Where is Earth-616’s Karl Mordo 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 part of the Illuminati of this Earth. He then even fought Earth-616’s Doctor Strange. He was the Sorcerer Supreme of this reality and captured Strange and America Chavez as they fled Scarlet Witch. However, the question remains, where is Baron Mordo of Earth-616? So let’s see all the possibilities.
Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange
Mordo was initially a friend and mentor to Stephen Strange. He aided Strange in his training when he began to learn and master the mystical arts. He also owned and used Valtorr’s Jump Boots. However, her relationship with Doctor Strange began to become strained. This was after discovering that The Ancient One used dark magic and the Dark Dimension to enhance his powers and increase his lifespan. This caused him to lose all faith in The Ancient One and the rest of the Mystical Arts.
From there, her relationship with Doctor Strange only soured. It was especially when Strange decided to use the time stone and alter 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 wizards in the world. It would be by stealing their magical powers or eliminating them altogether. After that, he has yet to be seen in the MCU.
What did Karl Mordo do?
After leaving Kamar-Taj, Karl Mordo approaches Jonathan Pangborn in front of his factory. He attacks her and drains her magic from her chest. Pangborn turns paralytic and falls to the ground again. He is once referenced in Multiverse of Madness when Doctor Strange claims to America Chavez that Mordo devoted his entire life to killing Strange. Apparently he made a number of unsuccessful attempts to commit suicide. Finally, in an interview with Chiwetel Ejiofor, the actor revealed that Karl Mordo had indeed survived the slam of Avengers: Infinity Wars in 2018 and “was definitely committed at that time.”
Deleted Scene in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi talked about a scene that was ultimately cut from the final product. This scene was supposed to be at the start of Multiverse of Madness and would have included Earth-616’s Karl Mordo. In his crusade to rid the Earth of wizards and deprive them of their powers, he went to confront Scarlet Witch. He realized the threat she could represent especially when she was in possession of the Darkhold. It also went directly against Mordo’s philosophy of following the natural order of things.
This would lead to a battle between the two which naturally ended in Witch Scarlett brutally killing Mordo and beheading him. Later in the film, she allegedly showed the decapitated head of Karl Mordo to Doctor Strange. However, Raimi made the decision to remove the scene as it would have otherwise slowed down the start of the film.
It is therefore still somewhat uncertain whether Karl Mordo is alive or dead.
Why the MCU Decided Not to Make Karl Mordo a Titular Villain
Kevin Feige had revealed why Marvel Studios decided not to make Mordo the sworn enemy of Doctor Strange. Here’s what he had to say: “We wanted to play against in the comics. Because in the comics, as incredibly creative and imaginative as they are – we are desperate to recreate in cinematic form – There are things that are too obvious to today’s audience. The jealous rival named Baron Von Mordo, who turns on him when he shows signs of talent – we specifically didn’t want to do that.
Finally, nothing is impossible in the MCU and the death of Karl Mordo has definitely not been confirmed since the scene has been deleted. This means he could possibly make an appearance in the future, although somewhat unlikely.
