The true villain for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still yet to be revealed, but one theory explains why the antagonist could be none other than Kang the Conqueror. Doctor Strange 2 is scheduled for release in May 2022 and is said to follow directly from the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film will see the titular character dealing with the fallout of both Spider-Man and the first season of Loki, teaming up with new and old allies alike to face a mysterious new adversary across the multiverse.

In the run-up to the film's release, there have been many theories behind the film's villainous presence. With the most popular opting for villains including Wanda, Mordo, or Gargantos, it is safe to say the film is keeping its true villain a secret from the trailers released thus far. While there have been some obvious elements from the trailer, such as Gargantos attacking Wong, Strange, and newcomer America Chavez or Kamar-Taj under assault from an unknown assailant, it isn't clear who, if anyone, specific is behind such attacks.



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With Kang then, the film could have someone pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Kang the Conqueror was heavily speculated to be the next big MCU antagonist after the fall of Thanos with Loki season 1 all but confirming this. The finale of that show introduced a somewhat benevolent variant of Kang, He Who Remains, played by Jonathan Majors. This variant was the head of the Time Variance Authority who used said organization to keep the Sacred Timeline in order, therefore stopping the multiverse from expanding, and preventing other variants of Kang from conquering it. The finale of Loki however, saw He Who Remains killed at the hands of Sylvie which caused the expansion of the multiverse, the ramifications of which are still unclear and will be directly addressed in 

Doctor Strange 2. With the lead writer of Loki, Michael Waldron, writing Doctor Strange 2, and Kang expected to return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania it would make sense for Kang to be the main villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

How Doctor Strange 2 Possibly Messes Up The Multiverse

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in Spider-Man No Way Home

The concept of the multiverse is something that the characters within the MCU understand very little about as explained by Strange himself in No Way Home. Recently, both Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home used the multiverse extensively, while still not giving overtly clear rules on the concept outside of some specific plot points. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue dealing with what these other MCU projects began, though specifically how isn't divulged in the trailers for the film. There are a few possible ways in which the multiverse could continue being influenced within the film, however, be it through specific characters or following on from earlier projects in classic MCU style.

with Strange's spell further breaking the barriers between universes. It is possible this continues into Doctor Strange 2. While again, it isn't explicitly clear how the film will do this, lines from Wong in the trailer, combined with his warnings in Spider-Man: No Way Home, hint at the events of that film not being as neatly wrapped up as previously thought. During Spider-Man, Wong warned Strange not to do the spell to help Peter given the dangers of the unknown; warnings that Strange ignored. Wong is also heard in the trailer for Doctor Strange 2, stating that Strange opened the doorway between universes and that neither of them knows who or what will come through. This heavily implies that Strange's actions in No Way Home are a factor for the multiverse becoming even more unstable in this film.
Other ways the film could break the multiverse are through characters outside of Strange, namely Wanda/Scarlet Witch and America Chavez.Marvel Studios producer Richie Palmer has stated that this ability is the core reason behind Wong and Strange being involved with Chavez. As one of their jobs as sorcerers is to protect the barriers between realities, the two are concernedconcerned with America's powers and how they could affect the already unstable multiverse. It is possible that Chavez's youthful character leads to her unmastered powers worsening what Sylvie and Strange began.