Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron recently explained how George Orwell inspired the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster's depiction of Earth-838.

Waldron cited memory playback facility Memory Lane as evidence that Earth-838 was really a 1984-style dystopia, in an interview with Empire. "It's not in [the finished film], but my secret history of 838 is it's a little bit of a police state," he said. "And you can see, everybody is dressed uniformly, it's like a little bit of an Orwellian feel to it. 'Cause I was always like, 'Alright, why does this Memory Lane thing exist?' I wrote a bunch of what was essentially fine print that I do think we recorded... You can't quite hear it, but it's like the guy is saying in the background, he's like, 'Disclaimer: Any memories of crimes committed or so-and-so can be admissible in a court of law...' Memory Lane is really the state's attempt to Minority Report you into admitting a crime you committed."

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Producer Richie Palmer added that Iron Man also played a key role in shaping Earth-838, as in this reality, Tony Stark's Ultron-powered global defense program was a success. According to Palmer, this prompted Stark and the rest of the Avengers to retire and also ensured that the Wanda Maximoff of Earth-838 enjoyed a better life than her mainstream MCU counterpart. The producer also noted that Earth's Mightiest Heroes calling it quits paved the way for the Illuminati's rise to power in this reality.

Exactly who founded the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness changed constantly throughout production, based on previous statements by Waldron, Palmer and other members of the crew. Most recently, costume designer Graham Churchyard revealed that Thor's brother Balder the Brave almost wound up part of the line-up, with the character's costume making it to the prototype stage. The God of Thunder's less famous sibling was ultimately dropped from the Illuminati's roster before an actor was officially cast in the part or any scenes were shot, however.

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This creative decision spared Balder from being caught up in the infamous Illuminati massacre set piece that saw all the council's members (aside from Karl Mordo) slaughtered by the Scarlet Witch. That said, comments by Waldron suggest that Balder's would-be teammates nearly made it out of the Doctor Strange sequel alive too, as early story treatments had Wanda Maximoff remain a hero until the end of the movie.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently streaming on Disney+.

Source: Empire, via The Direct