It's Time To Talk About That Zombie Strange Scene In Doctor Strange 2

Contains spoilers for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" pushes the Master of the Mystic Arts further than he's ever been before in the Benedict Cumberbatch-led sequel. That's quite something considering he's already gone up against Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, traveled across the universe in "Avengers: Infinity War," and helped Spider-Man (Tom Holland) seal a crack in the fabric of reality in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." But the sorcerer's latest outing is a surprisingly emotional affair — his journey through alternate universes is also a way of processing the fact that he's never going to find happiness with Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).

Obviously, this is Strange's own fault because his arrogance gets in the way of something that could've been truly special — and Palmer (understandably) wasn't going to wait around for him to figure things out. Thankfully, he makes peace with his decisions by the end of the film, knowing that every decision he's made has led him to this point, where he's able to put good back into the world. He even manages to be humble and respectful to Wong (Benedict Wong), the Sorcerer Supreme.

But his journey to peace isn't exactly easy. Strange eventually realizes that to stop Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) from using the terrifying magic of the Darkhold, he has to dabble in a little dark magic of his own by possessing the body of Defender Strange, a variant of himself who dies in the film's opening. Yes, he reanimates his own corpse to become Zombie Strange, so let's talk about that in a bit more detail.

This dead Doctor Strange is the one who helps America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) escape the demon in the opening scene, and he ultimately dies after being stabbed by the monster. Thankfully, his body lands on Earth-616, which is why the main Strange can dreamwalk into his corpse from the post-incursion universe. When Zombie Strange heads for Mount Wundagore for the final showdown, he's set upon by the souls of the damned, who scream at him for possessing a dead body. This desecrates the natural order of the universe, which is why these hellish spirits have been sent to stop him.

The film doesn't explain who sent the souls, but they clearly come from a horrifying plane of reality that we haven't seen in live action yet. It's entirely possible they come from some version of hell, so start up those Mephisto theory engines whenever you're ready!

As the Scarlet Witch rightfully points out, Strange using the Darkhold to dreamwalk into his variant's corpse is also pretty hypocritical — because he chastizes Wanda for using the Darkhold herself. It also shows that the hero isn't afraid to break the rules for the greater good, no matter the wider ramifications.

Speaking of consequences, the film's ending confirms that people who dabble in the Darkhold's magic sprout a third eye on their forehead. In the comics, Doctor Strange sprouts a third eye whenever he uses the Eye of Agamotto that hangs around his neck — and it lets him look into the souls of those around him (via Marvel Database). It'll be interesting to see what powers it grants him on the big screen.

It's great to see Sam Raimi return to the superhero genre. He already proved that he can handle big blockbuster action alongside an emotional story back in his "Spider-Man" trilogy led by Tobey Maguire, but black magic, witches, demons, and zombies are very appropriate for the legendary director of the "Evil Dead" franchise, which follows Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) as he tries to survive hordes of the undead, called Deadites.

Zombie Strange completely personifies Raimi's approach to the film as a whole: He's creepy and gross with an exposed jaw under the rotting flesh, but he's got a heroic purpose. The Marvel film really pushes the PG-13 rating harder than any of the previous films with its jump scares and grisly deaths, and Zombie Strange is an outright celebration of it all. The magical corpse also proves that superhero movies can really soar when they lean into a specific genre other than just being comic book adaptations.

And let's face it: Seeing Zombie Strange fight the Scarlet Witch with a cloak made out of damned souls is so, so metal. Marvel should definitely convince Raimi to come back for "Doctor Strange 3," that's for sure.