‘Doctor Strange’: What You Need to Know About Strange’s Next Villain

(Warning: Major spoilers for “Doctor Strange” ahead. Please do not read unless you have seen the film)

A common criticism of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been its dearth of memorable villains. Aside from Loki and the looming specter of Thanos, there’s not much to write about. But “Doctor Strange” does things a little differently. While the Doc does battle with the misguided zealot Kaecilius, the plot slowly unveils the origins of Strange’s archnemesis, who will undoubtedly play a major role in Strange’s future as he begins to interact with other MCU heroes.

That nemesis is Baron Mordo, played beautifully in the film by Chiwetel Ejiofor. In the MCU, Mordo starts as Strange’s friend and mentor, introducing the Doctor to The Ancient One and convincing her to change her mind when she refuses to teach Strange in the ways of the mystic arts. Mordo is a firm believer in discipline and strict moral codes, believing that the rules are not made to be broken.

Unfortunately, his view of the world is shattered when he discovers through Strange that The Ancient One has been dabbling in the forbidden spells she constantly stressed to him should never be attempted. He makes an uneasy truce with Strange to stop Kaecilius, but in the post-credits scene, he reveals that he believes that Strange’s liberal use of magic is screwing with the natural order and vows to get rid of him.

The MCU’s take on Mordo’s villain origin story is a far departure from the one given to him by Stan Lee back in 1963. Instead of being a devout follower of The Ancient One who became disillusioned, the comics presented Mordo as a power-hungry traitor who planned to kill The Ancient One and become the new Sorcerer Supreme. The Ancient One got wise to the plan and offered to teach Strange the skills necessary to bring Mordo down, thus igniting their magical rivalry.

While the MCU Mordo is a staunch opponent of using any kind of magic, Mordo Prime wasn’t afraid to summon demons and manipulate people with hypnosis to get what he wants. While Mordo Prime mainly wanted magical power for its own sake, MCU Mordo seems to want it simply because he doesn’t trust anyone else to wield it. In his own rigid, overzealous way, Mordo is trying to do what he thinks is best for Earth, even if he harms people in the short-term.

This new core principle may cause Mordo to compromise other ideals that he once swore to in order to defeat Strange, which leads us to his other defining trait in the comics. Along with his feud with Strange, Mordo’s other defining relationship is his turbulent partnership with Dormammu, the tyrant of the dark dimension whom Strange confronts in the climax of the film. In the comics, Mordo has made devilish partnerships with Dormammu in the hopes that their combined strength will crush Strange. But when their plans fail, Mordo often finds himself facing Dormammu’s wrath and being forced to defend Earth from being consumed by darkness.

With that in mind, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that MCU Mordo may make a similar deal with another villain that may cost him dearly. Perhaps he will make that bargain with Dormammu like in the comics. Or maybe he will make it with Thanos, the Big Bad of the MCU who has burned every villain he’s ever partnered with from Loki to Ronan. Either way, we do know that both Mordo and Strange will appear in “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2018. They could also possibly appear in “Thor: Ragnarok,” as “Doctor Strange” ended with Strange offering to help Thor find his missing father.

But whenever Mordo shows up next, his presence will be a boon to the MCU. After years of disposable villains, Marvel is investing time in developing another long-term villain, one that could continue to bedevil Doctor Strange and the heroes of Earth long after the Infinity War has come and gone.