Where Does Doctor Strange 2 Comes In Marvel Cinematic Universe Timeline?

Marvel Comic Universe or MCU timeline, just like other films, is not entirely perfect. With the arrival of Doctor Strange 2, Marvel fans have become more curious about when the events in the film take place since the plot takes the multiverse into account. Where does Doctor Strange 2 fit in the MCU timeline? Here's what we know:

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released in theatres on May 6, 2022. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his role as Steven Strange along with Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, and Benedict Wong as Wong among others. The film is directed by Sam Raimi who also helmed Tobey Maguire's Spiderman trilogy. Doctor Strange 2 is the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which also includes six superhero TV series.

The MCU films are known to be influencing each other. The events in one film are expected to influence those in the next. Even the events in Loki series, which is set outside the time realm of the MCU, have supposedly influenced the timeline of MCU and plots of the succeeding series and films. Doctor Strange 2 majorly follows the incidents of series Loki, WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home. With these projects coming out at a close proximity, fans are speculating where Doctor Strange 2 fit into the MCU timeline.

For starters, the film falls in the post-blip period quite obviously. It is also speculated that the Doctor Strange 2 follows the events of Loki since the series was entirely set in a dimension outside the MCU timeline. While Doctor Strange was already familiar with the realm of the multiverse (in the prequel, The Ancient One reveals an infinite number of universes to him), the idea was further developed into action in Avengers Endgame and Loki series.

As per the trailer and promo, it can be easily implied that Doctor Strange 2 is the result of the events in Spider-Man: No Way Home which is set in 2024 where it is revealed that Strange has lost his title of the Sorcerer Supreme due to a technicality and is succeeded by Wong as the new Sorcerer Supreme. It is most likely that Doctor Strange 2 takes place during late 2024 and early 2025 in the MCU timeline. Hawkeye series was the farthest MCU project till now being set during the Christmas of 2024.

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There is also a chance that the MCU film takes place around 2025 New Year and in that case, it would be the farthest MCU project till now and the first to fall in 2025. However, we cannot be entirely sure if the Doctor Strange sequel falls into the MCU timeline since many of its parts take place in the multiverse where time is not considered since we know America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) has the power to open new dimensions.