Deadline has broken some interesting news about who the villain of next year’s Doctor Strange movie from Marvel Studios will be. After Chiwetel Ejiofor was claimed to have been cast in a mystery role, likely as a villain, Deadline has claimed that said mystery role is none other than Baron Mordo, the Sorcerer Supreme’s greatest recurring nemesis!
Marvel has yet to clar
ify Deadline’s scoop, but Mordo as the villain of the Doctor Strange movie would likely make the most sense for a franchise starter. Many of Doctor Strange’s other foes, such as Dormammu and Shuma-Gorath, are more abstract magical threats that would probably be more difficult to sell in an origin movie. If Doctor Strange gets sequels, enemies like that will probably be reserved for them.
Deadline previously leaked the news that Benedict Cumberbatch would be playing the title role of Doctor Strange last October, before Marvel confirmed the casting in December. It’s likely then that Deadline is on the money again, though as usual, one should wait for Marvel to issue confirmation, before they start musing too much about Ejiofor’s portrayal of Baron Mordo. Still, there are some additional nuggets that Deadline claims in the scoop, namely that Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo will be re-imagined a tad from his comic book counterpart, to be a former hero that becomes a villain, and is thus put into conflict with Doctor Strange, not a treacherous apprentice that was a villain to start.
Scott Derrickson is set to direct Doctor Strange, which will come to theatres on November 4th, 2016. Tilda Swinton also recently signed on to play Strange’s otherwordly mentor (and Mordo’s, for that matter), The Ancient One, who will be re-imagined as a female presence for the movie. As with the source comics, Strange will be a formerly arrogant neurosurgeon who suffers an accident that damages the nerves in his hands, preventing him from operating, though leading to his getting noticed by the Ancient One, to learn the Mystic Arts and become the new Sorcerer Supreme. Rumour has it that the Doctor Strange movie won’t be an origin story as well, which might make sense, given that Stephen Strange was name-dropped in last year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier as already being a threat to the villainous organization, HYDRA, alongside Hulk alter-ego, Bruce Banner.
Keep conjuring Eggplante for all news and updates on Doctor Strange, and other movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.