Doctor Strange End Credits Scene's MCU Connection Revealed

Marvel's Doctor Strange is now hitting theaters in The UK and other overseas markets, which means that SPOILERS are starting to leak out.

As with every Marvel movie, it can be a very long sit to get from that mid-credits button scene to that final post-credits scene at the end. A lot of times the mid-credits scene tends to be the major Marvel Cinematic Universe "button," while the end-credits scene is more fun. However, Doctor Strange had a different approach, turning its MCU button into a more humorous affair, while the end credits scene was something far more sinister.

Needless to say, if you haven't seen Doctor Strange then STOP reading now - MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW.

MORE: Doctor Strange Mid-Credits Scene Explained

The Doctor Strange end credits scene bring us back to the character of Jonathan Pangborn, played by Benjamin Bratt. In the film, Pangborn was a paraplegic man who came to The Ancient One seeking means to heal himself. The Ancient One taught him to harness magic, which he used to heal his body, before refusing the rest of the teachings. In the film, it is Pangborn who gives Stephen Strange the initial hope that The Ancient One can help him.

In the end-credits scene, Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) comes back around looking for Pangborn. Mordo has defected from The Ancient One's service, having learned his revered teacher actually drew her power from the Dark Dimension the heroic mystics are sworn to fight. Mordo attacks Pangborn, revealing that he has found a new path, now: eliminating what he feels to be an overpopulation of sorcerer's in the world.

What Does It Mean?

This end credits scene was both a setup for Doctor Strange 2 and a nice Marvel Comics Easter eggs that fans will recognize.

In the comics, Karl Mordo is better known as "Baron Mordo," the archnemesis of Doctor Strange. Like in the movie, Mordo and Strange's comic book history includes them training together. However, in the comics, Mordo is unquestionably more evil, plotting to kill The Ancient One until Doctor Strange stopped him. Mordo was exiled and then become a practioner of the dark arts, often allying himself with the likes of demons and evil beings like Dormammu.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe Mordo is definitely a more complex and nuanced character, hitting the "not so much evil, just misguided" middleground of villainy. After his revelation about The Ancient One, he clearly sees magic itself as being a power that has gotten out of control, tainted from overuse by those like Pangborn, who Mordo sees as unworthy.

It's unclear whether the spell attack he used on Pangborn just eliminated the man's magical energy, or added it to Mordo's own. If it's the latter, then Doctor Strange could have a truly formidable nemesis to face, as Mordo would be both physically superior, and stacked with an unknowable amount of stolen magic, before Doctor Strange realizes what he's up to.

Either way, it's a welcome development having Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo lurking in the mystical shadows of the MCU as a growing threat.

MORE DOCTOR STRANGE: Doctor Strange Mid-Credits Scene Explanation / Doctor Strange is Officially Joining The Avengers / Possible Sequel Villain Revealed / Possible Sequel Story / Doctor Strange Early Reactions / Marvel Cosmic Connection Revealed?

Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming– July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; and Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.