Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gave fans a look into what would happen in the MCU if the Scarlet Witch went into fully unhinged villain territory. Once her first scene in the movie showed how much the Darkhold had influenced her mind and powers, Wanda Maximoff went on a rampage across Kamar-Taj and the Multiverse itself in order to get her family back.
That opening scene with Strange in her apple orchard was what brought her into the movie as the master magician picked her for the upcoming battle over street-level heroes like Hawkeye and Ant-Man. However, fans recently found out that there was another scene in play even before this one that would have set up her villainous reveal just a little bit earlier.
During the development process for Doctor Strange 2, Wanda was originally going to kill the MCU's prime Baron Mordo as he followed up on his Doctor Strange post-credits scene promise of taking out the world's sorcerers. Interestingly enough, that scene was developed far enough that it was even teased in one of the sequel's recent pieces of promotional material.
Doctor Strange 2 Poster Shows Wanda Vs. Mordo
As discovered by Reddit user u/realityavengers, the ScreenX poster for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness teased a deleted scene from the sequel's first act with Wanda Maximoff and Baron Mordo.
Under Elizabeth Olsen's left arm, fans can see a log cabin that looks like the one that Wanda was in for her first scene of the movie.
Looking more closely, Earth-616's Baron Mordo can be seen walking toward Wanda Mamimoff, as evidenced by the Staff of the Living Tribunal hanging down his back. This is a direct reference to the recently-revealed deleted scene that showed Mordo coming to Wanda to kill her before Wanda ruthlessly takes him out by beheading him.
Marvel Teasing Scarlet Witch's Villainy Early
While this opening scene didn't make it into the final cut of the movie, it was clear that Marvel wanted to lay the foundation for Wanda's villainous turn throughout Doctor Strange 2's promotional tour.
This would have provided fans with the first look at Chiwetel Ejiofor's original Doctor Strange character, as he searched the planet for other sorcerers and inflicted his wrath upon them. Although this scene would have ended his own MCU tenure, the moment being taken out now leaves the door open for a potential return later alongside the Multiversal Master Mordo from Earth-838.
Even without this scene in the film, the Scarlet Witch unleashed her full abilities in terrifying fashion upon the MCU, taking out plenty of sorcerers at Kamar-Taj along with the entire Illuminati in their own headquarters. While her future with the franchise is as unclear as ever, Elizabeth Olsen's complicated character got time to shine with her biggest role in an MCU movie to date this time around.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters.