C. Robert Cargill, one of the writers behind Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange, recently pulled the curtain back on the MCU's scrapped plans for Nightmare as a potential movie villain, and it sounds absolutely incredible. While fans ultimately got the mystical Dormammu and Mads Mikkelsen's Kaecillius as the first MCU Doctor Strange villains to hit the screen, that may not have always been the plan. Over the years, whispers of the terrifying Nightmare being considered for the first Doctor Strange movie (and then eventually Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) have percolated among the fandom.
Doctor Strange writer C. Robert Cargill addressed these Nightmare rumors in a recent interview with The Direct, revealing an alternate MCU reality that could have been amazing, featuring the iconic comic book big bad.
Speaking with The Direct's Russ Milheim on the Black Phone 2 red carpet at Fantastic Fest, Cargill said that he and Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson "wanted to have Nightmare be the villain of the first movie;" however, they were ultimately told the ruler of Dream Dimension was "more of a second movie character:"
The Direct: "You guys worked on 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' before it kind of changed. You guys had talked about how Nightmare was on the plate [to be the] villain. Can you reveal maybe some of what you guys wanted to explore and do with Nightmare that just ended up not happening?"
C. Robert Cargill: "Yeah, I mean, specifically, we wanted to have Nightmare be the villain of the first movie. And [Marvel Studios] loved the idea, but they were like, 'That's more of a second movie character.'"
He disclosed that his and Derrickson's original vision for a Doctor Strange sequel that would have included Nightmare was focused on "playing around with alternate realities, and dream logic."
It would have seen Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange "having to do battle with this guy that is the master of dreams:"
"But so, what we really wanted to do is… Me and Scott [Derrickson] like playing around with alternate realities and dream logic and things like that. We're big fans of that kind of psychonaut kind of space, going deep in your own dreams and the like. And so, we wrote some stuff for the first film [that] we wanted to try to incorporate in the second film of just that dream world, and Doctor Strange having to do battle with this guy who is the master of dreams, and the reality is his whims. And so, we were playing around with that kind of stuff."
Cargill and Derrickson never got to bring their vision of Nightmare to the screen, though, as the original Doctor Strange director left the film early in its development in early 2020, citing creative differences.
Cargil added that he had not been "brought on yet" for the Doctor Strange sequel "before Scott decided to part ways," but would "love to go back and write a Nightmare script for [Marvel]:"
"And I was not involved in 'Multiverse of Madness.' I hadn't been brought on yet before Scott decided to part ways. But yeah, Nightmare is such a great character, and I hope they get to play around with him someday. I'd love to go back and write a Nightmare script for them."
When asked about his thoughts on Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange, and his former MCU Nightmare plans, Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson (who also attended the Fantastic Fest premiere) simply said, "I can't answer anything about Marvel."
As had happened during the development of the first Strange film, Nightmare was ultimately abandoned as a potential villain for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in favor of Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch.
The Multiverse of Madness writer who stepped in after Derrickson and Cargill, Michael Waldron, previously commented on Nightmare as an MCU villain, positing that the character was scrapped for Doctor Strange 2, as they looked for more of a "mutiversal adversary" for Strange to face.
Nightmare has yet to make a proper MCU appearance despite being planned for both Doctor Strange movies at some point in development. Strange's next Marvel Studios project has not yet been announced, but he has been rumored for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, as well as a potential unannounced third Doctor Strange movie.
Will Nightmare Ever Make His MCU Debut?
After being considered for both Doctor Strange movies at one point or another, it feels like Nightmare's eventual MCU debut is inevitable.
Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange franchise has already tackled the character's biggest comic book adversary, Dormammu, as well as had him go up against another super-powered spell-slinger in Scarlet Witch.
If the franchise wanted to explore a different corner of the Doctor Strange world, then Nightmare could make sense for the unannounced third Strange movie.
In the comics, Nightmare is one of Stephen Strange's most formidable foes, as the ruler of the Dream Realm. Strange is one of the few Marvel Comics characters with active access to places like the world of dreams, so a confrontation between him and the terrifying villain just makes sense.
It is just a matter of whether it makes sense at this point in Marvel Studios' interconnected canon. The last time fans saw the character, he was pulled through reality by the mysterious Clea.
Many had assumed this to be teeing up a trip across the Multiverse between the two characters, but who is to say that Clea had not just come from the Dream Realm (aka Nightmare's domain)?
Perhaps she has seen the comic book big bad's true power and has come looking for Strange to help her take him down.
