When other realities are the topic, as everyone learned from Loki, there are other variants of one character that will be present and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness expounds on this on a larger scale that even the titular hero has his own versions that he personally met. But what happened to them in the movie?
Warning! Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness! Do not read if you haven't seen it yet or if you don't like spoilers!
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: What Happened to the Other Variants of Doctor Strange?
To start, there are three variants of Doctor Strange that appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There’s Defender Strange, the one who wears a slick hairstyle with a black and red suit. Then, there is Superior Strange, the variant who has a huge statue in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum in Earth 838. And lastly, Sinister Strange who has the Eye of Agamotto and fought Doctor Strange.
Defender Strange was the first to go. He was with America Chavez when Gargantos was chasing them when they were on their way to the Book of Vishanti. They were so close to it but the monster got to Defender Strange. In dire need, he attempted to take America’s power but she punched a portal so Defender Strange died in action.
America Chavez landed on Earth 616, where the Doctor Strange we all know was attending the wedding of Christine Palmer. He got to meet the dead body of Defender Strange whom he buried at a rooftop which came in handy by the end of the film.
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After the battle of Kamar Taj, to escape, America Chavez punched another portal again which brought them to Earth 838. There, Strange was praised like a saint, he saw a statue of Supreme Strange in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum where they met Mordo who took them to the Illuminati. The members of the Illuminati explained what exactly happened to Supreme Strange and how he died.
It turns out Supreme Strange built the Illuminati to look out for those who desecrate reality through space and time. Supreme Strange was quite the hardheaded hero who’d rather take a villain alone even if it costs him his life. He defeated Thanos on his own but when the Illuminati found out that the Darkhold aided him, he accepted his punishment with Black Bolt whispering to him, “I’m sorry.”
Then, there is Sinister Strange. After America Chavez was taken to Wanda in the temple of Chthon, she sent Doctor Strange and Christine Palmer of Earth 838 to a universe where an incursion is happening and it is a full-on ghost town. They went to the Sanctum Sanctorum of the place which pretty much looks like a haunted house straight out of a horror movie.
Doctor Strange met Sinister Strange who wanted to confirm to him that he, indeed, is a variant of him and Stephen told the story of their sister whom they lost when they were young. It turns out that Sinister Strange has been totally consumed by the Darkhold and he guards it with his life. He has an Eye of Agamotto and fought Doctor Strange with notes.
Sinister Strange was defeated as Doctor Strange added a single note to ignite a blast that took Sinister Strange flying off of the building and straight through the fence. He is already dead but the Eye of Agamotto opens as soon as Christine Palmer of Earth 838 approached him because the souls of the damned who consumes the reader of the Darkhold never sleeps.
So, if you have to ask where in any world did the zombified version of Strange came from, well, since Doctor Strange is still in Sinister Strange’s universe, he has to dreamwalk into another version of himself to the universe which he would like to access. Good thing they buried Defender Strange on Earth 616 because through him and his dead body, Doctor Strange was able to get through.
However, such is no easy feat. It is a forbidden act to control a dead person’s body and the souls of the damned prohibit it, resulting to them consuming the reader at a faster phase. They even come out of the body but Doctor Strange was able to handle them by doing the reverse and it is him who consumes the souls of the damned through zombie Defender Strange.
With Christine of Earth 838’s help, they were able to combat the souls of the damned and send them back where they came from or eliminate each of them. Christine was a quick thinker. She knew of the powers of the Brazier of Bom'Galiath and used it to counter the souls of the damned.
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The whole plan of Doctor Strange works through Defender Strange. They arrived at the temple of Chthon using the damned souls as wings and they faced Wanda who is relentless. Doctor Strange had to pep talk America Chavez for a while to make her realize that she can use her powers and that all the time they transferred to another universe, it was where they were meant to be.
Defender Strange ultimately dies given that Wanda, herself, had a change of heart and decided to obliterate every existing copy of the Darkhold in existence all around the multiverse. Doctor Strange knew, right there and then, that Wanda chose to do the right thing.
In the end, Doctor Strange is back at the Sanctum Sanctorum, out for his morning walk, when suddenly, he got on his knees in pain since he finally got the third eye, the Eye of Agamotto. In the post-credits scene, Doctor Strange was found by Clea, the Sorceress Supreme of the Dark Dimension. She tells Doctor Strange that an incursion is going on and that she needs help to fully put it to a stop which Doctor Strange agrees as he proudly opens his third eye on his forehead.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now in theaters.
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