Doctor Strange’s Dark Secret: Deleted Death Scene Sparks Debate

Explore The Controversy Surrounding The Removal Of An Important Death Scene From Doctor Strange’s First Movie.

By Amitabh Mukherji
May 24,2023
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In the realm of Marvel’s Doctor Strange, an actress involved in the 2016 film recently shed light on a significant death scene that was ultimately removed from the final version of the movie.

The Tragic Backstory:

Doctor Strange 2_ Multiverse of Madness Reported Runtime Revealed
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Darrell Warner, a concept artist, took to Instagram to reveal that an earlier cut of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured a sequence that revisited the fateful night when the titular hero, Doctor Strange, lost his sister, Donna, to hypothermia. This particular version of the sequel centered around Nightmare as the primary antagonist instead of Scarlet Witch, portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen.

A Connection to the Debut Film: Interestingly, Doctor Strange’s tragic past, including the death of his sister, was originally intended to be part of his debut origin film.

The Interview:

Lulu Wilson

Actress Lulu Wilson discussed her filmed scene for Doctor Strange in a recent interview. Despite being shot, the scene did not make it into the final cut. In the scene, Wilson portrayed Donna Strange, the late sister of Stephen Strange, and her character “died.” Wilson expressed disappointment that the scene was omitted, recognizing its potential impact: “I died, and that’s the whole thing because Donna Strange is dead, and Doctor Strange is like, ‘My sister is dead!’ So I died and remember being a little bit pissed because come on, that would have been a good moment and would have been good for me.”

Potential Return: When asked if she would return as Donna if given the opportunity, Wilson enthusiastically replied, “Yes, of course! Who wouldn’t be? On that one, I was in fifth grade and was really, really young. It was just a couple of days of me on set, and I’m not going to say what I did.”

Director’s Insight:

Scott Derrickson

In 2016, director Scott Derrickson commented on the deleted scene, highlighting the significance of Donna’s death in shaping Doctor Strange’s character: “We shot a scene… you know, in the comics, if you know the comics well, Strange has a backstory where his sister died when he was young, and that she drowned. That had a real significant effect and was probably instrumental in him becoming a doctor.” Derrickson expressed his fondness for the scene but acknowledged that it didn’t fit within the overall flow of the movie: “We shot that scene, and I loved that scene. It was a really great scene. It just didn’t fit in the movie. It felt like… it just didn’t work. But the self-contained scene by itself, I thought it was great.”

Limited Focus And Future Possibilities:

Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness

Despite the profound impact of Donna Strange’s loss on Stephen’s journey, the topic has received minimal attention. Its only mention so far was a brief line in Multiverse of Madness during Stephen’s interaction with a deranged variant of himself. However, given the conclusion of the sequel and Marvel Studios’ plans for Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme, it seems likely that there are more developments in store. This includes the introduction of Charlize Theron’s enigmatic Clea, who made her first appearance in a post-credits scene. With a time-traveling villain wreaking havoc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there may still be a chance for Doctor Strange to revisit the tragic night of Donna’s death. Marvel Studios has shown a continued interest in exploring this aspect, evident from its previous involvement in the development of the first two films.

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