Key Takeaways:
– Director Sam Raimi initially filmed highly violent sequences featuring Scarlett Witch that did not make it into the final cut.
– The originally intended depiction of Scarlett Witch could have led to an R-rating for the movie due to its intense violence.
– One particular scene had Scarlett Witch modeled after the ‘Game of Thrones’ character, Joffrey Baratheon.
– Raimi’s original vision for Scarlett Witch also included her treating the Wasp and Mordo with vicious contempt.
Sam Raimi’s vision for ‘Doctor Strange 2‘ drew heavily from his experiences in the Spider-Man franchise, resulting in a perfect blend of violence, action, and emotion. However, some argue that Raimi took this formula too far when it came to portraying Elizabeth Olsen‘s character, Scarlet Witch, leading to an alarming number of cut scenes due to their extreme violence.
A Bloodier Face of the MCU
The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, ‘Doctor Strange 2,’ has already been deemed one of the franchise’s most violent films. However, as revealed by the movie’s fight coordinator, Liang Yang, the initial cut went to even greater lengths. In scenes that would have escalated it into R-rating territory, Wanda Maximoff, played by Olsen, was depicted committing acts of extreme violence, akin to Game of Thrones character, Joffrey Baratheon.
Yang shared on his Instagram account that initially, Scarlet Witch was set to twist necks, bend bones, and even use beheaded soldiers as weapons in the battle of Kamar-Taj. While these scenes did not make the final cut, they highlight the harsh character journey Raimi sought to portray for Wanda.
Joffrey Baratheon Akin?
Among the original scenes that never saw the light of the day was one in which Scarlet Witch beheads Mordo, a character from Earth-616, and presents his head to Doctor Strange. This depiction aligns closely to Joffrey’s brutal behavior in Game of Thrones, particularly when he demands Robb Stark’s head to be served at a feast.
But The Wasp Too?
The cut scenes did not only feature Mordo. Another sequence showed the Wasp trying to control Scarlet Witch due to her diminished size, only to be violently squashed in return. As Michael Waldron, the film’s writer, discussed in an audio commentary, this scene was thought to add a starker layer of violence to the film.
Sam Raimi’s Scarlet Witch: Too Far, Or Just Right?
Despite these deleted scenes highlighting a more brutal side of Wanda, they did not progress past the editing stage. As explained by Raimi himself, while this direction was indeed interesting, it significantly slowed down the film’s pace and threatened to secure an R-rating for its extreme violence.
Nonetheless, the addition of such scenes would have made the movie significantly darker and more intense, potentially paving the way for a unique masterpiece within the Marvel universe. As it stands, fans can appreciate Olsen’s portrayal of the Scarlet Witch in the released version of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ available for streaming on Disney+. The narrative that reached audiences is a result of careful decisions from the creative team behind the project, ensuring the final product was both engaging and suitable for the audience.
