Marvel Studios just usedWhat If…?season 3 to quietly hint at how an iconicMCUvillain who hasn’t been seen in nine years can now return to once again battle Doctor Strange. Over the course of its three-season run, Marvel Animation’sWhat If…?reinvented some of the MCU’s most iconic and powerful characters as the series explored a wide variety of alternate universes.What If…?season 3may have wrapped up the story, but the series' final chapter also teased some wild new stories for the live-action MCU.
What If…?season 3 was arguably the weirdest chapterof the animated series yet, concluding the popular Multiverse Saga series with a bang. Audiences were introduced to a Wild West-themed Shang-Chi and Kate Bishop, a Celestial Agatha Harkness and thedaughter of Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis, among others, with the latter being the focus of episode 4, “What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched?“This episode also marked the return of one of the MCU’s strongest and most mysterious villains, and explained how he could return in live-action.
What If…? Revealed Dormammu Can Take Hosts
Dormammu Almost Took Byrdie As His Host
What If…?season 3, episode 4, continued the story of Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis, who married during Thor’s epic global party back inWhat If…?season 1. Season 3 revealed the pair had, somehow, produced an egg, which became coveted by all manner of characters as it was birthed during the Convergence and was seemingly destined for great things.The Grandmaster, Malekith, Laufey, Zeus and Thanos, along with his Black Order, fight for possession of the egg, but it’s Kaecilius who comes closest to claiming it for himself.
While the others wanted the egg for their own personal gain (or breakfast), Kaecilius wanted to use it to provide his master,Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, with a physical host body.This was the first mention in the MCU’s history of Dormammu being able to inhabit host bodies, as the being was previously seen as an amorphous constructfloating throughout the Dark Dimension in 2016’sDoctor Strange. Of course, Dormammu did not use Byrdie as his host, and she grew into a formidable hero, but this could prove crucial to the live-action MCU.
What If…? Season 3 Supports A Wild Doctor Strange 3 Casting Theory
An Old Theory Brings Mads Mikkelsen Back To The MCU
Back in February 2024, Mads Mikkelsen revealed toBusiness Insiderthat he would be happy to return to the role of Kaecilius, despite the character’s death at the end ofDoctor Strange. This spurred a theory to be shared byReddituser AlexWFSwhich suggested that Mikkelsen could, in fact, return as the human form of the Dormammu. The events ofDoctor StrangeandWhat If…?season 3 make this even more likely, asKaecilius' body was sent to the Dark Dimension in the former, perhaps allowing Dormammu to claim it as his host.
I love them all. The most fun must’ve been “Doctor Strange” because I got to do two things I love: doing magic and flying Kung Fu. Yeah, that one. I wouldn’t mind going back to him. But I have a tendency to die in all the franchises, so it’s going to be hard.
Kaecilius was perhaps Dormammu’s most loyal follower inDoctor Strange, as he turned his back on the Ancient One and Kamar-Taj in hopes of breaking down the Earth’s defensive barriers and unleashing the Dark Dimension, making everyone equal as part of"the One.“At the end ofDoctor Strange,Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular Master of the Mystic Arts trapped Dormammu in a time loop and forced him to remove his zealots from the Earth in order to be freed. This means Kaecilius' body will be readily available for Dormammu to inhabit, allowingMads Mikkelsen to return to the MCU as Dormammu.
Why Dormammu Needs A Host In The MCU’s Future
Dormammu Needs To Be Explored More In The MCU
As the ruler of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu is one of the most powerful beings in the MCU’s multiverse, but Marvel Studios has barely scratched the surface with the formidable villain.Doctor Strangeleft audiences wanting more, and 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessonly made this worse, as the movie’s post-credits scene debutedCharlize Theron’s Clea, who is Dormammu’s niecein Marvel Comics.If Clea is explored in more detail in a possibleDoctor Strange 3, it would make sense for Dormammu to take a human form, and this would, in fact, be necessary.
Clea’s Existence Means Dormammu’s SISTER Can Be Doctor Strange 3’s Villain
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' post-credits scene debuted Clea in the MCU, who could open the door for an iconic Doctor Strange villain.
Dormammu might be a supremely powerful character in the MCU, but audiences will struggle to connect to him on any level if he doesn’t have a physical form. Currently, he’s a bit of a strange antagonist, with no real form and no known purpose.Putting Dormammu in a host body, especially if this is the body of the incredibly talented Mads Mikkelsen, would allow audiences to empathize and understand him more.What If…?season 3 has perfectly set the stage for this to happen inDoctor Strange 3, so hopefully this will finally come to fruition.
What If…?
Cast
What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent being that observes the events of multiple universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, things shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse.
