Cameos are exciting especially when it’s about one of the fans’ favorite characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anticipation begins as soon as fans hear the news of another MCU character doing a small part in a different movie. A similar instance happened with Spiderman who was supposed to show up in another MCU movie.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was claimed to do a small cameo in a $955 million MCU movie, but fate had something else in mind. Spider-Man’s cameo was canceled. Spider-Man: No Way Home was Tom Holland’s only role in phase 4 of MCU but this wasn’t the initial idea.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Cameo Was Cut From a $955 Million MCU Movie
Tom Holland could have appeared as Spider-Man in a million-dollar MCU movie but eventually, things went another way and Spider-Man’s cameo was finally cut. According to experienced MCU costume designer Graham Churchyard, Tom Holland was set to show up in Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness movie. The designer also disclosed in an interview that Spider-Man had a brief appearance in Cumberbatch’s movie. Churchyard in an interview with LRM Online said:
“Spider-Man: No Way Home’ was supposed to come out after ‘Multiverse [of Madness]’ and then with COVID scheduling it came out before. So Doctor Strange and his new costume and America Chavez were supposed to go into Spider-Man [No Way Home], and Spider-Man was supposed to come into – for very a brief cameo appearance – into ‘Multiverse [of Madness]’. But then COVID just shook it all up.”
As explained by Graham Churchyard, movies were affected by COVID-19, and release dates were reshuffled causing Spider-Man: No Way Home to release in 2021 followed by Doctor Strange 2 with a significantly modified storyline as a result. Even though the star-studded movie was a box-office hit, fans were disappointed to watch Wanda Maximoff also known as Scarlet Witch, given the Dark Phoenix treatment in the movie.
Doctor Strange 2 Disappointed Fans Over Mishandled Wanda’s Arc
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness did a stunning performance at the global box office collection, it is one of the highest-grossing movies of 2022, but one thing that disappointed fans per CBR was how Wand Maximoff was treated in the movie. Fans expected to witness the flawless transformations of Wanda Maximoff as Scarlett Witch in the movie which was much anticipated since the character was introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Wanda’s transformation from villainy to heroism was so fast that made fans feel that this transition from an MCU villain to a hero wasn’t evolved accurately.
Fans believed that Doctor Strange 2 was going to be the movie where further complexities in Wanda’s character would come up making her morally mysterious and evolving into a more antagonist character within the MCU. However, this couldn’t happen and Wanda Maximoff’s transition into a hero was something fans didn’t enjoy and expected. Fans even compared Doctor Strange 2 with Drak Phoenix for repeating mishandled characters in the MCU movies which wasn’t expected in Cumberbatch’s movie.
Watch Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness on Disney+
Source: LRM Online and CBR
Frequently asked questions
Why was Tom Holland’s Spider-Man cameo cut from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?
MCU costume designer Graham Churchyard told LRM Online the cameo was lost to COVID-19 scheduling changes. Spider-Man: No Way Home was originally meant to release after Multiverse of Madness, with Doctor Strange and America Chavez crossing into No Way Home and Spider-Man making a brief appearance in the Doctor Strange film. When the pandemic flipped the release order, those crossover plans were scrapped.
How much did Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness make at the box office?
The film earned roughly $955 million worldwide, making it one of 2022’s highest-grossing releases despite a mixed critical reception. It was directed by Sam Raimi and starred Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff.
Why did the film draw criticism despite its star-studded cast and box office success?
Many fans and critics felt Wanda Maximoff’s villainous turn was handled too abruptly, and some likened her treatment to the much-criticized Dark Phoenix. Even with a strong cast and big earnings, the reception remained mixed because of how her character arc was managed.
