One of the most mysterious Doctor Strange easter eggs happened before Dr. Stephen Strange got into the car accident that took away his ability to be a surgeon, but prompted him to look into the mystical arts as a way to heal himself. In the scene, he took a call from one of his colleagues about three potential new patients. One of them was a man with a spinal injury from experimenting with a suit of armor. Fans thought it could be War Machine, but the timeline there doesn’t seem to add up. It’s most likely a test subject of Justin Hammer, Tony Stark’s rival who was creating an Iron Man suit of his own in Iron Man 2. However, it’s the third patient that really sparked Strange’s interest and whose x-rays ultimately caused his car crash.
The description of the patient is a 22-year-old female who has been struck by lightning. To make complications worse, the issue is an electronic implant in her brain, which treats her schizophrenia. This woman could be Captain Marvel, though director Scott Derrickson refused to confirm or deny it. While Carol Danver's origin is expected to change, nothing about that description pops out and says Captain Marvel. There’s no lightning, brain chip, or schizophrenia in her origin story. It would also be out of the ordinary for Marvel to ditch an origin with no nod to the source material, especially considering she's rumored to become a very important addition to the MCU.
That’s why fans should consider a second option for the identity of this mystery patient, whose description aligns more closely with a villain named Typhoid Mary. In the comics, Mary Walker is a mentally disturbed young woman with extensive martial arts training and psychic powers, including telekinesis and pyrokinesis -- the ability to set a target on fire. Once a lover to Daredevil, she’s now an enemy who often works an an assassin for various organized crime syndicates, including Kingpin. She gained her powers after being knocked through a window by Matt Murdock while he was searching for a villain in a brothel.
Mary Walker claims three personalities, Mary, Typhoid and Bloody Mary. She also speaks of a fourth she claims is now lost. While Sigourney Weaver is the main villain for The Defenders and we still don’t know who exactly she’ll be playing, every big bad has associates. It’s likely we’ll see someone else doing some ass kicking on her behalf as more of an enforcer. Typhoid Mary has a skillset that could rival each Defender, mentally and physically.
If the woman is indeed Typhoid Mary, it’s also an exciting easter egg because it’d be one of the biggest connections to Marvel’s Netflix shows seen yet. While many fans are hoping for a crossover, a character’s name first introduced in a film and played out in a TV series is certainly the next best thing to a cameo.
There’s always a fair chance the person described in Doctor Strange could be someone new entirely, or end up actually being Captain Marvel. With Doctor Strange opening up a new leaf for the MCU, anything is possible. The writers may have wanted to introduce Carol Danvers in a more interesting way. Her origin in the comics could be more compelling. She started off as an officer in the Air Force. When caught in an explosion with the Kree hero Captain Marvel, Danvers emerges with superhuman abilities. She later assumes the mantle of Captain Marvel in honor of Mar-Vell’s death.
One reason to make the origin’s different would be to avoid the whole Ms. Marvel to Captain Marvel transformation. If she’s going to be as big of a part of the MCU as has been teased, a more distinct origin not directly relating to the fate of a past Captain Marvel is an option for a new direction. While it will be a while before the identity of the mystery patient is revealed, if at all, one thing is for sure. Having a woman who would have been operated on by Doctor Strange go on to become a major superhero or villain is an epic way to introduce a new character.
What do you think? Is the woman in question Typhoid Mary or Captain Marvel? Let us know in the comments below.
