Kevin Feige Changed Doctor Strange 2 at the Last Minute 

The entrance of the Illuminati and the Scarlet Witch’s transformation to evil are just a few of the unforgettable scenes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. A surprise moment, however, was shown in the guise of an intense musical duel between two Doctor Strange Variants. This encounter between Strange and Sinister Strange from the MCU was strongly hinted throughout the film’s promotion, with some fans even speculating that the latter would be the major antagonist of the sequel. 

Despite this, Multiverse of Madness eventually revealed that Sinister Strange is a corrupted version of the Master of the Mystic Arts, comparable to Wanda Maximoff. The character’s arrival also canonized a deleted scene from 2016’s Doctor Strange, with it establishing that the titular sorcerer had a sister, Donna, who passed away when they were kids. 

New information about the musical fight has surfaced, courtesy of the film’s actors and crew. 

A Doctor Strange 2 Last-Minute Change

Danny Elfman, the composer of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, spoke with Marvel Entertainment about the sequel’s musical fight between the Doctor Strange Variants and how Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige updated the sequence. 

In the film, America Chavez sends Strange from MCU-616 and Christine Palmer from Earth-838 into a realm that is undergoing an incursion, which happens when the border between two universes collapses and they meet, killing one or both utterly. 

Strange from the MCU realizes that his Variant is an evil version of himself in that realm, ending in a music-infused combat within the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

Elfman spoke on the struggle, claiming that “notes are flying off the sheet,” literally, and that “several classical pieces” were originally involved: 

“These notes are literally, not figuratively, leaping off the paper.” It was pitting numerous classical works against one another; renowned ones.” The Spider-Man 2 composer then said that Feige changed the sequence at the last minute, recommending that it be “simply simplified” to “Beethoven against Bach:” 

“Then, at the very end, in the 59th minute of the 11th hour, Kevin Feige stepped in and said, “Just reduce it to Beethoven vs Bach.” I gave it one more go, this time pitting Beethoven’s ‘5th Symphony’ against Bach’s ‘Toccata and Fugue.’ Everything turned out flawlessly.” 

Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange, also joined in, adding that he “came up with the notion of the sound effects, tearing it apart and returning back together:” 

“It was an unusual usage of an environment.” Strange reached frantically for anything was available. It was great joy to do. It got to the point where it seemed like a strange tennis match. ‘No, it has to be more innovative,’ I said. We need to blow it up and incorporate other pieces.’ I created the sound effects by breaking it apart and putting it back together. The notes were striking Sinister Strange like bullets, and there was one note that would go inside a ball that was being held to burst.” 

MCU Musical Madness 

In this newest interview, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige reiterates his hands-on approach to improving MCU films. Given that Multiverse of Madness is a major part of the franchise’s strategy regarding other universes, it’s no surprise that Feige is extensively engaged not just in the sequel’s storyline, but also in its key moments. 

Furthermore, Feige had special requests for Benedict Cumberbatch’s new costume in the sequel, indicating that the Marvel CEO is still active behind the scenes. This follows reports of his not being active with the visual effects section recently. 

Sam Raimi, the director of Multiverse of Madness, had called the sequel as “the most intricate movie” he’s ever worked on in his career. So it seems that Feige was aware that simplifying some sequences, like as the musical fight, would have helped to reduce the confusion around the film’s complicated principles. 

This is also consistent with Raimi’s prior revelation that the sequel’s initial duration was two hours and forty minutes, implying that many more sequences were’simplified’ during production. 

Overall, Feige’s significant engagement behind the scenes bodes well for the MCU’s vast slate in Phase 4 and beyond. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still in cinemas throughout the globe.