In addition to starring as the titular hero, Benedict Cumberbatch reworked the script for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
"I got to write some of those scenes...I suggested that it needed to get darker at a point," the actor told Prestige. "There was a slightly more saccharine version at one stage and I’m really happy with the way it evolved. Sam Raimi was so game for it and Michael Waldron really supported me to write it as well. We turned what was a very small combat between the two into a sort of very bizarre and inventive battle in that moment.
I really loved it. It was how the original was pitched to me a long while back when Scott Derrickson was still working with us: Strange would meet versions of himself. It was something I wanted to lean into. We could have gone even further, and maybe it will go into the future."
The first Doctor Strange was helmed by Derrickson, known for directing horrors like Sinister – widely regarded as one of the scariest movies of all time – and most recently, The Black Phone. He was set to direct the sequel before another master of horror, Sam Raimi, took over. A deleted stunt sequence hit the Internet not too long ago, suggesting that Raimi's vision was originally much darker. The end result – which took in nearly $1 billion at the global box office – is a successful collaboration between Cumberbatch, Waldron, and Raimi.
For more Marvel madness, check out our guide to how to watch the Marvel movies in order, what you need to know about the Marvel timeline, and all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows flying your way in 2022 and beyond.
