Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness originally had a different ending, with a darker fate for Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange – it was actually Sinister Strange who returned to Earth-616, while our version of the sorcerer remained trapped in Earth-838.
"Strange gets trapped in that [incursion] universe," screenwriter Michael Waldron explained during the audio commentary for the movie's Disney Plus release. "And then [Sinister Strange] turns around, and the third eye opens."
The final movie's ending saw Strange return to his home universe, but Sinister Strange's presence is still felt – Strange finds that he now has a third eye on his forehead, just like his Sinister counterpart. In the movie's post-credits scene, Strange then follows Charlize Theron's Clea into another universe in order to fix an incursion that she claims he caused. It's unclear whether Clea would have still shown up in this alternate, scrapped ending, but it certainly would've affected Strange's storyline going forward.
Directed by Spider-Man helmer Sam Raimi, the Doctor Strange sequel also stars Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, a teenager with the ability to travel between dimensions, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch, who's on a mission to reunite with her children at any cost, and Benedict Wong as Sorcerer Supreme Wong.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available to stream now on Disney Plus. Next up for Marvel on the big screen is Thor: Love and Thunder, which arrives on July 8. In the meantime, make sure you're up to date with the MCU with our guide to Marvel Phase 4. For much more on Doctor Strange 2, check out our explainers on:
- Doctor Strange 2 ending explained
- Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scenes explained
- The rumored Doctor Strange cameos that never came true
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- Where Doctor Strange 2 fits on the Marvel timeline
- Who is Hayley Atwell in Doctor Strange 2?
- Who plays Captain Marvel in Doctor Strange 2?
- Who is Charlize Theron in Doctor Strange 2?
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- Our full WandaVision recap
- The Marvel movies and shows to watch before Doctor Strange 2
- How to watch the Marvel movies in order
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