As it stands, there's still a lot of mystery surrounding the plot of Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, new merchandise for the long-awaited film may confirm the foe who will be menacing Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange in the sequel.
While the title of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness alone indicates the sorcerer will be dealing with alternate worlds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's uncertain as to how and why the master of the mystic arts finds himself in this situation and who his primary nemesis will be. While fans will likely have more answers after Doctor Strange's appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, an adult coloring pad and puzzle being released as a tie-in for the Doctor Strange sequel suggests Shuma-Gorath will serve as an antagonist in the film.
Listed on Booktopia, the artwork for the coloring pad and puzzle depicts Doctor Strange fighting Shuma-Gorath in what appears to be a city location. As in the comics, Shuma-Gorath is depicted as a giant one-eyed alien-like creature with tentacles. Per comics book lore, Shuma-Gorath is a powerful and omnipotent ancient demon that ruled hundreds of dimensions. Upon arriving in the Earth-Realm millions of years ago, Shuma-Gorath demanded human sacrifices until he was banished by a time-traveling sorcerer named Sise-Neg. While the character has a long and complex comic book history, perhaps his most notable encounter with Doctor Strange occurred when Shuma-Gorath tried returning to Earth through the mind of the Ancient One, forcing Strange to kill his mentor to prevent this from happening.
As an extra-dimensional entity known for ruling multiple realms, it makes perfect sense for Shuma-Gorath to be the main villain of Doctor Strange 2. In fact, if rumors are to be believed, MCU newcomer America Chavez will play a key role in the villain's plans. According to these unconfirmed rumors, America Chavez will be hunted by Shuma-Gorath as the entity attempts to use her inter-dimensional traveling abilities to help itself conquer the multiverse. Again, these story leaks have yet to be confirmed, but if true, Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff will find themselves teaming up to stop the gargantuan entity.
Speaking of Doctor Strange's allies, the artwork for the Multiverse of Madness merchandise also features Scarlet Witch, America Chavez, and Wong. While it has long been believed that Scarlet Witch would be an antagonist in the Doctor Strange sequel, it is looking more and more likely that she will be fighting alongside the eponymous sorcerer.
On the other hand, Scarlet Witch could be a genuine ally with ulterior motives of gaining access to the multiverse at the same time. After all, Marvel Studios and Disney Plus' WandaVision concluded by indicating Scarlet Witch was using the dangerous Darkhold to search for her lost children, so there's no limit to how far she would go to save them.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 6, 2022.
Source: Booktopia