Chiwetel Ejiofor played two different versions of Mordo in the Doctor Strange movies, and he’s excited for the character’s future in the MCU
The 2016 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange featured a post-credits scene in which the character Mordo, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, revealed that he was on a mission to whittle down the number of sorcerers in the world. At one time, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was going to open with a scene where Mordo’s mission would lead him to a confrontation with Elizabeth Olsen’s character Scarlet Witch – a confrontation that would end with him losing his head. That scene got dropped, so we never actually saw the Doctor Strange version of Mordo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, even though a multiverse variant of the character did get involved along the way. The original Mordo we met is still out there, and still (we assume) hating on sorcerers. And even though there’s no indication that we’re going to be seeing him again anytime soon, Ejiofor remains positive and excited about his future in the MCU.
Mordo came up while Ejiofor was making an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. When asked if Marvel had told him their plans for the character, the actor said (with thanks to ComicBookMovie for the transcription), “Sure, there was sort of broad – like with any of these things that develop over time – ideas which always felt like they would be subject to manipulation, change, or reinvention. … There’s still the opportunity for different aspects of that to come to fruition and, to be honest, there were completely new areas for Mordo that didn’t exist in the conversation at that time which also have all this capacity and potential. It definitely depends, which I think is exciting, on the vision. An individual or the team’s vision for those stories as they move forward. I’m excited about [that]. I feel like there are some extraordinarily engaged and talented people within the context of that. It’s a world that still holds a lot of excitement for me. … I think there’s a beautiful open door there and just finding the moment to tell those stories where it’s genuinely the most exciting part of that story you can tell and focus a light on. I think has the potential to be really remarkable.“
When asked how he felt about playing a different Mordo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he said, “Like I [said], it was something new. It was something I hadn’t predicted at all. In that context, I thought it was fascinating. I felt like there was something potentially really exciting about where that could go. I like that broadly. I like the idea these characters and worlds can be explored in these really incredible ways.“
While we wait to see when Mordo is going to pop up in the MCU again, Ejiofor has been working on a Marvel Comics adaptation that exists outside the MCU: Sony Pictures’ Venom: The Last Dance, which is meant to wrap up the Venom series and is aiming for an October 25th theatrical release. There was a rumor that Ejiofor’s character might be Orwell Taylor, the leader of the group known as The Jury.
Are you looking forward to seeing Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mordo return in a future MCU film? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.