Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gave us a few iterations of the sorcerer, as our original (Earth 616) Doctor Strange traverses through the multiverse to seek out his own help. Being able to see different versions of yourself could give an individual true insight into who they are, this variant is what you could have been if circumstances had been different.
What director Sam Raimi gave us were all versions of Strange that fell short in some way or another. There was Defender Strange, who was willing to sacrifice young America Chavez. Supreme Strange had used The Darkhold to defeat Thanos and had become corrupted. Sinister Strange, one that had destroyed his own universe and was willing to trade the Darkhold for Earth-838’s Christine Palmer, and then there was Zombie Strange, which technically isn’t a new variant but just the corpse of Defender Strange being puppeted by our Strange.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron, confirmed in the film’s commentary available through digital purchase, that there was another Doctor Strange variant on the cards, one that didn’t quite make the cut.
It’s hard to imagine the intelligent and driven Doctor Strange being anything other than someone who seeks excellence, and being a street magician just doesn’t seem to gel with any of his characteristics – it would certainly have been funny though. Maybe in that universe, Strange was actually happy and just living a simple, non-superhero life performing “magic” for the locals.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available to stream on Disney Plus and the physical copy packed with extra bonus features and commentaries, including from director Sam Raimi and co-producer Richie Palmer, will be available from July 26.