DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS Original Story Details Reveal Scrapped Plans For Scarlet Witch

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS Original Story Details Reveal Scrapped Plans For Scarlet Witch

Supposed details on original plans for the Doctor Strange sequel have been revealed, including what the idea was for Nightmare, the Scarlet Witch, and more before Michael Waldron rewrote the screenplay.

By JoshWilding - Sep 11, 2024 04:09 PM EST

Original plans called for Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson to return for the sequel. The 2016 movie boasted visuals unlike anything we'd seen in the MCU before and delivered a clever final act which, while still heavy on VFX, played around with the concept of time in a way that largely bucked the trend of Marvel Studios' expected VFX-dominated third act battles. 

Unfortunately, creative differences led to Derrickson parting ways with Marvel Studios. Fans didn't have long to be disappointed, though, as Spider-Man trilogy director Sam Raimi was soon enlisted to replace him. Loki writer Michael Waldron also came on board to rewrite Jade Halley Bartlett's (Miller's Girl) screenplay...and was still writing when cameras were rolling. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ended up being something of a mess, with reshoots changing the fates of key characters and some - Rintrah, who featured heavily in merchandise, for example - left mostly on the cutting room floor. 

As for the Illuminati, that lineup was changed again and again in the build to the sequel's 2022 release. 

Today, scooper @MyTimeToShineH has shared some insights into what was originally planned for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (we're assuming this was when Derrickson was still on board) and it sounds a little less divisive. 

"As some of you know I have access to early information through concept art. So here's what the original plan was for Multiverse of Madness," they begin. "The movie initially started with Wanda as a hero and not a villain. The original antagonist was Nightmare and Wanda was supposed to help Doctor Strange reach and defeat him."

The prolific leaker adds, "However Feige and Waldron decided to change the storyline. Waldron who hadn't watched WandaVision really wanted to make Wanda the antagonist. This led to a complete overhaul of the plot. At one point, Chthon was also going to play a significant role in the film but Feige wanted to save that for later (possibly for a Scarlet Witch movie)."

This lines up with much of what we've heard about early plans for the Doctor Strange follow-up and arguably sounds like a better movie, even if those Multiversal elements would have been sidelined. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remains an odd movie in many ways; despite feeling like an important chapter in the Multiverse Saga, it was largely standalone, referencing the events of important stories like WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home only in passing. 

Talking last year, Derrickson said this about why he chose not to helm Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:

"All I can say is that what we said publicly is exactly the truth. We had real creative differences. You know, the movie I wanted to make and how I wanted to make it was different than - it was just increasingly obvious that we were pulling against each other. And that’s how you make a really bad movie, I think. When the producer or the studio and the filmmaker are making different movies, you end up with a monstrosity and, you know, that’s why I had to bounce."

Do you think Marvel Studios made a mistake by not committing to Derrickson's version of the sequel?

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harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 9/11/2024, 4:44 PM
film should have been called wanda
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 9/11/2024, 6:20 PM
@harryba11zack - sounds like a fairy name.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 9/11/2024, 6:48 PM
@harryba11zack - That doesn't make any sense. She's the villain and not much else as a character. Just because Strange is so lame as a character in his own movie that doesn't mean Wanda's much better. She's more a plot device, as far as I think.
Typhoon20
Typhoon20 - 9/11/2024, 8:13 PM
@dagenspear - He's lame in it because they had shit writing. You could put any character in this Wanda film and it would have been just as lame if not worse.
The1st
The1st - 9/12/2024, 7:47 AM
@harryba11zack - A Witch Called Wanda.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 9/11/2024, 4:49 PM
Also, what a damn disappointment this movie was.
thewanderer
thewanderer - 9/11/2024, 7:02 PM
@EskimoJ - I actually really like the movie outside of Zombie Strange, which just came off too comedic to me, when I don’t think it was intended to be comedic.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/12/2024, 5:23 AM
@thewanderer - I think it was a bit

It definitely had an element of camp to it which is Raimi’s style
thewanderer
thewanderer - 9/12/2024, 9:13 AM
@TheVisionary25 - yea, likely, but it was just too ridiculous for me lol.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/12/2024, 9:19 AM
@thewanderer - fair enough , to each their own
DTor91
DTor91 - 9/11/2024, 4:51 PM
“The prolific leaker”

Hamilton Parker, enough with the glazing.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 9/11/2024, 4:53 PM
Derrickson got screwed and Waldron is clearly not as talented as we all believed post Loki s1. MoM sucked and he got kicked off Avengers 5 for a reason.
abd00bie
abd00bie - 9/11/2024, 11:40 PM
@McMurdo - Waldron who hadn't watched WandaVision really wanted to make Wanda the antagonist.

So.. we were supposed to watch DS3 like Wandavision didn't happen? wtf? No wonder it made zero sense making her the antagonist again
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 9/11/2024, 4:54 PM
You could've just said she was being manipulated by Nightmare so she still could've been a villain. Here's hoping in DS 3 because Nightmare is cool.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/11/2024, 4:55 PM
@MCUKnight11 - they had that with the Darkhold but I get yah.
mountainman
mountainman - 9/11/2024, 4:55 PM
That would have been a far better movie than what we got 🤷‍♂️
CreateNowSlpL8r
CreateNowSlpL8r - 9/12/2024, 9:42 AM
@mountainman - Yep
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/11/2024, 5:00 PM
That could have been cool…

I always liked Derrickson’s comments about him taking inspiration from the Dark Knight for the sequel in that he wanted to bring in a villain that could allow him to go deeper into Strange’s character & craft a more visceral experience so it’s unfortunate he never got to realize that.

It’s odd that they apparently didn’t even show dailies or let Waldron know about Wanda’s arc in WV (unless they were worried about spoilers leaking)…

I had my issues with her character regression to an extent but otherwise I thought Raimi presented her well , the treatment of Wanda as a slasher movie villain was real cool.

Also , I still think both this and Loki probably have the best use of the Multiverse in that it was not only for fan service but also allowed the story to examine its lead character imo.

Overall , I don’t think it was as good as the first one (which I think is underrated) but I still liked it overall.
LukeCage2155
LukeCage2155 - 9/11/2024, 5:13 PM
Overall, both "Doctor Strange" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" left a lasting impression on me, combining captivating storytelling, stunning visuals, and strong performances to create films that are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking.
Fares
Fares - 9/11/2024, 5:20 PM
How Feige allowed Wanda's arc to go the way it did in MoM is beyond me.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/11/2024, 5:24 PM
@Fares - idk why it’s such a shock to people since Wanda has oscillated between hero and villain for a duration of her comic history

At the end of WV , I think it’s arguably she was a more grey character where in MOM (due to the Darkhold’s influence to an extent) she tipped into full villain mode until the end.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 9/11/2024, 6:06 PM
@Fares - More Olsen screen time
... at all costs.
Fares
Fares - 9/11/2024, 6:12 PM
@TheVisionary25 - Personally, the way she has oscillated in the comics isn't very relevant to what I need out of her portrayal in a serialized live-action story, at least when it comes to the one that has been established.

MCU Wanda isn't the kind of character that I enjoy seeing go back and forth from being a villain to a hero. She just wasn't built with that kind of quality in my opinion. Even at the start of all, I wouldn't call her and Pietro straight up villains.

She had a moment of weakness and broke bad? Cool, that makes sense to me, it happens to all of us, it damn sure makes sense for her. But once you choose to make her go through that moment of realization of the bad that she's done and you hint at a journey of atonement, it kinda becomes tiring to see her fall back into unapologetic villainy, in a state that is even worse than the one she was in before.

And the influence of the Dark Hold is simply not a compelling reason for that direction in my opinion. Even with that choice, it was done too unceremoniously for the kind of effect it was bound to have on Wanda and her character's trajectory. It's like the tragedy of her corruption was a second thought when it should have been way more palpable. I at least didn't feel it, I don't know about you.

She could've just been portrayed as a morally grey character who's willing to bend the rules and screw over people to a certain extent when all other options are exhausted, sort of like Butcher in the first seasons of the Boys if you've watched that, maybe even a little less than that.

But to have her straight up rip and tear through people without as much as trying to figure out other possibilities with the help of her fellow heroes, that just feels out of left field for me in light of the character she was up to that point.
Fares
Fares - 9/11/2024, 6:12 PM
@KennKathleen - That is the one thing I am not complaining about
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/11/2024, 6:23 PM
@Fares - that’s a fair read and analysis and as you said , it’s not necessarily the direction you wanted to see this version of the character go in which is fine.

However Wanda’s journey thus far has always been marred by tragedy with her losing her brother , her family , her love and her kids thus imo it makes sense that she would be in a weak enough mental state to fall for the Darkhold’s influence (whose influence i could agree shoukd have been more at the forefront).

Plus , they had shown how destructive and rage filled she can be such as with Thanos in EG so I don’t think it’s too out of left field that she would be desperate or filled with anger enough to get back people she loves having lost so many of them.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 9/11/2024, 6:46 PM
@Fares - According to what's said in this article, it seems it was more than allow, he facilitated it. I think some presume too much about Feige. I don't know if he's a very strong storyteller.
The1st
The1st - 9/12/2024, 7:51 AM
@dagenspear - I think he's a more quality control guy personally, but we're currently waist deep in the quantity era of the MCU and it shows.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 9/12/2024, 10:56 AM
@The1st - Past tense, can't realy say we are still waist deep in the quantity era if only one MCU movie this year even if still having some of the after effects of when we were waist deep in it AND had the impact of COVID which combined resulted in quality control issues when everything from MoM thru to The Marvels was in production.
rychlec
rychlec - 9/11/2024, 7:40 PM
If you get a gig in the MCU, with all it's famed continuity and connective universe....how are you NOT required to watch the history of the character you are writing??
Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/11/2024, 7:53 PM
@rychlec - they think we’re dumb like how the politicians treat us who they endorse.
Razorface1
Razorface1 - 9/12/2024, 12:00 AM
@rychlec - the connected universe was amways an illusion, nothing more
Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/11/2024, 7:51 PM
Another movie falling victim to forced feminism and another script tampered by a social activist. Would have never happened if Fiege had a backbone
BabyLasagna
BabyLasagna - 9/11/2024, 8:48 PM
@Matchesz - WTF lol
dagenspear
dagenspear - 9/11/2024, 10:55 PM
@Typhoon20 - Wanda ain't nothing in this movie. She's lame too, to me. One dimensional psycho villain with a thin veneer of depth. Nobody is well done in this movie I think. I do think it's down to writing, but Wanda is about as pointless as Strange is, as a character. She just gets more close up shots of her making a sad face.
Typhoon20
Typhoon20 - 9/11/2024, 8:16 PM
We could have had a great character film of Dr Strange facing Nightmare. Instead we got the typical lame MCU fluff where Strange was a guest star in his own fckng movie. F Feige for that one. Dr. Strange is one of the coolest characters and they wasted him for what..smdh.
BabyLasagna
BabyLasagna - 9/11/2024, 8:49 PM
MoM was a mess, completely.
They managed to destroy both Wanda and Strange in one movie.
The1st
The1st - 9/12/2024, 7:53 AM
@BabyLasagna - Seems like it took What If to redeem both, to an extent, really.
RitoRevolto
RitoRevolto - 9/11/2024, 11:08 PM
Ugh. Feige gets worse at his job with each new recent phase it seems lol. He's definitely the problem.
DemonTweeks
DemonTweeks - 9/12/2024, 2:52 AM
hadnt watched WandaVision? how was that allowed to happen ? makes more sense now.
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