Doctor Strange 2 Had Numerous Versions of Scenes Planned Due to Pandemic, Says Star

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is about to shake up the MCU like never before.

The Season 1 finale of Loki left viewers breathless as thousands of timelines branched off and opened the highly anticipated multiverse. The plot of Doctor Strange's sequel is still largely unknown. However, with the film's March 2022 release date getting closer and closer, more pieces have started to come together.

It is known that Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff, who officially transformed into the all-powerful Scarlet Witch at the end of Marvel Studios' first Disney+ series, WandaVision, will be alongside Benedict Cumberbatch as they battle the threats of the multiverse together.

Sam Raimi, best known in the comic book movie industry for his highly successful Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s, was brought on to direct the film after Scott Derrickson's departure. With a background in the movie industry's horror genre, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is said to have numerous horror elements, with Elizabeth Olsen even teasing that "it's old Sam Raimi."

Wong actor Benedict Wong added his own comments about the sequel at the red carpet premiere of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, building even more anticipation for the film's upcoming release.

DOCTOR STRANGE 2'S MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF SCENES

Marvel

Actor Benedict Wong spoke with Marvel Studios on the red carpet at the premiere of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

He was asked if there was anything that he could say about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where he joked that "it should be called Doctor Strange and the Multi-schedule," referring to the struggles of making the film during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also added that, at times, they would have to shoot "three versions" of "various different scenes" before optimistically ending by saying that they are "nearly finished:"

"I think it should be called Doctor Strange and the Multi-schedule. You know, with the amount of... Honestly, we literally didn't know... Sometimes you'd have, like, three versions of doing various different scenes, COVID-permitting. So yeah, we're nearly there, we're nearly finished."

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTISCENES OF MADNESS

The worldwide pandemic has really put a strain on Marvel Studios and the entire film industry.

The studio wants to continue operating while still being as safe as possible, and it isn't surprising that it has had a rough schedule during filming. However, the fact that it has had to shoot multiple variations of the same scene may not only be due to COVID-19.

Other films have taken the same sort of approach while filming to ensure that nothing gets leaked about the movie that is being worked on. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo revealed that they filmed up to five different endings for the blockbuster so that if fans were to hear or see a leak, they would be thrown off.

The pandemic could have caused this to happen in the Benedict Cumberbatch sequel, but it is also possible that Sam Raimi and his team are taking the same approach as the Russos did so viewers will go into the movie without any guarantees of what will happen.

It is extremely relieving and welcoming to hear Wong confidently say that they are "nearly finished" with the film. As the release date of Spring 2022 gets closer, marketing for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will likely start to ramp up in the near future.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to debut in theaters on March 25, 2022.