Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness includes the massacre of Marvel’s Illuminati, and boy oh boy is it my mood for today. Starting with Wanda turning Mr. Fantastic into pool noodles, she goes through them one by one and just takes them out as they block her path to America Chavez. But it seems as if there were other options for who to include in the Illuminati—who would also have met their end at the hands of Wanda.
In the commentary track for the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, writer Michael Waldron talked about the Illuminati and his inspiration for the scene as a whole. But he went on to talk about how another character may have been included in the fight, and their death? Well … let’s just say that it would have turned a light on if Wanda had the Clapper nearby.
“Yeah, I think I watched Aliens and was just thinking about the way those Marines get massacred, and, yeah, I was glad it worked,” Waldron said. “I think originally, the Wasp was in a version of the Illuminati, and the Wasp shrunk down and flew at Wanda, and [Wanda] just clapped her hands and just smushed the Wasp in the first draft.”
Clap on, Clap death
Sure, I guess in theory that’s a fine and simple death, but boy oh boy would I have laughed in the same way I laughed when she killed Black Bolt. “What mouth?” is legendary, I have to say, and so having her just clap and destroy Wasp would have been the cream of the crop hilarity. Twitter also agrees, applauding what might have been.
Look, it is funny, despite that the Wasp, as a founding member of the Avengers in the comics, has already been sold a bit short by Marvel movies. A hero flying to take on Wanda (who does retain her strength while shrunk down) being taken out by a clap?
Ultimately, we know that it got cut, and that’s fine. That makes sense. But oh my goodness would I have loved to just watch Wanda take someone out by clapping at them. The entire sequence was frankly epic because it showed just how powerful Wanda Maximoff is as the Scarlet Witch (even though she’s possessed), and if she can take out some of Earth’s mightiest heroes with just a clap? That’s someone you want on your side, not as your enemy.
Wasp, you get to live another day, but this would have been … *chef’s kiss.*
(via Murphy’s Multiverse, featured image: Marvel Entertainment)
