With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on its way, fans are all wondering how other Marvel Studios movies have affected this upcoming sequel. The truth is that several movies and shows have impacted the Benedict Cumberbatch film, but funny enough, Loki has influenced Doctor Strange 2 the most.
In the Disney+ series Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston, beloved characters deal with the influences of the multiverse. Writer Michael Waldron worked on both Doctor Strange 2 and Loki and, according to a Marvel producer, this connection matters. Producer Richie Palmer admitted that Waldron set up these multiverse variants on purpose. Loki had several character variants in the Disney+ series, just as Doctor Strange plans to have multiple variants in the upcoming film (as seen in the trailer).
“It was really exciting. We found that we didn’t need to spend a lot of time recapping the rules; we felt the audience would get a lot of that by now. With Michael, we could jump into telling a good story within what’s already been established,” Palmer told Disney’s D23 Magazine in an interview. He goes onto credit Waldron’s strong ability to write characters and how he was able to create stellar moments using these alternate timelines. He claims that Michael Waldron demonstrated some more sci-fi concepts into Loki, which were incorporated into the Doctor Strange 2 script as well.
Loki ended its first season with Jonathan Majors introduced as He Who Remains, who is an established variant of Kang the Conqueror. With a second season confirmed, rumors fly that Loki will appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After seeing the finale of Loki, where the multiverse fractured into multiple branches after Sylvie killed He Who Remains, fans have no question that the character could make an appearance in Cumberbatch’s film sequel.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also plans to make direct connections to the What If…? animated series streaming on Disney+. Up-to-date fans know that there is an episode featuring Doctor Strange as someone who let the universe die due to his love for Christine. Fans like to think of the rightful Stephen as the one who wouldn’t end the world for selfish reasons, but it’s hard to tell.
Make sure to check out Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theaters on May 6!
