We recently got a first look at a special Avengers: Doomsday x Magic: The Gathering card that will be available exclusively in Regal Theaters this December. Featuring Doctor Doom standing alongside the Latverian Witches, it's an undeniably impressive piece of artwork.
Now, the man behind it, Jorge Molina, has shared his process and an early sketch that featured the mysterious "Boris." This male acolyte of Doom is strongly rumoured to be Doctor Strange, with leaked character portraits hinting at the presence of the former Sorcerer Supreme's third eye.
A corrupted Strange falling under Doom's influence somewhat lines up with the comics, where the hero helped Victor Von Doom steal the power of the Beyonders to save what was left of the Multiverse and create Battleworld.
Asked by one of his followers who the mysterious fourth character is, Molina replied, "[I] don’t remember the [character's] name but [he] was removed from the film."
The artist may have been attempting to cover up the fact that he'd inadvertently spoiled plans for Boris, a character Marvel Studios would prefer to keep under wraps for now (explaining why he was removed from this trading card). However, another possibility is that the Russo Brothers have indeed removed him entirely from Avengers: Doomsday.
This wouldn't be the first time that the filmmakers have made a major change during post-production and reshoots. In Avengers: Infinity War, for example, Bruce Banner was supposed to transform into the Hulk and burst out of the Hulkbuster armour. That entire sequence was scrapped.
If Boris has been removed from Avengers: Doomsday, it leaves us with some big questions about what the plan is for Doctor Strange heading into this movie and Avengers: Secret Wars. This news comes not long after it was confirmed that Lord Doom has also been cut.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, along with X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden, plus Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story, alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.