Tony Todd Actually Did Voice Work for Dormammu in DOCTOR STRANGE But Marvel Didn't Use It
I enjoyed the showdown between Doctor Strange and the villain Dormammu in Scott Derrickson's film. It was a very fun, clever, and unique showdown that only a character like Doctor Strange could pull off.
Benedict Cumberbatch actually provided the voice of Dormammu in the film, which I thought was interesting because he played both hero and villain in the same movie. But, there was another actor who recorded the voice work for Dormammu, and that was Tony Todd (Candyman), who has a very distinct and menacing voice. Todd revealed the news himself in an interview with Comic Book Resources in which he said:
"I have to tell you about one recent disappointment. I almost did Doctor Strange. I went in to do a session to play Dormammu. Benedict [Cumberbatch] had already recorded it but the producers wanted another voice just as an alternative. We did a six-hour session and then two weeks before the movie came out they let me know that they went back to the original choice. I say this just to point out to everybody that you’ve got to roll and sway with all these punches and waves that come at you. Did I cry? No. I understood. I was disappointed at the value that I lost — people going, 'Dude, are you Dormammu?' [Laughs] But there’ll be another Dormammu."
That's kind of a bummer. Upon learning that Todd actually recorded the voice work for the film, that's a version of the character that I would love to hear! I can't help but think that Todd's version of the villain would have been amazing, but the studio still decided to take it in another direction.
I have no idea if we'll ever hear Todd's version of the character, but I hope that one day we will. He's just got such an incredible voice, and I'm a little shocked that they didn't end up using it. I just keep imagining it in my head, and it's awesome! One of his most recent voice projects was providing the voice of Zoom in The CW's The Flash.
Hopefully one day Marvel does find a role for him in one of their upcoming movies!