Doctor Strange 2 sets the stage for a big MCU event, but we need to understand Kang’s death in Loki and place it on the timeline.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is $12 million shy of $700 million after two weekends at the box office, despite a significant drop off in the second weekend. The movie seems set to surpass $1 billion in the coming weeks, cementing Doctor Strange as a character that can draw a crowd. But Multiverse of Madness isn’t just continuing the character arcs of Strange and Wanda. It also sets the stage for an important event in the MCU called incursions, something the movie spends little time explaining. To actually understand all of that, you need to be aware of the links between Loki and Doctor Strange 2, including the death of the MCU’s first Kang variant. The death of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), which is what this Kang variant introduces himself in Loki, made possible the multiverse events that we’ve witnessed ever since. No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness are just two consequences, but the ripples might be more significant. The MCU timeline is more complicated when it comes to Kang. That’s why it’s critical to correctly understand what happened in the Loki finale to have a better grasp of the MCU continuity. Before we can explain, you should know that MCU Phase 4 spoilers will follow below. Before we get to the links between Loki and Doctor Strange 2, we must understand the most important thing that happens in the Loki finale. Kang’s first MCU death happens out of the regular flow of time. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), the TVA, and Kang do not experience time flow as each universe does. The finale, in particular, happens outside of time. It’s not inside a universe that flows from point A to point B. It’s in a static place with an overview of all time, forever. Therefore, there’s no correct way to set Kang’s death in the MCU chronology. Because Kang dies (and lives) perpetually in that place. From our point of view, Kang’s death happens right now. It happened a second ago, and it will happen a second from now. Kang dies with each letter I type. And he dies with each word you read. It’s relentless. It’s simultaneous with the past, present, and future. Always and forever. Similarly, Kang lives perpetually compared to our vantage point. The Loki finale also takes place perpetually. And it’s simultaneous with everything in the Sacred Timeline. Or in the MCU timeline. That’s why we can’t simply insert Kang’s death before No Way Home or before Multiverse of Madness.
