Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Villain Revealed, Via New Merchandise, Of Course

We're all in this together, folks. If you're reading this right now, then you — like me — can count yourself as one of the many cursed with the title of being "Extremely Online." We're generally more well-informed and up-to-date on all matters (both important and unimportant) than the average person, sure, but at what cost! Well, consider this as one of those instances where the chickens have come home to roost. More than any other blockbuster franchise out there, superhero movies are famously at risk of important plot and character leaks at the hands of all those pesky merchandising and toy licenses, which have to be prepped months ahead of time before any given blockbuster's release. That most definitely appears to be the case with "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" as an adult coloring pad and puzzle, of all things, has lit up certain circles of social media for inadvertently revealing at least one of the villains in the sequel far ahead of schedule.

It probably goes without saying, but consider yourself warned of major spoilers to follow. 

The villain of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is ... merchandising? Our collective inability to keep away from spoilers? Mike Wazowski? But seriously folks, it appears that in addition to getting some snazzy-looking new threads and a new (uneasy?) ally in the form of co-star Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch, Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme will also find himself facing off against the freaky-looking Lovecraftian entity known as Shuma-Gorath. This information comes courtesy of new merch revealed by Booktopia, which has just unwittingly become everybody's new source for "Doctor Strange" scoops. Check out the (very low-quality) image below:

Feast your eyes (eye?) on Shuma-Gorath, the tentacled monster who is sure to pose quite the challenge for Strange and his friends in "Multiverse of Madness." Uncertain about who this niche supervillain ripped straight out of the Marvel comics is supposed to be? Don't worry, we've got you covered with a deep-dive explainer for all the nerdiest details. On the face of it, the hints of multiverse spectacle would seem to imply that this entity comes from a dimension utterly unlike our own. It's impossible to say how much of an influence that Stephen Strange's meddling in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" may have on the future of the MCU, but it's likely that the ramifications will continue to build in Strange's next "solo" outing. With this "Doctor Strange" sequel firmly in the hands of horror legend Sam Raimi, I couldn't be more excited by all the nightmarish and mind-bending possibilities that this movie will hopefully have in store for us after Scott Derrickson's (very underrated) first film in 2016.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" comes to theaters on May 6, 2022.