Where Is Karl Mordo Of Earth-616 In The MCU?

In the MCU Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness introduced us to a Karl Mordo from Earth-838. This Mordo was a part of the

By Chandraboli Majumdar
September 10,2022
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In the MCU Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness introduced us to a Karl Mordo from Earth-838. This Mordo was a part of the Illuminati of that Earth. He then even fought the Doctor Strange from Earth-616. He was the Sorcerer Supreme of that reality and captured Strange and America Chavez while they were on the run from Scarlet Witch. However, the question remains, where is the Baron Mordo of Earth-616? So let’s see every possibility.

Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange

Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange
Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange

Mordo was initially a friend and mentor to Stephen Strange. He helped Strange in his training when he started to learn and master the mystic arts. He also possessed and used the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr. However, his relationship with Doctor Strange started becoming strained. This was after he found out that The Ancient One used Dark Magic and the Dark Dimension to further her powers and increase her lifespan. This made him lose all faith in The Ancient One and the rest of Mystic Arts.

Mordo and The Ancient One
Mordo and The Ancient One

From there, his relationship with Doctor Strange only went downhill. This was especially when Strange decided to use the Time Stone and tamper with the natural order of things in order to defeat Dormammu. Eventually Mordo chose to deviate from the teachings of the Kamar Taj. Instead, he decided to reduce the number of sorcerers in the world. This would be by stealing their magical powers or eliminating them entirely. After this, he has not yet been seen in the MCU.

What has Karl Mordo been up to?

Mordo in Doctor Strange
Mordo in Doctor Strange

After defecting from Kamar-Taj, Karl Mordo approaches Jonathan Pangborn outside his factory. He attacks him and drains his magic away from his chest. Pangborn turns into a paralytic and falls to the floor once again. He is once referenced in Multiverse of Madness when Doctor Strange claims to America Chavez that Mordo has devoted his whole life to killing Strange. Apparently he has made a number of unsuccessful attempts at taking his life Eventually, in an interview with Chiwetel Ejiofor, the actor revealed that Karl Mordo had indeed survived the snap from Avengers: Infinity Wars during 2018 and “was definitely engaged in that time.”

Mordo confronts Jonathan Pangborn
Mordo confronts Jonathan Pangborn

Deleted Scene in Multiverse of Madness

The director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Sam Raimi talked about a scene that was eventually cut from the final product. This scene was meant to be in the beginning of Multiverse of Madness and would have included Karl Mordo from Earth-616. In his crusade to rid the Earth of sorcerers and strip them off their powers, he went to take on Scarlet Witch. He realized the threat that she could pose especially when in possession of the Darkhold. This also directly went against Mordo’s philosophy of following the natural order of things.

Wanda in the Multiverse of Madness
Wanda in the Multiverse of Madness

This would lead to a battle between the two which would have naturally ended with Scarlett Witch brutally killing Mordo and decapitating him. Later on in the movie she would have showed Karl Mordo’s decapitated head to Doctor Strange. However, Raimi made the decision to delete the scene since it would have slowed down the beginning of the movie otherwise.

So it is still pretty much up in the air whether Karl Mordo is alive or dead.

Why the MCU decided not to make Karl Mordo a titular villain

Mordo in the Multiverse of Madness
Mordo in the Multiverse of Madness

Kevin Feige had revealed why Marvel Studios decided not to make Mordo the arch nemesis of Doctor Strange. This is what he had to say, “We wanted to play against in the comics. Because in the comics for as unbelievably creative and full of imagination as they are – we are desperate to recreate in cinematic form – there are some things that are too obvious for modern-day audiences. The jealous rival named Baron Von Mordo, who turns against him when he shows any signs of talent – we specifically didn’t want to do that.

Lastly, nothing is impossible in the MCU and Karl Mordo’s death has definitely not been confirmed as the scene was deleted. This means that he could possible make an appearance in the future although somewhat unlikely.