Doctor Strange 2: Strange’s Visions & Nightmare Dimension Explained

The Super Bowl trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hints that Stephen Strange is being plagued by visions cast into his mind by a classic comic book villain, Nightmare. Marvel has long tended to take advantage of Super Bowl to drop major trailers, and 2022 was no exception; the studio released a new trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, giving viewers a sense of just how spectacular this multiversal adventure could be. The trailer showcased variants of Doctor Strange, hinted at the film’s villain, set up the return of Patrick Stewart from Fox’s X-Men films, and – most curious of all – hinted at the MCU debut of a classic villain from the comics, Nightmare.

There’s long been intense speculation over just what would prove to be the inciting incident of Doctor Strange 2, the trigger event that causes Stephen Strange to enter the multiverse. That question is finally addressed in the opening scenes of the Doctor Strange 2 trailer, with Strange waking up from what has apparently been a recurring nightmare. Assuming the trailer is being honest, his dreams are haunted by visions of multiversal chaos, with America Chavez and other variants of Strange himself caught up in the anarchy. Prophetic dreams are a staple of supernatural fiction, and it makes sense for these to be integrated into the MCU.

However, despite the familiarity of the trope, this is actually the first time a sorcerer has been shown to have precognitive dreams in the MCU. Until now, precognition like this could only be accomplished by the use of the Time Stone, which has now been destroyed. While it’s true Doctor Strange’s experience with the Time Stone could have transformed him into a time-sensitive of some kind, the more likely explanation is that something else is influencing him. The fact Strange is being haunted by dreams points to one major culprit whose name has long been linked to Doctor Strange 2 – Nightmare. Understanding the origins of this villain could be the key to unraveling what Strange’s visions and the wider nightmare dimension actually mean.

Nightmare & The Nightmare Dimension Explained

In the comics, Nightmare is one of a number of Fear Lords who rule dimensions that are energized by human fear. His dimension is most famously known as the Nightmare Dimension, although it’s also been given other names such as the Dream Dimension; it’s a plane of reality influenced by the human subconscious, with Nightmare empowered by the most fearful dreams. Doctor Strange first confronted Nightmare in Strange Tales #110, when he was called upon to help a man whose dreams were plagued with darkness. Strange waited until he slept, and then used his sorcery to enter the man’s dreams, discovering he was being attacked by Strange’s “ancient foe” Nightmare.

Many aspects of Nightmare’s origin story are still shrouded in mystery. He was apparently born in the Everinnye dimension, the same universe from which the Dweller-in-Darkness – the monstrous creature seen in Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings – originated. Like the Dweller-in-Darkness, Nightmare grew dissatisfied with life in his own dimension, and left it to seek other realms to conquer. He has always looked upon Earth with a covetous eye, longing to consume the hearts and lives of the humans who sustain his rule and reign.

Nightmare is apparently omniscient, able to perceive all that happens within our plane of reality, but outside of his Nightmare Dimension his powers are limited. It’s only when a person falls asleep that his influence grows, for Nightmare is able to draw a person’s astral form out of their body and transport it to his realm, where he torments them to generate the fear he craves. It’s important to note that Nightmare’s visions aren’t necessarily simply figments of the imagination; he tortured the X-Men’s Emma Frost with visions of the future, for example, showing trauma that was about to strike her Generation X X-Men spinoff team, and he’s also often enjoyed tormenting people with visions of events that are happening elsewhere. He is therefore probably doing something similar with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer.

Nightmare’s Role In Multiverse Of Madness

There have long been rumors that Nightmare would appear in Doctor Strange 2, with former director Scott Derrickson frequently noting he’d love to use this classic villain. These theories became a lot more uncertain when Sam Raimi took over as director of the film, leaving viewers unsure what to expect; besides which, while Nightmare is definitely a multiversal entity, the sheer scale of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is far too great for him to be the main foe. It’s more likely that Nightmare is serving as a harbinger for other forces, greater foes who will be unleashed as the film continues.

In the comics, Nightmare has often been willing to serve as a subordinate – a lieutenant almost – for some of the Elder Gods, causing trouble for Doctor Strange and other sorcerers and advancing their causes. That could well be what he’s doing in Doctor Strange 2, as he manipulates Stephen Strange’s mind to leave him off-balance and perhaps trick him into taking precipitous actions. Nightmare once performed exactly this role on behalf of the Elder God Shuma-Gorath, who’s rumored to be the main villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and who appears to be glimpsed in a number of shots in the trailers – even if he has been renamed Gargantos. This particular arc became one of Doctor Strange’s most notable stories, with Strange proving himself worthy to become Sorcerer Supreme when he defeated Shuma-Gorath at last.

Marvel may well have redesigned Nightmare to give him a very different aesthetic – a Lovecraftian one more in keeping with the style and tone of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Indeed, given that’s the case, it’s even possible the monstrous creature Strange saw America Chavez fighting in his dreams is actually the MCU’s version of Nightmare; his fellow Fear Lord the Dweller-in-Darkness was transformed into a dragon in Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings, after all, rather than being a humanoid. Given this deviation, it will be fascinating to see how the MCU brings Nightmare to life.

How Nightmare & The Dream Dimension Could Enter Earth

All this naturally raises the question of just how Nightmare and the Dream Dimension could be affecting Earth. It’s worth remembering that the boundaries between the dimensions have grown weaker in the MCU; Kaecilius damaged the Sanctum Sanctorums protecting this plane of existence in Doctor Strange, and Dormammu was only defeated through extensive use of the Time Stone, which would have caused further damage to spacetime. Matters worsened in Spider-Man: No Way Home, when a mistake with a memory spell backfired and almost caused multiversal chaos. Strange was forced to erase every memory of Peter Parker in order to avert catastrophe. Meanwhile, after WandaVision, Scarlet Witch has been reading the Darkhold, a book of forbidden magic that – in the comics – was deliberately crafted to cause the boundaries of reality to collapse. All these various factors mean Earth is already more vulnerable than perhaps ever before.

Making matters worse, Nightmare will be stronger than ever right now. The events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame will have resulted in an enormous amount of trauma, which will leave every human mind particularly vulnerable to Nightmare’s influence – and made him more powerful than ever before. Thus Earth’s mystical defenses have been weakened at precisely the same moment Nightmare has gained a power-up – explaining how he’s able to increase his influence in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4893 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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