Starting this evening, audiences will be able to meet Dr. Stephen Strange, the newest hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who begins his journey as a neurosurgeon, suffers a debilitating car accident, and then unlock all sorts of potential when his spiritual and physical journey take him to Kathmandu. But according to Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson, the movie almost included scenes that would have gone ever deeper into Strange's past. The following can be considered spoilery so we will hide it in the next paragraph. Stop reading now if you haven't seen the movie yet!
Scott Derrickson was asked by Collider about possible deleted scenes that might show up on the DVD for Doctor Strange, and they learned that a pivotal moment from the superhero's past almost made it into the final cut of the film. Derrickson says:
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. And 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. And Lulu [Wilson], who was the little girl in Ouija and was in Deliver Us From Evil, played the girl. So I hope that scene's on the DVD.
Seeing as how there are no moments in the movie, either via flashback or triggered memory, where Stephen Strange is presented as a younger version of himself, a la Clark Kent in Kansas, Scott Derrickson likely is correct in that this scene wouldn't fit anywhere in the movie. The only place I can think where this pivotal memory MIGHT have surfaced would be if Strange encountered it while surfing through parallel dimensions, and one of the film's villains -- Dormammu, perhaps -- unlocked the memory in an effort to distract the Sorcerer Supreme. But yeah, unless you were up-to-date on Strange's history, the sudden scene of a young girl drowning might have had you scratching your head in confusion.
Still, I do love hearing when a movie, particularly one as mega-budgeted and pre-planned as a Marvel Studios production, cuts scenes that they went to great lengths to actually film, and not just storyboard. See what else made the cut in Doctor Strange now that it's opening in theaters. And if you need more on Doctor Strange, read our review, hear our interviews with the cast, and check out our recommendation on the film's use of 3D. Excelsior!
