Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has arrived, and many fans have already dived into the deep end of existence with Benedict Cumberbatch's titular sorcerer. Audiences witnessed Scarlet Witch's fall from grace as she hunted down America Chavez to gain America's power—something that would have killed the newcomer, which Wanda clearly didn't care about.
In Strange and Chavez's attempt to escape, they ended up locked away in cages on Earth-838 in a facility run by the mysterious Illuminati. The group was made up of fan-favorite characters, including Reed Richards, Black Bolt, Captain Carter, and Professor Charles Xavier.
Sadly, every single one of them, aside from the Earth's Mordo, was killed by Elizabeth Olsen's rampaging witch as she did everything in her power to get her children back. Despite all of these new guest stars being killed off, it still remained immensely exciting.
Now it seems that, out of all characters, Ghost Rider used to be a part of the exclusive secret group. Sadly, however, it seems his role was cut—even though it was reportedly filmed.
A Cut Ghost Rider Fight
On the most recent episode of The Weekly Planet podcast, insider James Clement revealed an interesting tidbit about the recently released Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Ghost Rider was once set to be in it.
Not only was Ghost Rider going to be "a member of the Illuminati," but his cut scenes were actually "filmed" even though they ended up missing the theatrical versions of the film:
"So somebody sent me a list of five characters that were going to be in this movie that were cut... I said [to my source],' were any of these films?' And this person said, 'Filmed but ultimately cut from the theatrical version... Ghost Rider, [who was a] very interesting... member of the Illuminati... I guess [he] was [likely] going to fight Wanda and probably die..."
No Ghost Rider for Wanda
There's no doubt how fans absolutely loved who they got to see in the Illuminati, even if they were all swiftly slaughtered by the Scarlet Witch. That said, many fans might be feeling a little conflicted right now. How cool would it have been to see Ghost Rider in the MCU finally?
The last time the character was seen, was in Agents of SHIELD, with Robbie Reyes' take on the character. Sadly, the canonicity of that show is still up for debate, so whether that take of the character will ever show their face again remains unknown.
The same source recently reported that Michael Fassbender's Magneto was also among the cut cameos in the film. Given the two's former familiar connection in the comics, it's truly a shame to hear how he could have been a part of an MCU tale—even if only briefly.
With how expansive the Marvel CInematic universe is becoming, it's only a matter of time before fans see the true MCU counterparts of both Ghost Rider and Magento, alongside the Illuminati themselves, on Earth-616.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters worldwide.
