Where Was Mordo During Evil Doctor Strange’s Story?

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s What If…? episode 4.

Mordo is missing from Marvel’s What If…? evil Doctor Strange story, so where was Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Doctor Strange villain? The animated Disney+ series is re-exploring events from the Marvel Cinematic Universe with very different twists, such as Peggy Carter becoming Captain Carter and the original Avengers dying before they could assemble. What If…? episode 4 shifted the focus of this alternate universe story to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme, who took an evil turn in this version of his origin.

Instead of Stephen Strange losing his hands in the car crash, What If…? imagines a world where Christine Palmer died in the crash instead. This drove Strange to seek out a way to change the past and save her. The series flies through Strange’s magical training to show him messing with time but to no avail. Watching Palmer die over and over again drove Strange to find the lost book of Cagliostro and absorb enough magical energy to reverse Christine’s death. Unfortunately, the evil Doctor Strange meddling with the timeline ultimately leads to the destruction of this universe.

While What If…? brings back Wong, the Ancient One, and Christine Palmer for this evil Doctor Strange story, Mordo is noticeably absent. Almost every other major character from Doctor Strange is in What If…?‘s evil Doctor Strange story, with even Dormammu briefly making an appearance. Mordo is completely left out from this story, just as Kaecilius is, and that is likely due to how the series told Strange’s origin. Strange’s arrival in Kamar-Taj and training under the Ancient One (and Mordo) is largely skipped over so the episode can focus on his evil turn. This doesn’t leave much room for Mordo to play a role, so Marvel Studios may have just decided to cut him out entirely.

The decision to not include Mordo in What If…?‘s evil Doctor Strange story is still a bit confusing. Mordo opposed Strange messing with the natural law in Doctor Strange, and he only did that so he could reverse time to stop Dormammu. There is no question that Mordo would emphatically be against how Strange uses his magic powers and the Time Stone in What If…? That puts Mordo in the position to be a natural foil for Strange or at least present the counterargument for why he shouldn’t pursue this path. Instead of utilizing Mordo in either capacity and keeping him connected to Strange’s MCU story (even in an evil variant storyline), Marvel makes it impossible for him to have an impact on what happens.

Mordo might not have been part of What If…?, but is there a chance this factors into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in some way? It is confirmed that Ejiofor will return as the sorcerer in the sequel, and there is ample speculation that Doctor Strange 2 connects to What If…? It would be quite fascinating if Mordo happens to glimpse this alternate timeline and sees what Strange could become if he ever loses Christine Palmer. Since he already doesn’t trust Strange and his judgment, this could be the evidence that pushes Mordo further into villain territory. Whether that means trying to eliminate Strange in Doctor Strange 2 or Doctor Strange 3, seeing this evil Doctor Strange possibility would reinforce his belief that he needs to take magic away from those who could misuse it – like Doctor Strange.

Marvel’s What If…? releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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