The original plot details for Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) teaming up with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to fight against Nightmare.
However, Marvel President Kevin Feige and Michael Waldron later decided to change the storyline and turned Wanda into the main antagonist.
According to MyTimeToShineHello’s new report, the original plan for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was that the film initially began with Wanda as a hero rather than a villain. The original antagonist was Nightmare, and Wanda was meant to help Doctor Strange track him down and defeat him.
However, Feige and Waldron later decided to change the storyline. Waldron was particularly interested in making Wanda the antagonist, which led to a complete overhaul of the plot.
At one point, Chthon was also set to play a significant role in the film, but Feige wanted to save that for later, possibly for a Scarlet Witch solo movie.
The original opening scene featured the MCU’s Mordo hunting the Scarlet Witch. Wanda ultimately overpowered him, killed him, and later revealed his severed head to Strange during her attack on Kamar-Taj.
In the MCU, creative decisions are frequently influenced by test screenings, Kevin Feige’s instincts, and shifting studio priorities. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a clear example of this creative reshaping. The finished film mainly visits three important universes. These include Earth-616, the main MCU timeline; Earth-838, home of the Illuminati; and a third incursion-damaged universe, where Doctor Strange confronts a Darkhold-corrupted variant known as Sinister Strange.
In an interview with The Playlist, director Sam Raimi revealed that Rachel McAdams’ precision led him to share an unprompted story about the missing levels of Multiverse of Madness.
Raimi said, “That’s exactly what happened.” He added, “I learned who she was and what she was capable of. Rachel had created the character from the first Doctor Strange movie, and she did a great job. She knew who she was, and in Doctor Strange 2, which I got a chance to direct, the story by Michael Waldron introduces the multiverse.”
“In the reshoot, I added a little bit of cheesy fights, which I like to do,” he laughed. “So I had to say to her on set, ‘This is where the demons from the netherworld have come out, and they punch you in the jaw.’ And I’m thinking she’s thinking, ‘That sounds lame.’ I say, ‘And then I see you fall back into this chaise lounge. And then a demon jumps upon you. And you catch it with your legs like a flying trapeze for a moment. And you launch it off!’”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available on Disney+.
Source: MyTimeToShineHello
