Doctor Strange 2 Merchandise Reveals Closer Look At New Villain

The merchandise for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness reveals a better look at one of the film’s new villains. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) teaming up with Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Wong (Benedict Wong), and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) in dealing with the aftermath of the events of WandaVision, Loki, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. The first trailer for Doctor Strange 2 was released online a week after being attached as the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The trailer revealed a lot of new details, but one that caught the eye of many was Doctor Strange fighting a one-eyed tactical monster in the streets of New York. An unseen monster with similarly colored tentacles was seen in two episodes of What If…?, including one focused on Doctor Strange, hinting that it could be the same foe from the animated series. The character was rumored to be Shuma-Gorath, however, a LEGO set identified the character as Gargantos.

It now appears that Gargantos is the official name of the creature, as merchandise for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been revealed on Amazon, via The Direct. The various merchandise identifies the monster as Gargantos and features him very prominently. One of the pieces includes him alongside the other various lead characters, possibly suggesting the character’s major role in the film. The artwork can be seen below:

Gargantos first appeared in Sub-Mariner #13 in 1969 and has close ties to Atlantis and Namor. Rumor has it that Namor and Atlantis will make their MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Gargantos’ appearance in Doctor Strange 2 may be planting the seeds for more Atlantian lore to pop up in the MCU. Phase 4 of the MCU has featured a number of giant monsters, from Alioth in Loki to The Dweller in Darkness in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to even the Celestials in Eternals, so the presence of Gargantos appears to fit right in.

The design of the creature in the artwork looks closer to Shuma-Gorath, suggesting Marvel might be mixing the two characters together similarly to how Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2 drew elements from both Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo. They could be using the character name Gargantos but keeping the backstory of Shuma-Gorath, as a Lord of Chaos and an enemy of Doctor Strange. More details about the character are likely to be revealed in more trailers and promotional material as the release date for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness approaches.