'Doctor Strange 2' Might Not Be Happening

We've all seen the latest Infinity War trailer, which shows an ominous picture of the Sorcerer Supreme in some very serious trouble. While I, like most fans, suspected this to be just a tease and there's no way they would kill off such a character so soon after their initial introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to Benedict Cumberbatch, there may not necessarily be a Doctor Strange sequel in the near future.

Released on October 20th 2016, the first Doctor Strange movie was visually spectacular, with mind-bending special effects and top-notch acting from all involved, including Benedict Cumberbatch as our Sorcerer Supreme. With a box office taking of just under £700 million and a cameo in Thor: Ragnarok, and a bigger role in the forthcoming 'Avengers' movie, our expectations of a Doctor Strange sequel may never come to fruition.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly promoting the forthcoming Avengers: Infinity War, Cumberbatch was explicitly asked when the sequel to Doctor Strange would begin filming. Not formerly announced by Marvel at this point, Cumberbatch made it clear that he didn't know anything concrete about when the sequel would begin filming, or whether it would happen at all.

The first movie opened up virtually limitless possibilities with the confirmation that the Marvel Cinematic Universe does certainly exist within a multiverse, giving the sequel many avenues in which to go. Scott Derrickson, director of the first installment, commented on the limitless possibilities for a sequel, and even suggesting potentially more compelling villains that may act in opposition to our favourite Sorcerer.

When asked last year about potential villains, Derrickson commented on Twitter: “Possibly Nightmare, but he's a tricky villain to get right. And you can't tell the story of Doctor Strange w/out eventually dealing w/Clea,”

Of course, the fact that no plans are official or have yet been announced does not mean there aren't already plans in place. Marvel Studios have been notoriously secretive in the past when it comes to protecting their storylines and potential developments. With the release of Infinity War imminent, Marvel may simply be wanting to ensure the fans keep speculating wildly as to who will live and who will die in the coming epic.

Or even if they don't plan on making a Doctor Strange sequel, this doesn't mean that we will never see the Sorcerer Supreme again. In fact, some of the MCU's biggest heroes have either only had one solo flick, or had none at all. Consider, for example, Hulk, Black Widow, or Hawkeye. Does the lack of a trilogy mean that we won't see this hero again? Of course not, but it does raise questions as to the reasons why they decided against giving Strange a sequel, or the direction in which they intend to take the character in the future.

From a personal point of view, I would be very disappointed if they didn't give Doctor Strange a trilogy of movies. If they gave Ant-Man a sequel, then why not Doctor Strange? It opened up a whole new element of the MCU that fans had never seen before. Introducing magic into this world creates amazing storytelling possibilities that I think many fans would appreciate. On the flip side, having him exist within the universe, even without his own series of movies, does still create fun possibilities of team ups in the near future. While short, his interactions with Thor in Ragnarok were a lot of fun, and maybe seeing some team ups between him and Iron Man, or some of the more scientific heroes, would make for entertaining viewing in their own right.

That being said, what do you think of the whole thing? Does the lack of plans hint at a potential demise of the Sorcerer Supreme in the forthcoming Infinity War movie, or does it simply indicate that Marvel has plans to take the hero in another direction? If we do get news of a sequel, what story would you like to see told? Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo was already set up as the villain for a potential sequel, but would you like to see something different? Something more unexpected? Maybe an adaptation of the 'Trial and Torment' story would be a unique take for a sequel. In the comics, Doctor Strange teams up with Victor Von Doom to save the soul of Doom's mother from Hell. Of course, Doom is not yet established in the MCU, but an exploration of Marvel's version of Hell, and maybe an introduction to Marvel's version of The Devil in Mephisto would be a lot of fun for moviegoers.