The latest episode (the 4th episode) of ‘What If…?‘ dropped on Disney+ Hotstar yesterday and it has given us the biggest Multiverse teaser so far. Unlike the original ‘Doctor Strange‘ movie, the Doctor Strange in this episode has a different origin altogether – which leads him down a dark path. He tries to acquire power, to undo a mighty wrong, and during that process, we get a look at a few forgotten Marvel comic creatures. However, these creatures also have a huge significance in proving the existence of other Marvel characters which means they will either appear in other MCU projects or those aforementioned characters (likely from other cinematic universes) will make an appearance in an MCU movie or series. These creatures have been our biggest hints so far, so let’s check them out:
Shuma-Gorath
The tentacle monster, Shuma-Gorath makes another appearance in this animated anthology series. Many have predicted that this mystical being will likely be the next big villain Strange will face in the upcoming ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’.
Goblin Force
We see a huge black bird covered in a blue aura consumed by Strange in his quest for power. Supposedly, this is supposed to be the Goblin Force, the supposed opposite to the Phoenix Force from the X-Men Universe. While we do not know if this means that we are going to see the Goblin Force in a live-action project, we know that this is an acknowledgement of the X-Men within the MCU.
Shou-Lao
While the Netflix-Marvel series, ‘The Immortal Iron Fist’ flopped badly, we still get acknowledgement that the character is part of the MCU, when the Immortal Dragon Shou-Lao was shown in this episode. Shou-Lao is an immortal dragon who has to be defeated to create the Immortal Iron Fist.
Suma-Ket
Many of you saw a bug that was floating using an alternate dimensional cloak of levitation. The big looked like a miniature version of Suma-Ket, Lord of the Old Ones and an enemy of Namor. Namor has been teased many times in the MCU for some time and we have been waiting for one of the oldest Marvel comic book characters to come to life – but old and complicated contracts stand in Marvel’s way from depicting Namor on-screen. Still, we hold out hope.
Necromancer
Necromancer is supposed to be the alter-ego of Dr. Strange. He gains power but ends up viewing the destruction of his Earth (similar to what happened here). We are very likely to meet this Dr. Strange in the upcoming, aforementioned Dr. Strange film.
The first four episodes of ‘What If…?’ are currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.