The Makers Of ‘Doctor Strange’ Reveal New Details About The Movie’s Villain And Tease A Sequel

Doctor Strange arrives in theaters in just over a month, and yet there remains an air of mystery around Marvel’s latest comic-book movie extravaganza. Aside from the basics of Doctor Strange’s origin, what is the movie actually about What’s the true nature of the movie’s villain How does Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange fit into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe It’s all a bit vague.

Well, IGN recently visited the set of Doctor Strange, and got a few answers from Cumberbatch, director Scott Derrickson, and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. One of the most interesting bits of new information concerns Kaecilius, the rather obscure bad guy being played by Mads Mikkelsen. According to Derrickson, there’s more to the character than meets the eye…

“What we wanted was a character that was rooted in the real, so that there could be an intimate relatability between Strange and his adversary. But who was empowered by something else. By something otherworldly. And connected to something else otherworldly, which comes straight from the comics. […] I always loved the Sauron-Saruman idea in Lord of the Rings. […] So that Strange wasn’t combating something huge and fantastical all the way through the movie that had no human relatability.”

It certainly sounds like Kaecilius is merely the conduit for another, more powerful, villain. Of course, the most obvious choice would be Thanos, which would make sense given IGN confirms the Eye of Agamotto amulet Strange wears is an Infinity Stone. Then again, this greater power could be a more Doctor Strange-specific villain like the otherworldly demon Dormammu.

So, if Marvel is teasing bigger, badder Doctor Strange villains, does that mean a sequel is already in the works When IGN asked whether Doctor Strange 2 is happening, Cumberbatch didn’t deny it, then dropped this rather intriguing tease.

“I’m excited to see where the Illuminati goes and whatever else might happen, how that works, and where it ends up.”

In the Marvel universe the Illuminati is a group of powerful heroes, including Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Professor X, Reed Richards, Namor, and Black Bolt, who are found to have been secretly shaping and manipulating the superhero world for years. Could Cumberbatch have dropped a major hint about the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The IGN article is full of all sorts of other interesting Doctor Strange tidbits, and I definitely recommend you give the full thing a read by clicking below. Doctor Strange magically appears in a theater near you on Nov. 4.