The reasons for possessing a dead body being forbidden may not be as straightforward or simple as one might think. Every spell a powerful magic-user casts has an impact on their physical body and their soul. While magic has the potential to reach beyond science, many spells can be forbidden for crossing the chasm from moral to immoral. Though as one would go down the proverbial rabbit hole of mystic arts, it would become clear how the best of intentions can have rather dark consequences. As a means to protect the individual and the universe, some spells have dire consequences for those who practice forbidden magic.

One of the most disturbing parts of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was Stephen possessing a dead body, even if it did belong to a variant of him. During dreamwalking, in hopes of defeating The Scarlet Witch, Stephen tells the other Christine Palmer that she needs to guard his body in case the Souls of the Damned try to take it. While Stephen is an overconfident rule-breaker, he does so with the certainty that his actions will ensure everyone’s safety even at his own expense. The Scarlet Witch is grieving a life she created yet cannot retrieve without undoing the fabric of space and time. Yet the Souls of the Damned are not concerned with Stephen’s reasons for possessing a dead body. While it's not fully explained why possessing a dead body is forbidden in the MCU, here's what we think.

Uneven Sacrifice

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Marvel Studios / Disney

Possessing a dead body is forbidden for the most obvious reason: magic demands sacrifice. For Strange to possess a body, he needs to first have consent, something a dead body cannot give, so the transaction here is unfulfilled. Furthermore, the saying “from dust you are to dust you shall return”, applies to witchcraft and magic in the respect that, in the cycle of life, the dead body is an offering to the earth. By possessing a dead body, Strange is taking back an offering with nothing to exchange. Additionally, should he have died during the possession, the transaction would become uneven. For magic-users in the MCU, the sacrifice and offering aspect of their practice acts as insurance towards whatever they are conjuring. As the former Sorcerer Supreme, Strange is more than aware of the price of magic. For him to possess a dead body, he willingly commits to stealing from the spiritual world, something he's obligated to protect. Strange loses all leverage when possessing a dead body.

Related: How Doctor Strange 2 Improves the Multiverse

A Soul in Limbo

Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Marvel Studios / Disney

TV shows like Supernatural explored spiritual ideas like purgatory and multiverses long before the MCU introduced Stephen Strange to its audiences. For some faiths, like Catholicism, the concept of purgatory is quite real. Catholicism defines purgatory as a temporary place of punishment for souls who remain burned by their earthly transgressions. The spiritual impact of possessing a dead body could possibly leave the soul of the possessor in a limbo state. Essentially if the body Strange left with Christine Palmer had been destroyed in some way, his soul could do one of two things. First, his soul could remain attached to the dead body, which would mute the decaying process, though the soul and body wouldn’t fully fuse as one. His soul, on the other hand, may be forced out of the decaying body by the Souls of the Damned and as punishment could be banned from returning to his body being protected by Christine. This soul banishment could potentially be sent to purgatory. Considering that one universe is all paint, it’s safe to assume a purgatory-adjacent place exists in the MCU.

Related: Doctor Strange: 6 Biggest Differences Between the MCU and Marvel Comics Character

Unlocking Your Third Eye

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Marvel Studios

Spirit Science Central explains how the third eye chakra can open, but as it’s a spiritual concept with potential real-world implications, a physical third eye on one’s forehead is fiction. Yet Sinister Strange, a variant of the Doctor Strange audiences know, has a physical third eye on his face. Looper postulates that Strange’s third eye is a consequence of using the Darkhold. While this consequence seems plausible, Wanda has been using the cursed book for much longer than Strange did, yet she doesn’t have a third eye. A possible reason for Strange’s third eye is because both Stranges that have the third eye used the Darkhold for perverse reasons, while Wanda used it to find her children. Sinister Strange used the Darkhold to commit murder while Stephen Strange used the Darkhold to possess a dead body. The deeper implication of Strange’s third eye could be that possessing a dead body may split the Multiverse even more. Essentially, this spiritual ban could have deeper consequences than a physical third eye. With all magic, it’s possible that even Strange is unable to perceive how possessing a dead body could unravel the universe’s fabric beyond repair. After all, the mid-credits scene featuring Charlize Theron as Clea did state that Stephen caused an "incursion." It's possible that more will be explained when Doctor Strange returns.