A very crucial question was posed when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness highlighted the segment involving the spirits of the damned. Is there an afterlife in the MCU, and hence a hell? Because if that’s the case, Doctor Strange 2 might have had a hidden villain which fans may get to see in Doctor Strange 3. Here are the specifics:
Proof of an afterlife in the MCU:
What happens when we die? This is one of the most timeless topics humans contemplate. The solution to the same great question has been hinted at throughout the MCU to some degree, but not completely explored. Certainly, Black Panther establishes that Wakandan monarchs have their own afterlife. Meanwhile, fans received a good peek at what occurs to Marc Spector and Steven Grant after they die in the fifth episode of Moon Knight, Asylum. This revelation throws up a floodgate of possibilities for the MCU, including the possibility of certain deceased characters reappearing in some way, much like they do in comic books.
Related: Moon Knight Afterlife Reveal: All The Afterlives MCU Has Teased So Far
The concept of Hell in Doctor Strange 2:
When multiverse-traveling sorcerer Stephen Strange makes a mockery of the spirits of the damned, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduces a unique element to this already difficult issue. This raises issues such as whether they symbolize human souls from hell or what is going on in this film’s afterlife. When asked about it, screenwriter Michael Waldron says, “Those are all conversations we had,” Waldron laughs. “Nothing is in the movie by accident. [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] is certainly aware of the implications of everything here, you know? They’re not spirits of the damned just for spirits of the damned’s sake”.
Why people want the concept of Hell in the MCU:
Followers are primarily interested in the MCU’s demons and hells since they’ve been hoping for actual Marvel Comics villains like Mephisto to emerge in the films or series. But, according to Waldron, the spirits in Multiverse of Madness are drawn from the supernatural tradition shown in the film, which is centered on Wundagore Mountain and the Darkhold, a corrupted book of black magic copied from its walls. “We truly tried to root [the dead in this movie] in our own internal logic,” he says. “There’s the Darkhold, and if you use the Darkhold to possess your own corpse, there’s a separate layer of gatekeeping beyond all of this stuff that will come for you. And that’s who Stephen finally runs afoul of, so that was pretty fun to explore”.
All in all, we understand that if there is an afterlife in the Marvel Universe, then there will be hell. Hell is the realm of Mephisto, the Demon Lord of Hell who has been teased far too many times in the MCU. Thus, maybe this was a subtle slip-up by Waldron that the next Doctor Strange movie may feature Mephisto.
Related: Mephisto Becomes An Important Figure In Marvel: ONCE AGAIN
