What the ‘Doctor Strange’ end credit scenes mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Culture
By Miles Surrey

Following in the tradition of every Marvel movie under the sun, Doctor Strange has end-credit scenes to tease future installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is especially important, considering Benedict Cumberbatch's Strange will be one of several superheroes slated to appear in Avengers: Infinity War. 

So, what exactly does Doctor Strange reveal about the MCU timeline? 

(Editor's note: Spoilers for Doctor Strange ahead, so if you're still unsure you want to read this, here's a GIF of Tilda Swinton as a stopgap.) 

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Mid-credits scene: Thor and Strange meet and greet 

Strange's connection to the rest of the MCU seems to hinge on Thor, whom Strange meets in a mid-credits scene in New York City. Essentially, Thor's brother Loki is one of several people on Strange's list of potential threats. Thor, meanwhile, tells Strange that he and Loki are searching for their father. Strange offers to help him. 

This opens up the door for Strange to make an appearance in Thor: Ragnarok, which comes out before Infinity War. It feels pretty on-brand for Strange — traversing the universe — and gives the character more time in the spotlight before a claustrophobic Avengers movie that'll feature dozens of heroes sharing screen time. 

Plus, any uncertainty over Strange showing up in Ragnarok has essentially been confirmed by set photos of Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and director Taika Waititi back in August. The one of Hemsworth holding a card with an address in his hand — 177A Bleecker Street — is the location of the Sanctum located in New York City, which Strange protects. 

End credits scene: Shit, Mordo is a bad guy 

This isn't a surprise for anyone who's familiar with his role in the comics, but Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo is a villain, and makes the full turn in the end credits scene. He approaches the man who helped Strange make his journey to meet the Ancient One; the man himself, once paraplegic, had been cured through magic. 

But Mordo sees this as a bad use of magic, and renders the man paraplegic again. What this confirms is that if or when we get a Doctor Strange sequel, Mordo should be a primary antagonist.