Black Bolt, the king of Inhumans, has a powerful voice best explained by John Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic. In Doctor Strange 2, he regarded the Black Bolt voice saying, “He can tear you to pieces with just one whisper from his mouth.” However, it was his undoing in the sequel. Anson Mount’s Earth-838 version, Black Bolt, died a horrible death at the hand of the Earth-616 version of Wanda Maximoff. Elizabeth Olsen’s playing the Wanda, aka Scarlet Witch, possessed her 838 counterparts and used her chaos magic to remove Black Bolt’s mouth.
Consequently, the Inhuman screamed in terror and crushed his own skull. It turns out that Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi was the man behind Black Bolt’s death scene. Michael Waldron, the writer, explained how the filmmaker came up with the idea of this “horrific” scene.
Anson Mount was the second Black Bolt to appear in Doctor Strange 2. He had previously appeared as the character on a different Earth in Inhumans’ short-lived TV series. Although that Black Bolt survived, it was determined that Earth-838’s Black Bolt would become the first to fall after Scarlet Witch attacked the Illuminati headquarters. Michael Waldron had difficulty deciding what to do. Finally, Waldron informed Empire that Sam Raimi had stepped in to save the day (via CBR).
“I was at a point in the script where I was like, ‘Shit, I don’t know what to do.’ We wanted the first death to feel really horrific: ‘Listen, don’t fuck with Wanda.’ We were sitting on Zoom discussing how we kill Black Bolt. Somebody said his power is shooting ultra-powerful energy from his mouth. And I swear to God, without missing a beat, Sam goes, ‘What mouth?’ And Sam just painted the scene for us, ‘… and then you just cut to him, Wanda’s just ripped his mouth closed, and he screams, and his head explodes.’ That’s master of horror Sam Raimi for you.”
Michael Waldron is not afraid to find ways to set Mr. Fantastic into Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness. However, he struggled to find a way to remove Black Bolt from the board. Sam Raimi’s solution to Black Bolt’s death was simple. He just needed two words to describe the character’s power. There were many ways that Scarlet Witch could have killed Black Bolt. But this was the best way to get one of the most memorable deaths in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shortly after, Fantastic was also counted in that category.
Anson Mount, who was featured in Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness, spoke out about his appearance in the movie. He expressed it was an honor and joy to work with Sam Raimi. Although Earth-838’s Black Bolt has been removed, the multiverse allows for many other character versions. Black Bolt’s inclusion in Multiverse of Madness may indicate that Marvel Studios is now open to exploring the Inhumans. The TV show about the Inhumans was produced by the now-defunct Marvel Television. Mount is currently Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Therefore, it might prove difficult for him to portray another Black Bolt in a role larger than he played in Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange 2 is available to stream with a Disney+ membership. While the sequel’s middle-credits scene set the stage for Doctor Strange 3, Marvel Studios have not officially announced it. Keep your finger crossed!
