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One hypothesis could explicate why Doctor Strange was acting so weird duringSpider - Man : No Way menage . Throughout MCU Phase 4 , Stephen Strange has had his hand full . First , he was wedge to take on the mentor role for Peter Parker in Marvel Studios ' thirdSpider - Manmovie . Then he had to deal with a scornedScarlet Witch afterWandaVisionand amount boldness to face with alternate variant of himself inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . With all this on his plate , it ’s no wonder Stephen Strange was act otherwise , but one possibility might suggest a darker rationality for this change .
Spider - Man : No Way Homesees Peter Parker dealing with the fallout from the events ofSpider - human race : Far From Home , in which his personal identity was revealed to the existence by the trickster Quentin Beck , a.k.a . Mysterio . turn over to Doctor Strange for help , Peter is hurtle into even more danger . The former Sorcerer Supreme chute at the chance to make everyone bury the vane - slinger and inadvertently releasesnon - MCU Spider - Man villains from the pastinto their timeline . The dire billet caused both Peter Parker and Stephen Strange to make some difficult and questionable decisions , create something of a rupture between the two allies .
relate : All 8 MCU motion-picture show Set Up By Doctor Strange 2
Stephen Strange was act more erratically inSpider - Man : No Way Homethan he had in anterior MCU moving-picture show . This could just be due to the trying situation that the plot of the moving-picture show posed for the two heroes , of course , but one hypothesis suggests that this Doctor Strange might not in fact be the Stephen Strange that interview are familiar with at all — alternatively , he ’s actually a moresinister Doctor Strange fromMultiverse of Madness . The continuation to 2016’sDoctor Strangewas originally supposed to take place before the events ofSpider - human beings : No Way Home , which could provide a firm argument for this change in Benedict Cumberbatch ’s portrayal of the character .
Doctor Strange Is Very Different In No Way Home
Stephen Strange had been uncoerced to bend the rules in previous MCU labor , include using the Time Stone when suggest not to inDoctor Strangeand viewing over 14 million potential time to come during the fight against Thanos inAvengers : Infinity War . Yet he always followed the canonic guidelines as determined by the Masters of the Mystic Arts . Despite this , there was a drastic variety in Doctor Strange ’s conduct duringSpider - Man : No Way Home . He was too willing to jump headfirst into a dangerous patch in an movement tomake everyone forget Peter Parker . Then , he wanted to forthwith send the preceding Spider - Man scoundrel back to their deaths . He even attempted to trap his immature mentee in the Mirror Dimension when his choices were challenged . The sudden changes in Stephen ’s philosophy prompt speculation that something was n’t quite good with the magical Italian sandwich .
Spider - Man : No Way Homeseemed to insinuate that Stephen Strange ’s erratic decisions were down to him just cause a difficult situation to treat and having to spend meter with three untested teen . Even so , the Doctor Strange depicted inSpider - Man : No Way Homeis a far departure from the one that had been demonstrate in the MCU . antecedently , Stephen was steadfast in his foreign mission to protect the Time Stone and maintain the value of the Mystic Arts , but he was also empathic and caring , accept time to value the billet and trade with it as necessary . For instance , Doctor Strange only dedicate up the Time Stoneto Thanos duringAvengers : Infinity Warafter careful thought and evaluation , make up one’s mind that it was the only way the Avengers would eventually rejoice . This consideration was completely neglected inSpider - Man : No Way Home , which showed Strange making reckless decisions and cause a pile more damage in the appendage .
Why Doctor Strange Acts Weird (Was It Because Of The Darkhold?)
Before the prescribed release ofSpider - Man : No Way Home , viewers piece up on this vary Stephen Strange in the trailers for the movie , direct to a theory that somebody was in fact impersonating the former Sorcerer Supreme . With the shape - switch Skrulls ' introduction to the MCU inCaptain Marveland their account continuing in theSecret InvasionDisney+ series , venture arose suggesting that Doctor Strange ’s unusual behavior could be the beginning of theMCU Multiverse Saga ’s Skrull storyline . Another answer , however , came with the release ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , which examine the form of address character dabbling in the dark magic of the Darkhold .
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First debut in the MCU canon duringWandaVision , the Darkhold ( the MCU ’s Book of the Damned ) bring out the dependable meaning of the Scarlet Witch to Elizabeth Olsen ’s Wanda Maximoff , setting in move the event ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . When Doctor Strange eventually pose his hands on the dreaded book , he seems to find use in abusing its tycoon , leave him to " dreamwalk " from an incursion - destroyed universe into the clay of Defender Strange on Earth-616 . Throughout the film , the MCU ’s Darkholdis shown to have a prejudicial and long - lasting effect on its user , whether that be creating the villainous Scarlet Witch , corrupting Earth-838 ’s Stephen Strange , or chip in Sinister Strange an minatory third - oculus . With the original release particular date rules of order forDoctor Strange in theMultiverse of MadnessandSpider - Man : No Way Home , the Darkhold could have had an effect on the main persistence ’s Stephen Strange , affecting his choices in the latter film .
MCU Release Date & Story Changes Support The Theory
Originally , Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswas scheduled for release on May 7 , 2021 , andSpider - Isle of Man : No Way Homewas set to pip theaters on July 16 of that same year , meaning that the events of the former sequel would have taken place before the result of the latter . This , however , was a riotous time for Marvel Studios and the world as a whole , as theCOVID-19 pandemic shifted Marvel ’s yield scheduleand release dates around massively . Scripts had already been drafted for both films before the modification in waiver date , meaning that when this schedule was switch , these hand require to have been reworked so as to outfit the timeline and make common sense in the overarching MCU story .
The possibility poses that even though the detail in each of the scripts were make over , the independent plot points continue the same . Doctor Strange would have still combat a darker Scarlet Witch and come into tangency with the Darkhold inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , and then he would have aided Peter Parker with his personal identity and baddie problems inSpider - Man : No Way Home , rather of the other way around . The theory suggests that the Stephen Strange seen inSpider - Man : No Way Homewas in fact the Stephen Strange who had been splash around in the Darkhold — seen in theMultiverse of Madnesspost - credits scenewith a third - eye in his forehead . This would explain the unusually overhasty decisions and erratic behavior exhibit throughoutSpider - Man : No Way Home . It would have possibly been a more impactful plot line for both characters since Peter Parker would have to treat with a changed Doctor Strange in summation to five other villains , but or else , it seems Marvel Studios just chalk it all up to one bad day .
esurient rooter of the MCU will for sure continue to suppose about what could have been , had the release schedules remain as plan . Perhaps the want for Doctor Strange inSpider - Man : No Way Homewould have made more sense had he been expose to be a darker , more sinister version of himself . Even so , the events of bothSpider - Man : No Way HomeandDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessunlocked a deep well of possibilities when it comes to the enjoyment of themultiverse in the MCU . Both Tom Holland and Benedict Cumberbatch are expect to return to the MCU in future solo projects , meaning this wo n’t be the last time audiences see a hardened Spider - Man or a drear Doctor Strange .
