While he technically only has one movie in his series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Doctor Strange has endured some harrowing situations. From facing destruction at the hands of Thanos to the multiverse opening infinite realities, Stephen Strange may not be prepared for the threats that will emerge. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks to capitalize on the idea of infinite realities and rather than focus on the adventure, all signs point to the movie being more akin to a horror film. While What If...?'s Doctor Strange Supreme seems like the perfect antagonist to unleash the horrors of the multiverse, the Marvel Zombies may be an even better choice.
Zombies were introduced to the MCU in What If...? Season 1, Episode 5, and were born from a virus that Janet van Dyne contracted while trapped in the Quantum Realm. Once it reached Earth, the virus nearly destroyed the entire population in two weeks. Unfortunately, they were still spreading the infection when the episode concluded, and the ending was left ambiguous. While they aren't an intelligent threat, they still pose a physical danger that could make even Doctor Strange struggle.
The zombies in this reality do lumber around with the sole purpose of eating flesh and spreading the infection. However, they've also been shown using their superheroic abilities. In fact, that reality's Doctor Strange was still able to use magic after being infected. As a result, the main timeline's Strange being stuck there could lead to him having to contend with equally powerful and far more persistent versions of his friends. It'd be even worse if he became stranded in that universe without his allies or cloak of levitation. Almost immediately, the Doctor Strange sequel would have to shift from action-horror to something even more terrifying.
Adding director Sam Raimi to the roster also fits with the idea of Marvel's zombies reappearing. While he is best known for his work on the Spider-Man trilogy, Raimi started in horror. His first film was The Evil Dead, which saw a group of teens surviving in a cabin in the woods against an evil that possessed them and turned them into zombies. Raimi is no stranger to leaving the film's heroes with nothing but their wits and survival skills. However, he's also adept at framing a scene to overwhelm and terrify the audience. In this case, Strange being left alone in a zombie reality for a brief period could be more nightmarish than the episode that introduced them.
While Doctor Strange has a reasonably substantial list of enemies, he hasn't fully explored them in the MCU. As a result, fans have been speculating who could be the next one to get the live-action treatment in Doctor Strange 2. There will likely be at least one, but with Doctor Strange Supreme being introduced in What If...?, all roads appear to lead to him. But even though he represents the perfect antithesis enemy, zombies represent a new host of problems that could challenge Strange.
Bringing zombies into Doctor Strange 2 could force the sorcerer to think outside the box and fight in a way he never has before. Instead of fighting magic with science, he could be fighting a dimensional virus, potentially introducing a whole new list of problems. Not to mention with a rumored Marvel Zombies film in the works, their inclusion could also help give fans who don't watch the show an introduction they won't soon forget. It's been a while since Doctor Strange has faced something out of a child's nightmares, and introducing him to zombies may be the best way to reacquaint him with his surroundings.
To find out who the true villain will be, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters on March 25, 2022.