Warning: the following article contains major spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron reveals that the Illuminati death scenes even shocked director Sam Raimi. Although the multiverse has previously been seen in the MCU in projects like
Loki and December’s
wildly successful Spider-Man: No Way Home,
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes the concept to an entirely new level. The film sees Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) face off against Wanda, aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), after she embarks on a deadly, universe-hopping quest to reunite with her two children by any means necessary.,The subject of many rumors before the film’s release, Marvel’s Illuminati make their long-awaited MCU debut partway through the film, when Strange and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) travel to Earth-838. The secretive group consists of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, John Krasinski as Reed Richards, Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel, Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter, Anson Mount as Black Bolt, and
Patrick Stewart as Professor X. Fans barely have time to process the fun cameos, however, before Scarlet Witch arrives and swiftly dispatches of each and every member of the Illuminati in startling, gory fashion.,Related: All The Doctor Strange 2 Marvel Movie Cameo Rumors That Were Fake,In a new interview with
IndieWire, Waldron explains that his bold decisions regarding the deaths of the members of the Illuminati even shocked the film’s director. Waldron reveals that he made the deaths gruesome in the script specifically because Raimi, well-known for his work in the horror genre, was attached to direct. Waldron goes on to explain that he believes they ultimately got away with such graphic deaths because of Raimi’s involvement. Check out Waldron’s comments below:,Although many superhero fans know of Raimi because of his directing work on the original
Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire, Raimi is also revered for films like
The Evil Dead,
Crimewave,
Army of Darkness, and other horror (or horror-adjacent) films. Raimi’s unique direction style frequently blends horror and comedy and features gruesome moments of pure shock, not unlike the Illuminati deaths in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While Raimi is accustomed to shocking, violent deaths in his movies, his surprise at the Illuminati deaths seems to have been due to the fact that these are beloved, fan-favorite characters in a family-friendly MCU film.,The Illuminati sequence in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was definitely a shocking and clever subversion of the fan demand for superhero movie cameos. Not only were the deaths unexpected, but their gruesome nature has even caused a debate amongst fans, with many expressing concern that the
Doctor Strange sequel was too violent for its PG-13 rating. While fans will continue to debate many aspects of
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the film seems to have truly let Raimi embrace his horror roots, with the freedom afforded by Marvel coming as a surprise even to him.,More: Doctor Strange’s Illuminati Members Explained: New Origins, Actors & Powers,Source:
IndieWire