TV - Movies
Doctor
Strange's
Third Eye
Explained
By RITA DORSCH
THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR "DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS."
SPOILER WARNING!
During the “Multiverse of Madness,” Stephen becomes stranded in a universe with a variant known as Sinister Strange who is isolated in a Sanctum tower with the Darkhold. During their confrontation, Stephen learns that Sinister Strange, sporting a third eye, used the Darkhold to find a reality where he could be with Christine and it corrupted him.
Sinister Strange
A third eye manifests on our Strange’s face at the end of the film, and the movie cuts to the credits as he screams in horror. The eye then comes back for a brief encore in a mid-credits cutscene but whether or not he's figured out why it's there (let alone what it does or if he can control it) is another story for another film.
Cutscene Strange
When our Strange faces the Illuminati, the council explains that accessing the Darkhold's power comes at a great cost, even if one has good intentions, as their Strange did when he used it to defeat Thanos. Since it appears on Earth-616 Stephen's face only after he's used the Darkhold in a forbidden fashion, the third eye could very well be the price he paid for victory.
the Darkhold
Though it's possible the MCU will tie the Darkhold into the reasoning for Strange's third eye, a more likely explanation is that he's leveling up. The eye probably has more to do with the amulet Strange wears around his neck and is a physical manifestation of the Eye of Agamotto meaning he’s ready to take on even more dangerous adversaries in the second half of Phase Four.
Eye of Agamotto
The third eye is known as the Eye of Truth, which manifests as a blinding light, not an actual eye. It’s also not considered a dark mark, as its pure light wards off evil. It can also help him read people’s true intentions, break illusions, reveal disguises, control time and space, gives him the power to see into the past and the future, and travel to different realities and dimensions.
In the comics…