Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness composer Danny Elfman has revealed the change Kevin Feige made to the movie at the very last minute. Spoilers ahead!
At one point in the movie, Stephen Strange fights a dark, alternate version of himself in an epic battle that uses literal music notes as weapons.
"When Sam [Raimi, director] first described it to me, I said to Sam, 'I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Elfman told Marvel.com. Raimi then filmed the scene and went back to Elfman to show him what he was thinking.
"Literally, not metaphorically, these notes are flying off the page," Elfman said. "It was working various classical pieces against each other; kind of famous pieces. Then, in the very 59th minute of the 11th hour, at the very end, Kevin Feige jumped in and said to just simplify it to Beethoven versus Bach. I did one more pass at it where it was Beethoven's '5th Symphony' against Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue.' It really worked out perfectly."
The sequence ended up being very imaginative indeed, with the two sorcerers duelling it out with the famous music flying through the air between them.
Doctor Strange 2 stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen, while Benedict Wong is Wong, Elizabeth Olsen is Scarlet Witch, and Xochitl Gomez is America Chavez.
The film also featured a whole host of cameos, including Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter, Anson Mount as Black Bolt, John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel, and Charlize Theron as Clea.
For much more on the film, check out our explainers on:
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- The TV history of the Darkhold, explained
- Our full WandaVision recap
- The Marvel movies and shows to watch before Doctor Strange 2
- When is Doctor Strange 2 on Disney Plus?
- How to watch the Marvel movies in order
- Is Doctor Strange 2 too scary for children?
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