Doctor Strange: First look at Marvel Comics villain Dormammu revealed ahead of US release

It's been common knowledge for some time now that Benedict Cumberbatch's titular hero will come up against Mads Mikkelsen's villain Kaecilius in Marvel Studios' latest outing Doctor Strange. However, over the last few weeks, rumours had emerged that comic-book baddie Dormammu was set to show up in the film. Now, his involvement has been confirmed via a promotional video which introduces the concept of alternate dimensions.

Entitled The Multiverse, the featurette is narrated by Cumberbatch himself and not only delves into the film's mind-bending themes but also showcases its impressive special effects work too. The CGI-heavy Dormammu is just one of the team's triumphs, briefly glimpsed in the clip (around the 0:41 mark). However, he's a far cry from the flame-headed, armoured being first seen in the comics.

It's interesting that Marvel Studios have opted for a purple-coloured character here rather than Dormammu's typical orange, red and black, simply because Thanos (the MCU's other big bad) is somewhat of a purple space-giant too. While it's certain we're going to see Thanos show up again in future movies, it's not been confirmed that Dormammu will play a further part... however it seems likely and surely Marvel would want to avoid any obvious similarity between the two?

That being said, Dormammu's appearance in Doctor Strange might just be a temporary one on his part; a theory that director Scott Derrickson made seem more likely in a recent interview with IGN. "I did fancy the idea that as this other-dimensional being, he's not moving through the Dark Dimension, with a countenance, with eyes and a face, eyes and a mouth, and a human visage – why would he? He takes that form on to communicate with Strange," he explained to the publication.

Introducing a character not been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before, Doctor Strange tells the story of Dr Stephen Strange, a former neurosurgeon who mangles his hands in a car accident and subsequently loses his highly-skilled, medical abilities.

Desperate, he seeks out a powerful mystic, called the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who teaches him how to access his psychic and magical powers in a bid to enable him to stop evil-doers, particularly her disgraced protégé Kaecilius (Mikkelsen).

The film can currently be seen in cinemas in the UK and is set for release in the US on 4 November 2016.

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