New concept art from Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness reveals a planned battle between Doctor Strange and Nightmare.
New concept art from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) fight the villain Nightmare. The Sam Raimi directed sequel saw Doctor Strange and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) travel the multiverse as Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) wants to use America’s powers to bring back her children who were introduced in WandaVision. There were many appearances from established Marvel characters in Raimi’s film, but one whom fans have been clamoring for since the release of Doctor Strange was the classic antagonist, Nightmare.
Storyboard artist Soren Brendt (via Doctor Strange Updates) has released concept art that showed Doctor Strange fighting Nightmare inside what looks to be a Spiral staircase. Strange has a sword in the storyboard, whereas Nightmare seems to be using Doctor Strange’s magic against him, as the hero doesn’t seem to believe what’s happening. Check out the full storyboard below:
How Nightmare Would’ve Changed Doctor Strange 2
While Wanda Maximoff is considered to be the main antagonist of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Nightmare’s inclusion in the movie would’ve changed the direction of the sequel. As previously mentioned, many viewers thought Nightmare would be making their introduction in the MCU in Multiverse of Madness, setting up a deeper dive into the supernatural side of the universe. While Nightmare ultimately did not appear, the supernatural side of the MCU will be further explored by Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) who will have her own television series in Agatha: Coven of Chaos.
Introducing Nightmare may have distracted from Wanda’s overall story. Aside from Nightmare, there are rumors that the Marvel Comics devil Mephisto will appear in Ironheart, and will be played by Sacha Baron Cohen. However, a fight between Doctor Strange and Nightmare could’ve shaped the supernatural side of the MCU in a different direction. It may have also set up an even bigger presence of supernatural creatures that were only sparsely introduced in the first three phases of the MCU. It is still unclear if Nightmare will appear in the MCU, but seeing that his introduction was indeed planned for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness shows may be the villain will appear in the future.
Time will tell exactly how the supernatural side of the MCU will take shape as The Multiverse Saga continues. If Mephisto does indeed appear, as rumored, in Ironheart, there’s a strong possibility that Nightmare will make an appearance as well in the MCU. Nightmare may not have been featured in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but it will be interesting to see the supernatural side of the MCU shape up when Agatha: Coven of Chaos eventually releases on Disney+.
Source: Doctor Strange Updates/Twitter