Did The Revenant Originally Include Supernatural Plotlines?

Early drafts of 'The Revenant' apparently had way more spiritual woowoo—think animal guides and ancestor visions—but the final film strips it down to bare bones. What’s left is this eerie, almost religious vibe, like Glass is being tested by the wilderness itself. Those dream sequences? Pure gold. They hint at the supernatural without spelling it out, which is way more my jam. Sometimes less is more, and here, it makes every shadow feel alive.

I’ve obsessed over this movie’s production for years, and yeah, the supernatural angle was totally on the table early on. Script revisions chopped most of it, but remnants linger—like the way Glass’s breath fogs the camera like a ghostly presence. Even the bear attack feels mythic, like some ancient punishment. It’s cool how the film teases those ideas without committing. Makes the whole thing feel like a fever dream, which honestly fits better than full-blown fantasy. I’d kill to read those deleted scenes, though.

As a history buff who digs frontier stories, I always assumed 'The Revenant' was grounded in hardcore realism—until I stumbled into a deep dive about its development. Turns out, early versions of the script did flirt with supernatural themes, like Glass communing with animal spirits or visions guiding him. It makes sense when you think about the film’s visual language: those floating camera shots and the way nature feels alive, almost vengeful. But the final product keeps it ambiguous, which I respect. Too much fantasy might’ve undermined the grit of Glass’s suffering. Still, those dreamy sequences with his family? Pure magic realism. Makes you wonder if the editors left just enough to keep us questioning what’s real.

Man, 'The Revenant' is one of those films that feels like it could've gone either way with supernatural elements, given how brutal and surreal the survival story is. I remember reading about early drafts of the script, and there were whispers that it originally leaned into spiritual visions or even ghostly encounters—stuff inspired by Hugh Glass's real-life ordeal and Native American folklore. The final cut dialed it way back, though, leaving just those haunting dream sequences with Glass's wife. It’s funny how those moments still feel mystical, like the film’s toeing the line between reality and hallucination. Honestly, I kinda wish they’d kept more of that eerie vibe—it would’ve added another layer to Leo’s already intense performance.

That said, I get why they trimmed it. The story’s power comes from its raw, almost primal survival stakes. Tossing in overt supernatural stuff might’ve tipped it into 'frontier horror' territory, and that’s not what Iñárritu was going for. Still, part of me wonders what could’ve been if they’d fully embraced the weirdness. The book it’s based on, by Michael Punke, doesn’t go there either, but hey, creative liberties, right? Maybe someday we’ll get a director’s cut with deleted scenes of spirit bears or something.