengers' plan for saving it, so in the movie he's going to oppose them. He's not necessarily going to be a villain, but he won't be an ally to the Avengers.

Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed he is in Avengers: Doomsday

Some people online wondered whether Doctor Strange would be in the movie at all. Benedict Cumberbatch himself said yes. When he was first interviewed, he said he wasn't going to be in Doomsday. A couple of days later he clarified that he had misspoken or misunderstood, and he confirmed he is in the film.

That makes sense to me. Before Doom arrived and Marvel Studios changed its plans, Strange was supposed to get Doctor Strange 3. We knew it was supposed to pick up with Clea, go into the multiverse and deal with how he caused incursions, which is what the scene after the credits of his last solo film led into. Now that story is going to pick up in Avengers: Doomsday instead.

So he's not going to be around the Avengers most of the time. I believe he's going to be around Doom most of the time. I've been saying for a while that Clea is working for Doom, and I believe she'll betray Stephen or mislead him. Ultimately, though, I think Clea will be an ally to Strange, because in the comics they fall in love and marry each other.

The Max Blizz report puts Doctor Strange at Doom's side

This report comes from Max Blizz. They don't seem to quote a source, so I'm not sure if it's an exclusive from them, though they have done exclusives before. I'm covering it because it lines up with many things insider Alex Perez said before. The plot of what was going to be Doctor Strange 3 seems to be shifting into Avengers: Doomsday.

The report states that Doctor Strange and Clea are reportedly returning in Avengers: Doomsday. It says Strange will be part of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom's big plan to save the multiverse from incursions. In the film, according to the report, Strange becomes convinced the Avengers are incapable of stopping the multiversal collapse. Doom offers him a plan and total control over magic, and Strange becomes his right-hand man.

If you've read the comics, you might know where this is going. That is exactly what happens in the Time Runs Out storyline that leads directly into Secret Wars. On Battleworld in Secret Wars, Doctor Strange is Doom's right-hand man. The leaked concept art for Secret Wars showed Doom on his throne with Doctor Strange by his side, and Franklin Richards with his mother, Sue Storm, on his other side. It definitely seems like this is the way it's going to go.

Doctor Strange 3 was going to show Strange as the threat to the multiverse

Here's what we heard about what Doctor Strange 3 was supposed to be about. It built on what Reed Richards told Strange in Multiverse of Madness: "in our experience the greatest threat to the multiverse is you, Strange." From what was reported, he wasn't speaking only about our Doctor Strange, but about Doctor Strange in general.

Multiverse of Madness showed more than one variant doing damage. The Strange of the 838 universe was killed because he caused an incursion, and he admitted it. At the end, with the Sinister Strange character, we went into a universe that was destroyed. It was still intact, but only Doctor Strange was there, and he was an evil variant.

So the big plot of Doctor Strange 3 was going to be that he and his variants were causing incursions all across the multiverse. That is why Clea showed up at the end.

Clea's arrival may have been a trap set by Doom

Clea didn't necessarily show up to tell Strange he caused an incursion and needed to help her fix it. It seems it was a trap. The report says Clea is initially a traitor: she appears to be an ally of Doctor Strange and the heroes, but secretly supports Doom.

Based on what we've heard, here's what I think is going to happen. Clea shows up and tells Strange he specifically caused an incursion and they need to fix it, but in reality she's working for Doom. As many reports have said, Doom is hunting down people who have caused incursions. That's why he's going after Steve Rogers and others. He's truly trying to save the multiverse, and he's going to view himself as a hero. It sounds like he is one, at least at first. He's not the one causing the incursions; people like Doctor Strange are.

So I think he sends Clea after Strange and tells her he doesn't care how she does it, lying and manipulating included, as long as she brings him in. Once Strange gets there, Doom tells him he caused all this. The premise of Doctor Strange 3 was Strange realizing he really was causing the incursions. He doesn't want the multiverse to collapse, so he wants to fix them.

The report adds that Clea believes Doom can restore multiversal order, something the heroes are incapable of doing. "Her loyalty is pragmatic, not evil," it says. She prioritizes balance and stability in the multiverse over heroic morality, and throughout the story she begins to doubt herself as she witnesses Doom's true plans, creating moral and emotional tension. The report also says she will have a deadly confrontation with Sylvie at the TVA, which is very interesting.

The report says Strange controls the TVA as the executor of Doom's plan

According to the report, the same applies to Doctor Strange. It says he becomes the executor of Doom's plan as he manipulates incursions and controls the TVA. Strange also prioritizes the survival of the multiverse over the local heroes, driven by pragmatism and an obsession with saving the multiverse. What was going to happen in Doctor Strange 3 is going to happen in this film.

So Strange isn't going against the Avengers because he thinks they're wrong. He doesn't believe they can do anything to save the multiverse. And if we think about it, who could? Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch would probably be the only people who could do something big. Reed Richards, Shuri and Beast, Hank McCoy, could probably come up with something, but I think it's too late.

From what we've heard in reports, Shuri is the one who first detects that an incursion is coming. Then they go to the TVA, because Loki would probably be the only other person who could do something about this. But Strange probably still thinks Loki is a villain. If I recall correctly, the last time he saw him was in Thor: Ragnarok, where he kept him falling. Loki was on his radar, and if he ever came to Earth, Strange was supposed to protect Earth and get rid of him.

I'm assuming Doom wants Loki's powers, which is why he sends his henchmen, like Clea, after him. I think Doom will probably have a group, something like the Black Swans, as his team. They're going to go to the TVA, and that's where we're going to get a giant battle.

Doom's case for saving the multiverse may convince Strange

Since Strange is going to be pragmatic, it seems that when he meets Doom, Doom will explain that he is the savior of the multiverse. He's the only person who can stop the incursions and the only one who can reverse them, and the Avengers can't do anything. It sounds like Strange is going to agree, and wonder what the Avengers could possibly do.

Some of the Avengers have caused incursions, like Strange himself. Steve Rogers reportedly caused one by going back in time and doing something, though we don't know what yet. It was also said at the time that Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter might be in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, and that over 30 trailers had been made. Whichever one they chose, I hoped it would have Steve Rogers in it and give us a little about why Doom is hunting them down, which I believe is because they're causing incursions.

The comics already showed Strange agreeing with Doom

It sounds like Doom is going to be convincing, and again, this happens in the comics. Doom tries to kill all the Molecule Man in every universe, because they're bombs created by the Beyonders to destroy the entire multiverse. Eventually Doom says, "There's only one thing we can do. Kill the Beyonders and save one thing." Doctor Strange agrees. Doom asks whether it's worth it if they can save something, even if it's just one world he rules over, and Strange says yes. Then we get Battleworld, with Strange as his right-hand man, Sheriff Strange.

It sounds like the MCU is going to stay pretty true to that. That makes sense based on everything we've seen about Doctor Strange, even in What If, where Strange causes the destruction of an entire universe. That seems to be the same for many Strange variants throughout the multiverse, and they could be a big reason why the multiverse is collapsing and why several incursions have happened.

Don't forget everything that happened in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange is probably a little guilty of a lot because of No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness. So it looks like he's going to be on the other side. He's probably not going to kill anybody, but he is probably going to help Doom get the powers of Loki, and maybe some other heroes as well, so he can save something.

I like Doom as a villain whose reasoning makes sense

I don't like Doctor Strange opposing the Avengers. But I do like that Doom is going to be more than an evil guy. He has a good backstory and he's charming. It is Robert Downey Jr., after all. He's suave, charismatic and manipulative to the point where people see his reasoning and his side, and he gets loyal followers.

The audience will ask whether Doom is wrong. The Avengers cause some problems, and Doom is trying to fix them, until we ultimately figure out his true motive, which is probably for him to rule over everything. That is most likely what Secret Wars will be, on Battleworld. I like it, and I think this is what's going to happen.