Doctor Strange Post Credits Scenes Explained
We dissect the two end credits scenes in Marvel's Doctor Strange movie. As you might expect, these are spoilers.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Spoilers for Doctor Strange Ahead!
Marvel’s post-credits scenes have gone from being an unexpected delight to a downright necessary part of the viewing experience, such that people hunger as much for them as the movie itself. Doctor Strange has the honor of being the 14th Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in nine years, and the 14th in a row to feature teases and hints about what might happen next.
Want to know what the fuss is about this time? Here we go!
Mid-credits scene
The screen goes black. “So Earth has wizards now?” asks a deep, familiar, Asgardian voice. The picture returns. We’re in Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum and he’s entertaining a visit from Thor, dressed in casual (human) clothing and whose “tea” is replaced with a large flagon of mead (which automatically refills when he empties it).
Strange explains to Thor that he keeps “a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms” who shouldn’t be on Earth, and that Thor’s brother Loki is one of those beings. Strange asks him directly: why have you brought Loki to New York?
Thor responds that “it’s a bit of a long story. Family drama. We’re looking for my father.” Strange asks if they manage to find Odin they’ll all return to Asgard “promptly?” and Thor replies “Oh yes. Promptly.” in a not-at-all convincing manner. “Great.” says Doctor Strange. “I’m gonna help you.”
So, what does it mean? Doctor Strange Director Scott Derrickson confirmed to us that this was shot by Taika Waititi, meaning it might actually be a scene from Thor: Ragnarok (as has happened on previous occasions). This is a little confusing, as it’s not only a significant time jump from the actual ending of the Doctor Strange movie, but it’s also something that appears to take place in the middle of Thor: Ragnarok.
At the very least, this confirms some of the plot of that movie: Loki’s deception from the end of Thor: The Dark World is going to be quickly uncovered and the two brothers are going to return to New York (one suspects not entirely voluntarily in Loki’s case) in search of their missing father.
The comics have done this sort of story several times, with Odin/other Asgardians being exiled to Earth with no memory of their past or true life (and hey, you might remember that happening in the original Thor movie as well) so it’s a well-established part of the lore. Why do they need to find Odin? Perhaps he’s the key to averting Ragnarok – or perhaps Ragnarok already happened and Thor, Loki, Odin and the rest of the Asgardian gods are on Earth in hiding and Thor and Loki have to awaken them in a manner similar to the oft-overlooked Lost Gods storyline from the late ’90s.
Here’s a question, though: how in the hell does this plot fit in the same movie as that Thor/Hulk road trip we’ve heard so much about? Maybe they’re not just looking on Earth for Odin?
Either way, the tone of this one scene fits well with the more comedic direction hinted at by the “What Thor Was Doing During Captain America: Civil War” short, so any concerns about the franchise after its sequel seem easy to discard. We have much more about Thor: Ragnarok right here.
Post-credits scene
While working in his metal workshop, Jonathan Pangborn – the formerly-paralyzed guy who pointed Strange at the Ancient One’s order – is approached by a hooded Mordo, last seen abandoning Strange and Wong after declaring they lost their way.
“Can I help you?” he asks, discreetly creeping towards a workbench and taking a crowbar in hand. “I’ve been away for many months now and I’ve had a revelation” says Mordo. “The purpose of a sorcerer is to twist reality out of shape. Stealing power. Perverting nature. Like you.” Pangborn tries to fight him off but Mordo attacks him, removing his magic and leaving him paralysed once more.
As he lies on the ground, Pangborn asks Mordo “Why are you doing this?” and Mordo replies “Because I see now what’s wrong with the world. Too many sorcerers.”
This scene – directed by Derrickson – makes explicit what Mordo’s exit earlier had only hinted at: he’s going to become an antagonist for Doctor Strange in the future, with his view that magic is being used too freely with no regard for the cost.
This isn’t quite the same as the version from the comics, where “Baron” Mordo is a disciple of Dormammu who trained with, then tried to kill the Ancient One – but it also makes for a more interesting version. It’s virtually a given that if there’s a sequel we’ll see him again, especially since he was Doctor Strange’s number one villain in his earliest adventures. We wrote more about Baron Mordo right here.
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