Not too long ago, we reported on some fairly big news. Scott Derrickson, who had helmed the successful Marvel Studios flick Doctor Strange, would not be returning for the sequel. This was long after it had been confirmed that he’d be helming Doctor Strange 2, or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He even showed up at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con to discuss his excitement with the film.

“He doesn’t fight villains from this Earth or even from the universe, but from the multiverse and from other dimensions,” Derrickson said on stage. “But when I came to talk to Kevin [Feige] about doing a sequel, I said I don’t want to do just another sequel to do a sequel. If I’m gonna do it, it has to go into the territory that drew me into the Doctor Strange comics in the first place, which is how they dipped into the gothic and the horror and the horrific, and we’re going to make the first scary MCU film.”

Doctor Strange 2 Development History

After a few on-stage theatrics, we didn’t hear much about the movie. Yes, Scarlet Witch would be playing a role in it, but we don’t know to what capacity just yet. That being said, we do have some rumors we have touched on recently (linked below).  

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Then in October, there was the report that Marvel Studios would hire up-and-coming screenwriter Jade Halley Bartlett to pen the script for them. While it was disappointing that C. Robert Cargill and Jon Spaihts wouldn’t be returning for the sequel, it was assumed that Scott Derrickson would at least have his hand in the pie, so to speak. 

And then, there was the news last week that Loki show creator and Rick and Morty scribe Michael Waldron would be working on the next draft of Doctor Strange 2. One would assume it would be rewriting the work that Bartlett put into it, and perhaps he’d be weeding out the Derrickson influence that Marvel Studios seemed to have problems with.

But a recent tweet from Cargill seems to tell another story.

“Since it keeps coming up in news stories,” Cargill tweeted, “it’s worth noting that Scott and I never had the opportunity to write a draft of MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, so whatever they are working with now isn’t derivative of our work. I am of course very excited to see where they take Stephen next.”

Now, it’s very possible Cargill meant that he and Derrickson never worked on a script together, but it sounds an awful lot more like Derrickson never had his hand in the script at all. 

So, What Does This All Mean For Doctor Strange 2?

So, here’s where I put on my tin foil hat to try and speculate on the behind-the-scenes stuff going on. Keep in mind, this is all speculation, but it is based on what we know already. 

In late 2018, Derrickson had signed on for Doctor Strange 2. In July of 2019, it was confirmed that Scarlet Witch would have a role in the sequel in the now-titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Months later, in October, Jade Bartlett was revealed as the screenwriter.

Here’s what I gather from that timeline. Being the hands-on producer he is, and given the increasingly complex nature of the MCU, Kevin Feige has his own hands mixed in the project. It’s possible that he set up a situation where the basic beats of the film were already set in stone, including Wanda Maximoff’s involvement. 

Furthermore, there is evidence that the script that was written by Bartlett was made without Derrickson’s influence, based on Cargill’s comments. 

This brings up the question…what does this mean for the MCU going forward? 

What Does This Mean For The MCU Going Forward?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding. Up until now, it has played out exclusively on the big screen. Now, with the advent of the Disney+ series, Marvel Studios has been tasked with doing the impossible. They have to maintain the high bar of quality while putting out content across mediums. Furthermore, they have to make sure that content isn’t throwaway — that it matters.

With all this in mind, it’s hard to look at Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and not see a situation where a studio has brought in their own vision. Out of necessity and for the sake of continuity, they had to set up the foundation before Derrickson fully signed on, along with a direction of how it needs to end, so that it leads into the next film seamlessly.

RELATED – Doctor Strange 2: Rachel McAdams May Not Be Returning… Yet

Sure, one could argue that this has largely been done before in the past, but I’d argue that Phase 3 has been their most flexible phase thus far, with directors really being able to put their fingerprints on the movies. With Phase 4, the proliferation of the Disney+ series may very well make that impossible.

Of course, this could very well be the ramblings of a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist. Additionally, even if I’m right, Marvel Studios having more control doesn’t necessarily mean “bad.” All the same, it’ll be interesting to see how this phase of content turns out for them.

Will Phase 4 be the phase where Marvel Studios spreads itself too thin, resulting in lackluster content with an absence of strong vision? We certainly hope not, but you never know.

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SOURCE: Collider, THR