The following contains minor spoilers of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, currently in theaters.
After a long wait that feels like a century, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is finally in theaters. While fans take joy in the many Easter eggs planted in the latest Marvel Studio's major release, they also find that certain scenes in the final theatrical cut don't quite match what was presented in the official teaser and trailer. Although it's a common practice to play around with the materials in the preview teasers for dramatic effect, what remained hidden was worth exploring.
The most significant differences lay between two fan-favorite quotes that were either altered or deleted in the theatrical cut. As many fans may have noticed, evil Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) signature deranged expression, "Things just got out of hand," ended up on the cutting room floor, but the creative decision was well justified. The quote in the trailer effectively communicated what has happened to evil Stranger, but the real conversation between the two Strange variants in the film was more in-depth.
The other altered line from Wong (Benedict Wong) unfortunately signified a glaring difference from what the official teasers initially implied. In the official trailer, Wong said to Doctor Strange, "You cannot control everything, Strange," implying a potentially dangerous situation that Doctor Strange again put himself in as viewers saw him wielding spells from the Darkhold. The theatrical cut, on the other hand, situated Wong's line in the scene when Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), sought to take full control over America Chavez's (Xochitl Gomez) power. Wong said, "You cannot control everything, Wanda."
This creative modification reflected Multiverse of Madness' portrayal of the Scarlet Witch as a villain. However, details in the film suggested that the real threat to the multiverse was Doctor Strange himself. This was confirmed when Wanda called Strange a hypocrite for using the Darkhold, which, in his hands, became a dangerous possession. Mordo warned Earth-616 Strange that the Darkhold "in the wrong hands" was dangerous, referring to Doctor Strange himself, but the man ignored the warning, trying to correct his variant's past wrongs.
Interestingly, the official teaser opened with a monologue from the evil Doctor Strange, who was consumed by the Darkhold, suggesting that Strange's dream would be more complex and would involve the last reality Strange and Christine Palmer visited in the film. However, the in-theater opening scene purely focused on Defender Strange and America Chavez's escape from the enchanted monster in the space between universes. Evil Strange's reality only appeared near the end of the movie.
Not including the last reality in Strange's dream significantly simplified the storyline in Multiverse of Madness. It helped audiences navigate the already complex plot, but the official teaser and trailer revealed a deeper interconnection between dreams and the multiverse. It also implied a more intricate tie between Strange variants, potentially teasing and setting up for what's coming next in the Doctor Strange sequel.
From every scene that was cleverly altered and deleted from the official theatrical release, one could deduce a significant alteration in the storyline happened during the post-production process. In an interview with Collider, director Sam Raimi confirmed that the initial runtime was significantly longer than the theatrical cut. He also revealed that Multiverse of Madness was the most complex film he has ever done in his career.
Multiverse of Madness could have looked very different from what viewers have seen in the theater. Critics also expressed doubts regarding the final theatrical edition of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, all creative decisions exist for a reason. They have led to different outcomes and possibilities, which helped shape the MCU as fans know it.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently in theaters.
