While the future slate of MCU films has yet to be announced, Doctor Strange 2 is expected to be one of the major projects they are developing. The first film was a massive hit in 2016 and, since then, the character of Strange has only become more integral in the Marvel Universe. It will be interesting to see what other adventures he'll have.
There are some many areas a character like Strange could be taken and so many exciting characters who could join Strange and Wong in the sequel. Some are allies, some are enemies. Some would be new additions to the MCU, and some we've met already. Here are a few of the characters we want and don't want to see in Doctor Strange 2.
10 Want: Mordo
Baron Karl Mordo has been one of Doctor Strange's most prominent foes in the comics. But in an interesting twist, Mordo was introduced as an ally of Strange's in the first film. A fellow student of the Ancient One, Mordo helped to train Strange and teach him to unlock his mystic abilities.
By the end of the film, Mordo's more villainous tendencies were starting to show. He grew disillusioned with the Ancient One and, in the post-credit scene, we see he seeks to rid the world of sorcerers. This feels like the perfect set-up for Strange to face-off against Mordo in the next film.
9 Don't Want: The Ancient One
The Ancient One is another key character in Doctor Strange's backstory. As in the comics, her role in the film was as a mentor to Strange and as we saw in Endgame, she seemed to always know about Strange's potential to be the greatest Sorcerer Supreme.
Tilda Swinton was solid in the role, but her casting was met with a lot of controversy, given the character was of Asian descent in the comics. Aside from that, the character seemed to have run her course in the first film. Her death was memorable and hard-hitting, and having such an omniscient character in the game might lower the stakes.
8 Want: Nightmare
Doctor Strange's list of usual enemies might not be as memorable as some of his fellow heroes, but he does have some very interesting villains in his Rogue's gallery. One of the best is Nightmare, the dark ruler of the Dream Dimension. As people sleep, Nightmare is able to draw them into his dimension and possibly trap them.
Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson has said that Nightmare is one character he would love to introduced in the sequels. Given Derrickson's background in horror films like Sinister, the character feels like a perfect fit and could allow the MCU to explore horror elements for the first time.
7 Don't Want: Dracula
There are a number of other horror-centric villains Strange has come across but this is one that is better left in the comics. Dracula is indeed the ancient and powerful vampire who exists within the Marvel Universe and has fought Strange on occasion.
While the fun of seeing our favorite heroes fight against Dracula might work in the comics, it would likely come off as silly in the movies. Some ideas just can't be translated well to the big screen, and to introduce Dracula in the MCU would feel like some sort of cheap crossover.
6 Want: Black Knight
Black Knight has never been the most popular of Marvel's heroes, but he certainly is an interesting character who could be a fun addition to the MCU. The most famous version of Black Knight is Dane Whitman, an ancestor of a heroic medieval knight, who takes up his ancient sword to become the next Black Knight.
The character has been rumored to be in the works at the MCU, and Doctor Strange seems like the perfect character to help introduce him. Black Knight is strongly linked to the mystic arts and his sword, the Ebony Blade, was almost introduced in the first Doctor Strange film.
5 Don't Want: Sara Wolfe
Sara Wolfe is a supporting character in many Doctor Strange stories, first appearing back in 1979. Wolfe joins Strange's team as his personal secretary and eventually develops into a love interest for Strange's loyal friend Wong.
Wong has become a welcome fixture in the MCU thanks to his association with Strange. He not only had a big role in the first film but returned for Infinity War and Endgame. As much as we'd like to see the character explored more, we don't think he needs a love interest. The MCU has never done well with the forced romances, so it's best to just avoid that path.
4 Want: Night Nurse
For most comic book fans, the Night Nurse is Claire Temple, who we saw played by Rosario Dawson in the Marvel Netflix shows. Claire filled the basic role of the Night Nurse in the comics, which was caring and providing medical attention for the injured heroes. But Doctor Strange's Christine Palmer was another version of the character who played a similar role.
With the Netflix shows all gone, it seems like Christine is the true Night Nurse. We'd like to see her fully embrace this role in the sequel and possibly continue on in this role in other MCU films.
3 Don't Want: Clea
While Christine was presented as Strange's love interest in the first film, comic fans will know his most famous romance has been with Clea. She is a human who descends from mystic beings including a relation to the dark lord Dormammu, who was introduced in the first film and will likely continue to be a threat in coming films.
While there's a lot of potential to explore with Clea, it still seems too early for that. Strange needs the more grounded characters like Christine who are connected to his past life to help us further understand him as a character. Perhaps she can be saved for a future sequel.
2 Want: Scarlet Witch
Endgame really changed the dynamics of the MCU, with several of its biggest franchises like Captain America and Iron Man coming to an end. It will be interesting to see who will step up to be the leaders of the MCU and how those supporting characters will be used. Scarlet Witch, for instance, is a character unlikely to have her own solo film despite headlining a new Disney+ series. However, she would feel right at home in Doctor Strange's films.
It is shown that Scarlet Witch has the potential to be an extremely powerful individual but that she might not have full control of those powers yet. She could become a student of Strange as he helps her discover her full potential.
1 Don't Want: Tony Stark
In comic book movies, there are always ways for dead characters to come back. The MCU has been criticized in the past for overusing the "resurrected hero" bit and robbing the films of their life-and-death stakes. With some of the huge deaths we saw in Endgame, we hope the MCU is wise enough to make those permanent, especially the death of Tony Stark.
Doctor Strange seems like the character most likely to bring Stark back, or at least communicate with him from the beyond, but that's a temptation they should avoid. As much as we'll miss the character, he had a great send off and bringing him back would only cheapen that.