Doctor Strange director, Scott Derrickson, explains why one of the film's gentlest moments was cut from its theatrical release. After teasing his introduction for several years, Marvel Studios finally introduced one of their most powerful heroes - Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange - into their cinematic universe for the first time last year in the standalone film. But while it was mostly praised for its mind-bending, psychedelic visual effects and magical action sequences, Doctor Strange wasn't just an ambitious film for Marvel to tackle visually, but narratively as well.
Doctor Strange had more ground to cover than a majority of other films do, superhero or otherwise. Beginning with Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange from his days as a cocky, self-obsessed neurosurgeon, it then followed the character when he was involved in a crippling car accident that left him penniless and without the ability to perform surgery all over again, all the way through his initial training of the mystical arts, and ending with him more than on his way to becoming the newest Sorcerer Supreme.
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So when considering how much story material Derrickson and co. had to tell in just a little over two hours, it's understandable that he and Marvel might have left quite a bit on the cutting room floor when all was said and done. But one of the scenes that many fans were confused about being cut from the film, involved Strange taking a few moments to help heal an injured dog he encountered on the street while searching for The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Fortunately, Derrickson took to Twitter recently to explain why the film's pacing and Strange's overall character arc, were the reasons for the scene being cut:
This scene was deleted for pacing and because it was too big a change for Strange's character arc too early in the film. #EditingIsWriting https://t.co/FPsAHqtnVq— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) July 29, 2017
Derrickson's comments about the scene coming too early in Strange's arc to feel organic is a fair point, especially since the scene is positioned well before his humbling at the hands of The Ancient One and Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Indeed, Strange's arc is one of the largest that any of the heroes in the MCU have undergone up until this point, which was one of the biggest reasons that Benedict Cumberbatch even signed on to play Stephen Strange in the first place. And while Doctor Strange has its flaws, one aspect that both fans and critics agreed on, was how well the film managed to bring the character to life in a believable and faithful way.
Despite only having one Marvel film under his belt so far too, Strange's presence in the MCU is already widely felt amongst both fans and the other Marvel characters. After all, not only will Strange be making an appearance in Thor: Ragnarok later this year, but the character is set to play a prominent role in next year's Avengers: Infinity War, when he teams up with all of Earth's Mightiest Heroes to try and take down Josh Brolin's villainous Mad Titan, Thanos. Now, all that's left to be seen, is exactly where Strange's journey in the MCU takes him from here.
Source: Scott Derrickson
