Sylvie in the Multiverse of Madness?

Why I am sure Loki variant Sylvie is somewhere in the original cut, and why I was so upset when she was missing from the film

There were rumors that the Loki actor Tom Hiddleston would make an appearance in Multiverse of Madness, and it would have made sense. Who better to cameo than the character (or characters) who caused of the emergence of the multiverse in the first place? Loki and/or Sylvie would have been a perfect addition, although I am not sure where they would have fit in. Furthermore, the last thing anyone needed were other beloved characters murdered at the hands of the strongest...I mean most sociopathic Avenger. However, I am almost positive that they did fit into the original cut of the film before around an hour was cut. Here’s why, and why I was so let down.

After the first season of LOKI premiered, I started following Sophia Di Martino’s (Sylvie) stunt double Sarah Irwin on Instagram. I’ve never followed any stunt double before Irwin, but the woman is seriously impressive, and by the look of the short videos she’s posted, Irwin has worked within the MCU before.

While preparing myself to see Multiverse on opening night, I rewatched Avengers: Infinity War. There is one scene, or more accurately put, one shot, that I rewind and replay several times each time I watch Infinity War. No, it’s not when Thor, accompanied by Groot and Rocket, arrives in the middle of the Wakanda battle; it is the fleeting shot of Natasha, aka Black Widow, stabbing Corvus Glaive with Proxima Midnight’s…er…weapon, putting one foot on Glaive’s torso to anchor herself as she round house kicks him in the face. Oh, it is a delicious move. I knew Scarlett Johansson could not possibly have performed this, so I thought to myself, was this Sarah Irwin?? I had to know. Why? No idea, but it seemed incredibly important to know at the time. I remind you, I am watching and thinking this the day before Multiverse opened in theaters. So, I click on my favorite app, IMDb, and type in Sarah’s name before scanning her films, but I don’t get far, because almost immediately I see Multiverse of Madness pictured with the caption, “Stunt Performer for Sophia Di Martino.” I gasp in horror, drop my phone, and curse IMDb! As much as I wanted to catch a glimpse of Loki and/or Sylvie in Multiverse, I didn’t want their appearance(s) spoiled! But what is worse than a spoiler? An unfulfilled spoiler.

When I sat down in the packed theater the next night, I was excited to see Sylvie, wondering if Tom Hiddleston would also appear. I was still irritated, but now that the time had come, I couldn’t help but feel elated. So, I watched, waited, watched, gasped and cheered at the sight of John Kransinski’s Reed Richards, gasped again a few minutes later when he unceremoniously died, and waited some more. By the end of the film, I had not quite given up hope. Certainly, a Loki variant would most likely fit into a mid-credit or post-credit scene better than the actual film. So, mid-credit comes. No Sylvie or Loki. I wait till the credits stop, sure that now the "IMDb prophecy" will finally be fulfilled.

Nope.

Now I am sure Sam Raimi (MoM director) and Evil Dead fans just loved the post-credit scene, which featured Pizza Poppa, played by Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell, still hitting himself in the face before the spell wears off, and Pizza Poppa happily exclaims, “It’s over!” A meta joke referring to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead. However, I was devastated and angry. I screamed at the screen, to my friend’s horror, as we were still surrounded by a packed audience. Where was Sylvie? Where was Loki? What about the prophecy?!

I have since learned that director Sam Raimi’s original run time for Multiverse was 40 minutes longer than it’s 2-hour theatrical cut. I only hope that when deleted scenes are released, there is one that features a Loki variant. It is the last shred of hope I have.

#Loki #Sylvie #Marvel #MCU #DoctorStrange #Multiverse #MultiverseofMadness #SarahIrwin #SophiaDiMartino #TomHiddleston #BruceCampbell #PizzaPoppa #SamRaimi