A crucial part of Stephen Strange’s story, Mordo was influential in defeating Dormammu, Kaecillius, and helping Strange become the best sorcerer to ever live. His role in the movies, however, is rather small compared to the massive impact he has in Marvel Comics. The first installation offered some brief insight as to how Mordo came to be a close ally to the Ancient One, but the depth of his MCU character is lackluster when stacked against the version of him present in the comics.
Although he was an ally to Strange in the firstDoctor Strangemovie, the two actually had a fierce rivalry in the comics that led to Mordo turning towards the dark side. Mordo abandoned the Ancient One after realizing Strange had become the new star pupil, and eventually, Mordo began studying black magic while under the tutelage of his grandfather. After some time, Mordo attempted to take the life of the Ancient One, but was defeated by Strange, which was only the first of many battles between the two sorcerers.
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Mordo has banished Strange to another dimension, stolen his body, and teamed up with other villains throughout his rivalry with Strange in the comics, making him the sorcerer’s greatest rival. So far, the only glimpse of Mordo’s bad side in the MCU has been seen in the originalDoctor Strange’spost-credits scene, where he claims the problem with the world is that there are too many sorcerers in existence. This heavily implies that Mordo will be going on a sorcerer killing spree to try and shape the world in a way he sees fit, closely mirroring the actions ofvillains like Thanos, who believe they know what’s best for the good of the universe.
Mordo has been confirmed to make an appearance inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,which is set to take place after the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Home.In the comics, Mordo ended up facing off with Strange after he and Peter were involved with a timeline-related incident, much like the Spider-Sorcerer duo will face duringNo Way Home.This could mean that Marvel is finally preparing to transform Mordo into the big bad he was in the comics, which spells big trouble for Strange in the upcoming sequel. Based on the fact that the MCU Mordo believes there are too many sorcerers in the world who are using their power for the wrong reasons, it’s safe to assume that the catastrophic spell disaster inNo Way Homewill tip Mordo off and make him view Strange as undeserving of his magic.
Strange is arguably one of the most powerful characters in the MCU right now, so giving Mordo the chance to become a villain would certainly make for more intense conflict in the future. Fans already know thatWanda Maximoffwill be joining forces with Strange inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and as of right now, she’s one of the only Marvel characters who could give Strange a run for his money. Given the fact that Mordo is a sorcerer of equal strength and has even more experience using magic than either of them combined, he’ll be a worthy opponent for Wanda and Strange alike.
Mordo has been MIA sinceDoctor Strangewas released in 2016 and he’s undoubtedly been up to no good during his absence. Fans saw him strip powers from Pangborn, the Ancient One’s former Kamar-Taj patient, during the post-credit scene, but it’s unclear what Mordo did with the magic he stole back. Perhaps he’s been hunting down others with magic and then using it to fuel his own sorcery, or maybe he’s been studying the art of black magic like he did in the comics. Either way, his reappearance as a villain will certainly shock Strange.
Although his character will bereturning as a villain, Mordo’s new role in the MCU will give him a chance to be as significant to the plot of the films as he was to the plot of the comics. He played a huge role in the story of Doctor Strange, so ignoring that part of their relationship would be wasted potential and miss out on a massive component of Strange’s journey towards becoming the greatest sorcerer that ever lived.
There are theories suggestingMordo won’t actually become a villain, but based on his actions in the first film and his history in the comics, it seems unlikely that Marvel will forgo the chance to have him and Strange take their rivalry from the pages to the big screen. There’s still plenty to come beforeDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesshits theaters, but things aren’t looking good for Strange in the future. Having now become one of the MCU’s headlining heroes, Strange will have a lot of challenges ahead before his time is done.
