Could Dormammu Return Now That Doctor Strange Lost Time Stone?

Doctor Strange once trapped Dormammu inside an endless time loop, forcing the ruler of the Dark Dimension to retreat. But with the Time Stone gone, one of Strange’s greatest defenses no longer exists.

Dormammu may have one of the clearest reasons to return to the MCU.

When Doctor Strange entered the Dark Dimension in Doctor Strange, he was completely outmatched. Dormammu was an entity beyond anything Strange could defeat through conventional magic. Instead of trying to overpower him, Strange used the Time Stone to create an endless loop.

Every time Dormammu killed Strange, time reset.

Strange returned again and again until Dormammu finally realized there was no way to escape the cycle. The only solution was to accept Strange’s bargain: leave Earth alone and take his followers with him.

But that creates an interesting problem after Avengers: Endgame.

The Infinity Stones were returned to their original points in time, while the Time Stone Strange once carried is no longer available to him in the present-day MCU.

And Dormammu could eventually discover that.

The original agreement between Strange and Dormammu still technically exists, so Dormammu cannot simply be assumed to attack Earth immediately. However, the balance of power has completely changed. Strange no longer has the exact weapon that forced Dormammu to negotiate in the first place.

That becomes even more interesting because the MCU has continued exploring incursions, alternate realities and dangerous dimensions. Strange has also become increasingly involved with threats that exist beyond a single universe.

A future multiversal crisis could potentially create the perfect opportunity for Dormammu to return.

There is also Clea.

Introduced at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Clea is heavily connected to the Dark Dimension in Marvel Comics and is traditionally Dormammu’s niece. Her arrival could eventually bring Strange directly back into Dormammu’s world.

So Dormammu doesn't necessarily need to break his original promise for the character to return. Strange could be forced into the Dark Dimension himself, or another multiversal event could change the circumstances surrounding their agreement.

And if they meet again, Strange cannot simply repeat his old strategy.

There is no Time Stone around his neck.

That could make a second confrontation with Dormammu far more dangerous than the first.