Editor's Note: The following contains major spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Marvel Studios' and Sam Raimi's highly anticipated (and much-discussed) superhero sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now streaming on Disney+. Amongst all the supernatural sorcery, psychedelic multiverse hopping, and surprise cameos, the latest sequel also left many fans with some serious questions? Some of those questions include: who was Charlize Theron supposed to be in that after-credits scene; what exactly is the Darkhold; is John Krasinski's Mr. Fantastic coming back, and is Bruce Campbell's Pizza Poppa the new Thanos? That being said, one of the biggest questions of all is: what was up with that third eye that Earth-616 Strange acquires at the end of the film?
There are a couple of theories regarding Strange's third eye since several TV spots showed a Strange variant donning one. Some of these theories span from the comic books, some come from previous MCU storylines, or there is always a possibility that the eye could be something completely new. Another possibility is that the third eye is a direct call-back to What If..? which already shares plenty of connective tissue with the horror-inspired sequel. In a sequel already featuring an interdimensional monster spurting tentacles and one giant eye, there seems to be a theme going on with the Multiverse of Madness. At least visually.
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The Heart of Strange
The fourth episode of the animated anthology series What If...? titled "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead Of His Hands" told a story that some fans have considered one of the darkest, most existential tales to ever come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The episode, set in an alternate reality, finds Strange having just performed a highly complicated surgery known as a hemispherectomy, a process where half the brain is removed from the body. On his way to an event with Christine Palmer in tow, the couple is involved in a serious car accident that kills Palmer and spares Strange. Heartbroken and overcome with immense grief, Strange travels to Kamar-Taj to become a Master of the Mystic Arts and is compelled by the Eye of Agamotto, thinking that it could spare Christine. What comes next is sort of like a Marvel-fied, albeit more depressing than expected twist on Groundhog Day with Strange desperately traveling back in time to save the life of his love over and over again.
The Ancient One describes to Strange that preventing the death of Christine guarantees he will never become a sorcerer. Overcome with his obsession, Strange finds a way to break the rules and begins absorbing magical beings. To make things even darker, it's revealed that the Ancient One went behind Strange's back and split him into two separate beings, one finally accepting the death of Christine and the other drowning in delusion and despair.
As the episode draws to its bleak conclusion, Strange becomes physically disfigured as he continues to abuse the powers of the Eye of Agamotto, acquiring, among other things, a hideous third eye. Interesting enough, but according to Cumberbatch, it's a different variant than the animated one from before, telling Total Film that the character:
"is nothing that you’ve seen before. What If...? is a beautiful riff of a potential. And this is something different."
Could this possibly mean we haven't seen the last of Captain Carter? Anything is possible with the concept of the Multiverse, and it doesn't seem like Kevin Feige is done playing with it just yet.
So What Was the Third Eye Exactly?
The third eye is most likely the Eye of Agamotto, the same item that was at the center of the first film. While the Eye was seemingly destroyed in the events of Infinity War and Endgame, fans might have noticed that Strange still sports the necklace that held the eye initially. Strange may not have the Infinity Stone anymore, but he still was able to recreate the necklace that held it. Many purists of the franchise have been quick to point out that that third eye that Strange abruptly gains at the tail end of Multiverse of Madness, is in fact, a physical and literal version of the Eye of Agamotto.
In the early days of the Sorcerer Supreme's comic run, the Eye of Agamotto took on an appearance of a literal eyeball and when Strange would use it, it would float to the top of his forehead, much like how it was at the end of Multiverse of Madness. Whether this is just a deep-cut reference to Strange's initial comic book days or a fascinating new development remains to be seen. It's worth noting that the Marvel Cinematic Universe likes to change up the looks of its heroes with each appearance. Spider-Man always seems to be changing his suit more than once with every new appearance, Tony Stark certainly made his fair share of elaborate Iron Man suits, and even Wanda Maximoff was able to summon her own comic-book accurate costume in WandaVision. Why shouldn't Stephen Strange be able to spurt a savvy-looking third eye, while it may have looked painful initially, it will likely come in handy on whatever adventure he goes on next.
Regardless, we will likely get a more concrete answer as to what this new form of the Eye of Agamotto is in a future MCU installment, whether it be Doctor Strange 3 or a guest appearance elsewhere (Midnight Sons, anyone?).