This Epic Concept Was Cut From BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite quite literally opened up the universe of the BioShock series in more ways than one. With the introduction of Elizabeth as one of the main protagonists, we learned more about the concept of Tears, which were holes in the fabric of reality. By opening a Tear, one could see into parallel universes. A few characters could interact with the Tears further, bringing items through from the other side and otherwise manipulating reality to their needs.
It appears as though there were even more grotesque plans for the Tears during Infinite's development. To that point, Reddit user supremedalek925 has shared an interesting piece of concept art that may not be for the squeamish.
At some point in the game's development, there were plans to feature characters who had "become disfigured due to merging with their self from another dimension." This is illustrated with an image of a man with two faces on his head, complete with two lolling tongues. It's horrific and intriguing, leading one to wonder just how it could have possibly been incorporated into the game.
How would this concept have worked in Bioshock Infinite?
The most obvious way this concept could make it into BioShock Infinite is to have these disfigurements be the result of characters attempting to use the Tears for their own nefarious goals, only to have it backfire. "Mad science gone wrong" is kind of a hallmark of the BioShock franchise. The first two games showed us denizens of Rapture who had warped themselves beyond recognition by abusing Plasmids and Vigors. It would make sense for the characters in Infinite to follow suit in tragic ways.
However, that similarity to previous disfigured enemies may be why the idea was scrapped. As mentioned previously, BioShock Infinite is incredibly ambitious in scope. It took the franchise in new directions that were unexpected. It seemingly attempts to stand on its own within the franchise at every turn. In fact, some have argued that the game tried too many new things and ended up not feeling like the series fans came to know and love.
You can snag The BioShock Collection and judge for yourself. However, it'll probably be hard to play through Infinite now without thinking about the horrors that could have been.