Scooby-Doo's Original Ending Explained & Why Scrappy Became The Villain

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The live-action Scooby-Doo underwent multiple changes, with its original ending being altered to transform Scrappy-Doo into a villain. Despite its poor critical reception, Scooby-Doo has gained a cult following among those who grew up with the adaptation. However, the movie suffered several cuts and story changes, with one of the biggest additions being a new ending with Scrappy replacing two other villain plans.

Scooby-Doo ends with the gang disrupting the Daemon Ritus ritual, only to discover Scrappy is the evil mastermind behind the Spooky Island mystery. Debuting in 1979 as Scooby’s courageous nephew, Scrappy is notoriously viewed as a franchise blunder. The reveal that he is the live-action Scooby-Doo’s villain is a memorable twist, although it seems more like an in-joke than a logical decision.

Related: Scooby Doo's R-Rated Cut: 8 Details & Deleted Scenes Revealed

The R-rated cut of Scooby-Doo had the demons originate from outer space, and this would have played into the movie’s original ending. Speaking on the DVD audio commentary, the director and producers recalled their desire to choose a villain connected to the gang over an “anonymous monster.” Except that test audiences weren’t thrilled with Scrappy’s evil depiction, resulting in two endings being shot, one of which would have brought back the Luna Ghost/Old Man Smithers (Nicholas Hope).

According to director Raja Gosnell, an early draft of Scooby-Doo featured an entirely different villain, albeit one who made far more sense combined with the Daemon Ritus plot. Although he didn’t elaborate on the Scooby-Doo movie's original villain plan, Gosnell did reveal, “This monster flew down from the sky and he was going to use the ultimate power to rule the world.”