With production already wrapped and a release date in sight there have been surprisingly few leaks or rumors about what we might see in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but now a new report seems to shed a little light on who might be the big bad of the sequel, making it one of the biggest stories about the film to be revealed in some time. The Illuminerdi reports that the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel will not only introduce the Marvel Comics villain Shuma Gorath to the MCU but will have them serve as the lead antagonist.
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According to the outlet, Shuma-Gorath’s plan in the film is actually to capture newcomer Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez, reportedly hoping to harness her ability to open and traverse through the multiverse. Since he was first introduced, Shuma-Gorath has been likened to an H.P. Lovecraft-like monster in the pages of Marvel Comics, his name perhaps even inspired by a beast from one of Lovecraft’s stories. Existing across dimensions and plans, Shuma-Gorath typically appears as a knotted mess of tentacles and eyes on the rare occasion that he does appear on Earth. It’s unclear who would voice this character in Doctor Strange, assuming they’re in it, but it will offer the chance for some choice dialogue from the villain.
Here’s what we do know about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Cumberbatch will be back as the sorcerer supreme with Elizabeth Olsen appearing as the Scarlet Witch, picking up after the events of the WandaVision TV series. Xochitl Gomez will make her MCU debut as America Chavez in the film to boot, bringing the character whose super power is punching holes in the multiverse to the big screen.
As you may recall, a post-credit scene for WandaVision saw Wanda studying the Darkhold when the voices of her two sons from across some different dimension or universe reached out to her and cried for help. It’s possible that these two characters will tie directly into the plot of Shuma-Gorath and his quest for America Chavez. You’d cry out for help for your mom in a different dimension if a tentacled beast also known as the “Devourer-God of the Eternal Ever-Was” was after you.
Time will tell before we know these details for sure, but a chase from Shuma-Gorath would no doubt align both America Chavez and Wanda Maximoff into a storyline that leads them directly to Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to hit theaters on March 25, 2022.