We often share leaks and rumours here on ComicBookMovie.com and appreciate that some of you...well, you don't buy them! That's fair enough but there have now been many occasions where they're proven correct. Other times, not so much, of course.
Earlier this week, we shared a breakdown of an early version of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from leaker @MyTimeToShineH. Sharing a link to our post, former X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo confirmed it was correct and shared additional context.
How's that for a reliable source?
"Correct. OG drafts did her justice," he said of the Scarlet Witch. "Wanda was with Strange recovering after Westview, feeling bad about what she did. She helps him, Wong and Chavez (who she tutors) beat Nightmare across Multiverse, where she also sees her variants happy with her kids."
"Still, Wanda resists and she - not Chavez - helps Strange save the day against Nightmare, who turns out to be a Darkhold-corrupted Strange variant," the writer continued. "Also, she used her experiences in WandaVision to warn Chavez about abusing her power."
"Only after saving the day, unable to resist finding a multiverse where she can be with her kids, does Wanda - sobbing - break from Strange and accidentally beheads Wong, who tries to stop her from fleeing into the multiverse. That was film’s cliffhanger."
While this sounds like a vastly better story arc for the MCU's Wanda Maximoff, the death of Wong would have come as a huge blow to fans of the character. Then again, that would have kind of been the point and a cliffhanger like this sounds like a far more exciting resolution than the rushed, messy way things played out for Stephen Strange and company.
In the cut of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness we saw in 2022, the Scarlet Witch seemingly took her own life, Chavez travelled to Kamar-Taj to train, and Strange's third eye opened (without explanations) before he set off on a mysterious adventure with Clea.
DeMayo later pointed out that this draft "made far more sense, and even when she flees, Wanda is torn up by guilt in classic comic book fashion and keeps apologizing to Strange as she vanishes and leaves him with his dead friend’s body."
We don't know why Marvel Studios pivoted away from these plans, though it seems Michael Waldron is likely to blame. Kevin Feige saw fit to appoint him the writer of not just this sequel, but both Avengers movies too until a creative pivot saw the executive turn to Avengers: Endgame's creative team for help in righting a Saga many fans have felt had become a sinking ship.
COVID is likely another factor. Before the pandemic, America Chavez was going to play a key role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but all that time at home - and several delays - led to big changes which, ultimately, may not have been for the best.