In Doctor Strange Mordo has a rule about how people use magic, but his hatred for Doctor Strange, the man, may contradict it. Baron Mordo is one of Doctor Strange’s most prolific adversaries in the comics, and when he debuted in the MCU, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, it was interesting to see Marvel Studios posit him as an ally first. The film still set him on the course to become his classic villainous self, but the MCU has yet to actually show him as such. Ejiofor returned in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as an alternate version of Mordo from Earth-838, so Marvel Studios has left an important tease dangling and untouched.
Despite him likely not appearing for a while down the line, the MCU is clearly maintaining Doctor Strange as an integral figure and linchpin to the unfolding narrative. The Dark Dimension is key to the Multiverse Saga as he and Clea are traveling there to avert an incursion that will surely lead right into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and more importantly, Avengers: Secret Wars. As for Mordo, his future is still quite ambiguous and his relatively minimal role thus far in the MCU has felt muddled and disted.
Mordo Ignored That Doctor Strange Did Pay The Price For Using Dark Magic
While Mordo worked alongside Doctor Strange and Wong in protecting Earth from Kaecilius and his zealots in Doctor Strange, the film did establish how he would come into conflict with them in the future. Aptly, Mordo despise the uses of dark magic, claiming “the cost always comes due” for such transgressions. Upon learning that his mentor, the Ancient One, drew power from the Dark Dimension, he determined that people aren’t worthy of magic. Therefore, after Doctor Strange, Mordo launched a personal crusade stealing the magic from those he deemed unworthy. He especially couldn’t trust Doctor Strange, despite the price he paid for tampering with powers beyond his control.
Doctor Strange literally died repeatedly for his choice. Dormammu killed him horrifically time and time again. Strange was content to subject to the never-ending torture to protect Earth, yet Mordo was blind to his sacrifice. He is so closed-minded that all he sees is the fact that Strange dabbled in dark magic, and that’s all he cares about. That alone determines to Mordo that Strange does not deserve his power, and their budding camaraderie swiftly turned to animosity.
Will The MCU's Mordo Ever Return In The MCU's Future?
Frankly, Mordo deserves more in the MCU. Doctor Strange clearly set him up as the sequel’s villain, but the multiversal of it all got in the way, upsetting that trajectory. Nevertheless, Mordo can easily return in Doctor Strange 3 as the main antagonist ideally. It would be great to see Mordo and Strange finally go up against each other as true foes. However, the caveat is that Doctor Strange 3 surely won’t come after Avengers: Secret Wars solely based the currently revealed structure of Phase 6 and previously announced projects.
That being said, audiences could still expect to see Ejiofor return yet in the Multiverse Saga. Importantly, Earth-838’s Mordo is the sole survivor from Scarlet Witch’s decimation of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As such, Avengers: Secret Wars could surely bring him back into play. The same could be said for the MCU’s main Mordo from Earth-616 and/or a Mordo variant.
It is very intriguing to consider how Mordo could feature in the MCU in the wake of expanded supernatural and magical stories. From the return of Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch to the introduction of Doctor Doom and perhaps Brother Voodoo, Mordo could be used as a recurring villain if the MCU sees his potential. Furtherly intriguing, in the comics Mordo is a practitioner of dark magic and has worked with Dormammu, yet that would be diametrically opposed to his sentiments in Doctor Strange. Perhaps his vendetta sees him fight fire with fire, but overall, should Mordo feature as the villain he deserves to be, he will need to evolve.
