Ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' release, we heard a lot about the sequel undergoing extensive reshoots. While the finished product was far from a mess, there were indications of additional photography, including different haircuts and scenes from the trailers not in the movie.
While a leaked plot breakdown from a test screening has confirmed that major sequences and cameos were absent from the movie, Marvel did a pretty good job of making sure we saw very little of that in the trailers and TV spots hyping the blockbuster.
However, there were inevitably brief moments and pieces of dialogue that were spotlighted before being left on the cutting room floor. It's those we're examining today, all while attempting to figure out how they fit into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and what led to them being cut.
To take a look at these missing scenes from the Doctor Strange sequel, hit the "Next" button below!
6. Mordo's Warning
"Your desecration of reality will not go unpunished."
That's the dire warning issued by Mordo in the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but it's a line that was nowhere to be found in the movie itself. While the sneak peek left us with the impression that Earth-838 Master Mordo said this to Doctor Strange, we have another theory.
Reliable sources have suggested the Doctor Strange sequel originally opened with the MCU's Mordo attempting to kill the Scarlet Witch. We believe that version of the character said it to Wanda Maximoff in relation to the way her Chaos Magic has reshaped reality both in Westview and beyond.
Either way, Strange does nothing in the movie that indicates he's desecrated reality in any way.
5. "This Is Going To Be Fun"
This is a good example of a moment added to a TV spot in a deliberate effort to mislead fans. The Scarlet Witch tells Doctor Strange during their conversation in that twisted orchard that "This is going to be fun," and it was clearly added to throw fans off the scent when it came to her intentions.
Marvel Studios did an okay job of making it appear as if Wanda would be fighting alongside Doctor Strange and Wong in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but still showed a little too much.
As a result, we weren't massively surprised when her sinister plans for America Chavez were revealed. However, this promo generated a lot of discussion among fans and did result in at least some of them walking away under the belief that we'd see a Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch team-up.
4. Alleyway Meeting
Okay, this scene wasn't in the trailers, but it's still noteworthy enough to warrant being included here.
Originally released as an exclusive still by Empire before being shared by Disney, it depicts Doctor Strange, Wong, and America Chavez having a heated discussion in an alleyway. Upon closer inspection, this is the same alleyway that Strange continuously walks through upon arriving in new realities, leaving us to assume that all those rooftop scenes were added to the movie during reshoots.
That would explain why Wong's hair looks different, and we're guessing this was done to give Defender Strange a more impactful "resurrection" and to presumably add or remove some exposition. Weirdly, we now have to assume Strange kept taking the stairs to get from that rooftop back to the city streets...
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home Fallout
The original plan had been for Spider-Man: No Way Home to be released after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but COVID changed things and that's reflected in both movies.
The first teaser for the sequel was released at the end of the web-slinger's latest movie, of course, and strongly hinted that Strange would have to deal with the fallout from casting that spell and the Multiversal madness that followed. We even heard lines from Spider-Man: No Way Home and learned that Strange had "tampered with the stability of space-time" and, according to the hero, he "never meant for any of this to happen," claiming he was only trying to "protect our world."
The movie doesn't really make any sort of reference to that threequel, and Strange even appears to have limited knowledge of the Multiverse despite meeting two Variant Spider-Men. We're not sure if this was bad planning or deliberate, but it was disappointing for many fans, to say the least.
2. Doctor Strange's Arrival
In the trailers, when Doctor Strange arrives in a universe that's been decimated by his Variant, he's alone. However, we now know that Earth-838's Christine Palmer was also part of those scenes.
Whether she was removed from the trailers to maintain the surprise or added during reshoots is hard to say, but it's not outside the realm of possibility Christine was once one of the Scarlet Witch's victims.
Also interesting is that there's less of an emphasis on Strange's nightmares in the movie. He has one featuring Defender Strange and America Chavez that we soon learn is real, but nothing in line with what the hero said in the trailer: "Every night, I dream the same dream, and then the nightmare begins." Perhaps Marvel Studios felt this was a cool line for that preview? They would be right!
1. "Things Just Got Out Of Hand"
Heading into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we were all convinced that What If...?'s Doctor Strange Supreme would make an appearance in the sequel. As it turns out, that Variant and Sinister Strange are not one and the same, something that made sense in the context of the movie.
A big part of the reason for the confusion about this Strange being the same one we've met in animation came from him saying, "Things just got out of hand." This exchange is absent in the sequel itself, though Mister Fantastic says the line while reflecting on what Earth-838's Sorcerer once said.
We're guessing this was another deliberate misdirect, but it's certainly an interesting one...