Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange (2016) co-writer C. Robert Cargill stated in April 2016 that Marvel Studios felt some initial ideas for the film from him and director Scott Derrickson highlighted too much of the "weird stuff" associated with the comic book character Doctor Strange to feature in an origin story, but told the duo to hold onto them for potential future films.[36] Derrickson revealed in October that he had plans for a sequel, expressing his love for the character and the visual possibilities that come with him. Derrickson said the first film was "the tip of an iceberg. There's so much progress that can be made." He wanted to follow the example of The Dark Knight (2008) and introduce a villain in the sequel that would allow them to "go deep [and have] a more visceral experience". Star Benedict Cumberbatch had signed on for at least one more Doctor Strange film.[37] Derrickson expressed interest in featuring the villain Nightmare,[38] and further exploring the characters Jonathan Pangborn and Hamir after their small roles in the first film. He also explained that he was "kept in the loop" on how the Avengers films were using the character due to his close relationships with Joe Russo—the co-director of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019)—and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.[39] Doctor Strange co-writer Jon Spaihts expressed interest in seeing the character Clea appear in a sequel.[40]

In April 2017, Derrickson was reported to be returning for a sequel, beginning work after fulfilling his commitments to the television series Locke & Key.[42] By December 2018, Derrickson had quietly finalized a deal to direct the sequel, with Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, and Rachel McAdams reprising their respective roles of Dr. Stephen Strange, Wong, and Christine Palmer. Marvel was beginning to search for a writer,[9][43] with The Hollywood Reporter stating that the script would be written throughout 2019 for a planned filming start in early 2020 and a potential release in May 2021.[9] Feige and Derrickson officially announced the sequel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, revealing the title to be Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and confirming a release date of May 7, 2021.[16] Derrickson said he wanted the sequel to be the first scary Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and explore more of the gothic and horror elements from the comic books than the first installment did.[16][44] Feige revealed that the Disney+ series WandaVision (2021) would directly set up the film, with that series' star Elizabeth Olsen reprising her role of Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in the film.[16][45] Multiverse of Madness is set a few months after the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), in which Cumberbatch stars as Strange,[21][12] as well as being set after the first season of the series Loki (2021), which sets up the events of the film in its season finale, "For All Time. Always."[46] After that episode was released, Tom Hiddleston was reported to be reprising his role as Loki in Multiverse of Madness.[47]

Jade Halley Bartlett, an "up-and-coming screenwriter", was hired to write the sequel's screenplay in October 2019.[48] In December, Feige described the multiverse as "the next step in the evolution of the MCU", and said this film would "crack it wide open" in a way that would have repercussions for the Disney+ series and the next films in Marvel Studios' Phase Four slate.[49] Later in the month, he clarified that the sequel would not be a horror film, as some reports had described it following the Comic-Con announcement, but it would be a "big MCU film with scary sequences". Feige compared these sequences to the films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Gremlins (1984), and Poltergeist (1982), and said Derrickson was good at being "legitimately scary" due to his background making horror films. Feige also revealed that the film would introduce several surprising new characters to the MCU, including one that Marvel Studios had been looking for a way to use in an MCU film for some time.[50]

In January 2020, Marvel Studios and Derrickson announced that he would no longer direct the film due to creative differences. In separate statements, they both said they were thankful for their collaboration so far and Derrickson would remain an executive producer on the film.[51] This was not expected to delay filming, which was set for May 2020.[51][52] Cargill explained that he and Derrickson conceived a story that went in a different direction from what Marvel wanted,[53] and the pair had not yet written a draft of the screenplay so the final film would not be derivative of their work.[54] Derrickson said leaving the film was a difficult decision, but he did not want to compromise on a film that was different from what he wanted to make. His choice to leave was made easier by the fact that he was able to immediately begin work on The Black Phone (2022), another film he wanted to make.[53] Feige echoed Cargill's explanation when he stated that though Marvel Studios and Derrickson did not agree on the creative direction of the film, their differences were not because Derrickson's take would have been a "no-holds-barred weird, gnarly, scary movie" similar to A24's films The Witch (2015) or Hereditary (2018) as had been reported. Feige said the studio loved that idea, and their intention with the film was for Strange to serve as a guide into a "much creepier side" of the MCU even after Derrickson's departure,[55] and for the film to explore the "mind-bending frightening side" of the multiverse.[56] Cumberbatch was not consulted regarding the director change and said he was sad to hear about it, but he respected the decision and how it was handled.[57]

Sam Raimi entered negotiations to take over as director by early February,[23] after being notified about the position, and was eager to pursue it.[58] At that time, Chiwetel Ejiofor was expected to reprise his role as Karl Mordo, McAdams was no longer expected to appear,[23] and Loki head writer Michael Waldron was hired to rewrite the film's script.[59][60] Raimi signed on to the film a few weeks later.[10] Raimi was reluctant to direct another Marvel superhero film after the mixed critical reaction to Spider-Man 3 (2007),[61] feeling he needed a break from that genre,[62] but accepted the job for the challenge of getting the film into production "right away" and because he is a fan of the Doctor Strange character and Derrickson's work on the first film.[61][62] Raimi was curious how making big-budgeted films changed since his prior film Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), and had to familiarize himself with the MCU storylines and characters for the film.[62] Waldron opted to conceive the script with Raimi from scratch instead of using the horror-influenced foundation that Derrickson had developed with Bartlett.[10][63][64] He used his experience from writing Rick and Morty, as it helped him "introduce these big sci-fi concepts in ways that were digestible, palatable to the audience and without getting them bogged down in the boring details", and Loki, as it helped him plan action scenes in detail beforehand,[65] and also watched Raimi's Spider-Man films (2002–2007) so he could "identify his strengths" and what he excels at and write toward them.[66] Marvel Studios production and development manager Richie Palmer said Waldron's work on Loki, in which he explored the multiverse and introduced the concept of variant characters, allowed Marvel Studios to "jump into telling a good story" without having to re-explain those ideas for the audience. Palmer also said Waldron was able to bring "a lot of heart to [the] sci-fi concepts" and carried over that approach from Loki to the film.[67] Raimi noted that after No Way Home saw characters from other universes enter the MCU, Multiverse of Madness would highlight characters from the MCU entering the multiverse and exploring different universes, seeing how similar or not they were to the MCU.[21] Waldron ensured the film was personal as they expanded the scope and the stakes with the multiverse, which he noted gave the opportunity to have the characters confront "what ifs" and alternate versions of themselves and other characters to mirror them. He said the multiverse shaped the "emotional heart" of the film's story, explaining that it was being used to explore the characters' right or wrong choices between their alternate versions in thrilling and emotionally complex ways, rather than using the multiverse as a MacGuffin for the film. Waldron watched Doctor Strange several times, saying he became a "student" of that film, to understand Strange's story and how the character developed in the first film and through his other MCU appearances until No Way Home.[68] Raimi also praised Waldron's work on the script, and felt he contributed a lot to the script, due to his "absolute awareness of Marvel history" and "incredible imagination", and noted that his script focused on the character interactions that "show them for who they are and what their problems are". He also added that "[Michael] loves that Doctor Strange is a little bit of an egotist and has a problem with insecurity".[58] Raimi said Strange begins in Multiverse of Madness as a potentially too "very self-assured" person who believes he is the one "best in control of all the decisions" and that he "has the most faith in himself" with "not so much" faith in others. He said Strange "learns to let go a little bit" in this film, and that "it's not all about him" and that "he can trust others".[69] Waldron also noted Strange's growth as a character throughout the MCU, and said "he's kind of at the height of his powers" in the film.[70] Script supervisor Joe Beckett said the film would be dark,[71] Wong called the script "cracking",[72] and Waldron described Multiverse of Madness as Raimi's return to "big superhero movies" with every aspect of a Sam Raimi film.[64]

Waldron worked closely with Olsen and WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer to continue Maximoff's story in the film and ensure it was a satisfying continuation of the series, while Raimi also studied the series to make sure the film maintained "a proper through line and character-growth dynamic" for her character.[52] After a planned appearance by Cumberbatch in WandaVision was removed late in the development of the series, rewrites to the Multiverse of Madness script were required which Feige described as a "wonderful combination of very dedicated coordination, and chaos".[73] These changes include how Strange and Maximoff meet in the film.[7] The story of Multiverse of Madness is still set up by WandaVision, but the film was developed to also work for viewers who did not watch the series.[74] The creative team also saw early production work for the animated series What If...? to learn how Strange was portrayed in that series.[75] For consistency with the Darkhold book, the current depiction of which being first seen in WandaVision but with more screen time in Multiverse of Madness, the film's props department designed the prop for the series to use and then reused that same prop for the film.[76]

In late March, pre-production work was taking place remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[77] with filming still on track to begin in May 2020.[52] At the start of April, Disney shifted much of their Phase Four slate of films due to the pandemic, moving Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's release date to November 5, 2021.[78] It was shifted again to March 25, 2022, after Sony Pictures rescheduled Spider-Man: No Way Home to the November 2021 date.[79] Ejiofor confirmed his involvement in late June 2020, by which time production on the film had been delayed by the pandemic.[80] In early October, Cumberbatch confirmed that pre-production work had continued and revealed that filming would start in London, England by the end of the month or in early November.[81][82] Later in October, Xochitl Gomez joined the cast.[83] Although a national lockdown in England was announced from November 5 to December 2 due to increased COVID-19 cases, film shoots were not impacted.[84] The pandemic delays gave Waldron and Raimi more time to develop the film as their own and push it in a "slightly scarier direction", with Waldron feeling that Raimi had a strong track record making scarier films.[63][64] Afterwards, Raimi said that he was relieved by the pandemic delays, which caused him to be "very rushed and panicked", as the strict schedule for writing the script required he write a script before production began. During this period, Waldron, Palmer, and the production team worked alongside with Raimi to help revise the script.[58]

Principal photography began in November 2020 in London,[85][86] under the working title Stellar Vortex,[87] with John Mathieson serving as cinematographer.[10] Mathieson shot the film with Panavision DXL2 IMAX-certified cameras.[88] Filming was delayed from an initial May 2020 start date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[52] Olsen began filming her scenes by November 25,[86] shooting back-to-back with WandaVision,[89] and found it odd to transition from the series back to starring in an MCU film.[90][91] At the beginning of December, filming was taking place at Longcross Studios in Longcross, Surrey.[92] Blocks of New York were also created on the backlots of the Longcross Studios, while addition set builds featuring the Sanctum Sanctorum were also built in the studios by production designer Charlie Woods.[93] McAdams soon signed on to return as Palmer,[27] shortly before Feige officially confirmed her involvement on December 10 along with that of Ejiofor, Wong, and Gomez. He also revealed that Gomez would portray America Chavez.[94][95] Palmer said Marvel Studios had been trying to incorporate the character into the MCU for a long time,[24] including early plans to include her in Spider-Man: No Way Home,[96] and they knew that Multiverse of Madness would be a good place to introduce her since her powers are related to the multiverse.[24] Chavez's co-creator Joe Casey was not paid for the character's appearance in the film after he rejected a compensation offer from Marvel Comics that he described as a "pittance".[96] Cumberbatch had begun filming his scenes by then, after completing his work on No Way Home.[86][97][98]

Olsen shot for three weeks before increased restrictions near the end of December and another lockdown in England was announced from January 6, 2021. She said filming had been put on hold due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom.[99][100] Filming resumed by mid-March when Cumberbatch said they were in the middle of production,[97] and Ejiofor began filming his scenes in London by then.[101] Filming occurred at Broomfield Hill Car Park in Richmond Park for the week of March 25.[102] Shooting took place at Freemasons Church in Central London for a few weeks in April.[103] On April 15, Feige said they were in the final week of filming,[104] with shooting taking place from that day until April 17 at Burrow Hill Cider Farm in Somerset. Jett Klyne and Julian Hilliard, who respectively portrayed Maximoff's sons Tommy and Billy in WandaVision, were reportedly on set at the farm,[105] and confirmed to be appearing in April 2022.[29] The production did not suffer any COVID-19-related setbacks when filming resumed in early 2021, though Cumberbatch had to pause filming temporarily after being in close contact with a member of the production who had a false positive test.[57]

Many of the actors, including Olsen,[106] Cumberbatch,[57] and Wong, were excited to be working with Raimi.[72] The director was able to use his preferred camera techniques on the film,[106][57] such as using the camera and perspective to create a feeling of anxiety for audiences,[107] and encouraged improvisation.[57][72] He elaborated on the subject of improvisation, adding that the cast could adapt their interactions due to their knowledge of their own characters, and that the script often changed briefly before filming began.[108] Raimi said many "dimensionalized visuals" were used during shooting to tell the film's story.[56] Cumberbatch said the film was more collaborative than his previous MCU appearances, for which he felt like he was "just along for the ride".[109] Olsen added that they were going for a "horror show vibe", describing the film as "bonkers",[110] and comparing it to Raimi's Evil Dead films with aspects of the horror genre such as "constant fear". She felt it was "more than a glossy Indiana Jones movie" and would be darker than those films,[111][107] adding that Raimi was trying to make "the scariest Marvel movie",[90][91] and "creating as much tension for the audience".[56] Cumberbatch said the ending was "up in the air" when filming began, and that it took some time for the team to decide on the ending, which would tie "together everyone's journeys through this film".[112]

Bob Murawski and Tia Nolan serve as editors of the film.[113][114] Some additional photography for the film had been completed by mid-September 2021,[115] with Olsen and Wong completing their work.[115][72] In October, the film was once again delayed to May 6, 2022.[116] Later that month, Cumberbatch said they were in the middle of additional photography, with further reshoots set for November and December,[117] over at least six weeks in Los Angeles. The Hollywood Reporter said the additional photography and reshoots were "significant", including two weeks dedicated to principal photography that could not be completed previously because of actor availability issues, with additional material being filmed because of the COVID-related slowdowns during the initial shoot.[118] Cumberbatch confirmed the reshoots were being used to make adjustments to already shot material, while also filming parts that "were just impossible to do [during principal photography] because of logistics, COVID etc."[119] The Hollywood Reporter later reported that the reshoots would allow the film to have "more fun with the multiverse" by adding more cameo appearances and variants of established characters, similar to No Way Home and the first season of Loki.[120] The film's teaser trailer was released in late December and confirmed the involvement of Michael Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West, reprising his role from Doctor Strange,[26] and that Cumberbatch would portray multiple versions of Strange in the film.[12] The reshoots wrapped during the week of December 13,[120] but additional filming continued in early January 2022. The latter was completed on January 8.[121] By the end of the month, Raimi had assembled a cut of the film that would be presented to test audiences, and said there was potential for more reshoots to occur if the test screenings found that clarification or improvement was needed.[122]

Patrick Stewart, who portrayed Charles Xavier / Professor X in the X-Men film series, was revealed to be appearing in the film in an undisclosed role with the film's trailer in February 2022;[123][13] Stewart was believed to be reprising the role of Xavier,[124] which had previously been the subject of speculation.[13] A poster for the film, released at the same time, additionally teased the inclusion of Captain Carter, a character who was introduced in What If...?.[125] Stewart confirmed shortly after that he appears in the film,[126] after previously denying the voice heard in the trailer was his.[127] Palmer stated that though audiences "may have heard something familiar doesn't mean it's someone you have seen before".[128] The trailer also revealed that Topo Wresniwiro would reprise his role of Hamir from Doctor Strange.[31][30] A creature resembling prominent Doctor Strange villain Shuma-Gorath appears in the film, but it is given the name Gargantos, which comes from a different comic book character, because the rights to the name Shuma-Gorath belong to Heroic Signatures.[33] Palmer cautioned against assumptions based on the trailer that the Illuminati—a secret society from the comics that Xavier is involved with—would be appearing in the film, and noted that if Marvel Studios were to introduce the group they would be a "more MCU-driven" version rather than a direct adaptation of the comic book line-up;[128] the Illuminati was confirmed to be appearing in the film in March.[129] Cumberbatch was working on further reshoots in the United Kingdom by March 13.[130] The cosmic entity the Living Tribunal makes a brief appearance.[131]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earned $27.2 million from 20 markets on its opening day, surpassing the first-day overall results of Doctor Strange (2016) by 153% and The Batman (2022) by 210%, but falling behind Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) by 4%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the film had the best opening day in the Philippines and Thailand, both earning $1.2 million, and had the second-best opening day in Hong Kong, Vietnam, France, Germany, and Italy. In Japan, the film had the second-highest non-local opening day during the pandemic, becoming the third best premiere for any MCU release in the country behind Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Disney held the record for the second-highest opening day release in South Korea, behind Avengers: Endgame. In Malaysia, the film earned $1.6 million on its opening day to become the second highest in the country's industry history. Aside from opening-day records, the film earned $10.3 million from its previews in Latin America. As of May 5, 2022, the film's largest markets are South Korea ($5.9 million), Japan ($3.8 million), France ($3 million), Italy ($2.2 million), and Germany ($1.8 million).[169]

The film had the most ticket presales through Fandango since Spider-Man: No Way Home.[170] In April 2022, Boxoffice Pro projected the film could earn between $190–210 million in the United States and Canada on its opening weekend, with a total domestic gross of $450–560 million.[171] By the week of its release, debut estimates were $160–180 million from 4,400 theaters (the most venues of the pandemic), with some projecting as much as $200 million.[2]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 226 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The website's consensus reads, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness labors under the weight of the sprawling MCU, but Sam Raimi's distinctive direction casts an entertaining spell."[172] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100 based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[173]

Don Kaye of Den of Geek gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, feeling that it would "please the legions of established fans by embracing the comic book weirdness of it all with vigor and abandon, as Sam Raimi creates possibly the MCU's most off-the-wall entry yet". He praised Raimi's directing style of the film that he regarded as "the most singularly identifiable vision of an MCU director" since James Gunn directing Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He also praised Olsen's performance which brought a "real, palpable, heartbreaking grief to the part along with an electrifying single-mindedness" and McAdams' appearance which was "given more to do" in the film, but felt Gomez' role was "reduced to the role of exposition machine in the course of the film's events".[174] Owen Gleiberman of Variety felt that the film was "a ride, a head trip, a CGI horror jam, a what-is-reality Marvel brainteaser and, at moments, a bit of an ordeal. It’s a somewhat engaging mess, but a mess all the same." He found Raimi's direction in a number of scenes in the film had "the companionable spirit and shifting imagistic flair he showed in the first two Spider-Man films".[175] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly praised Raimi's take on Doctor Strange and direction, saying the film felt like "many disparate and often deeply confusing things — comedy, camp horror, maternal drama, sustained fireball" but different from previous MCU films; Greenblatt called this experience "wildly refreshing", having been 23 films into the MCU.[176] Deadline Hollywood's Pete Hammond also praised Raimi's direction and storytelling, which he thought was a "successfully entertainingly" mix of "kind of dark, terrifying" storytelling with established MCU characters, and felt it was similar to his previous horror films, such as The Evil Dead (1981).[177] Amelia Emberwing at IGN rated it a 7 out of 10 and said that there was "something about this newest chapter" of the MCU, concluding that the film was "a Sam Raimi film through and through".[178] The Hollywood Reporter's John Defore wrote that, while longtime Raimi fans may "be deflated" by an early scene in Multiverse of Madness, the director shows flashes of his "distinctive style" in the following scenes. He also thought the film was "unsatisfying in some respects", but praised the final act, which he felt starts to "play more to Raimi's strengths – [it's] looser, more kinetic and occasionally goofy despite [the] big stakes".[179] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, and also praised the film for Raimi's direction. He called the film an "alternately goofy and grisly story that pauses every so often to unleash a tidal wave of grief". Chang praised the performances, particularly Cumberbatch's and Olsen's, while also praising the visuals and the film's approach to the multiverse, which he felt allowed it to "pose a few playful questions about fate, predestination and human decency", and its difference from traditional "quip-a-minute tone that is the Marvel enterprise’s preferred comic idiom".[180] Empire's Dan Jolin rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, praising Raimi's direction and the action sequences, which he felt were creative, and felt the film was "Marvel's most deranged and energetic movie yet, as much of a winning comeback for director Sam Raimi as it is a mega-budget exercise in universal stakes-raising."[181] David Sims from The Atlantic called the film "surprisingly good" and also praised Raimi's direction, remarking that he was glad to "see space for a real genre auteur amid all the multiversal machinations" in the MCU, though he criticized the pacing and the cast.[182]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, and gave the film a critical but mostly positive review. He concluded his review by saying that "infinite realities tend to reduce the dramatic impact of any one single reality, and reduces what there is at stake in a given situation. Nonetheless, it’s handled with lightness and fun".[183] IndieWire's David Ehrlich also gave a more critical review, as he felt that Doctor Strange's character had been "diluted" after the events of No Way Home, and said "slowly, gradually, and then with great enthusiasm, what begins as a staid tale of people hurling CGI at larger pieces of CGI while yammering on about whatever new thing is threatening all existence evolves into something less familiar: A violent, wacky, drag-me-to-several-different-hells at once funhouse of a film". He remarked that he thought Raimi's style in the film was "not enough to make Multiverse of Madness a great movie, ... it was enough to make it a real Sam Raimi movie".[184] Brian Tallerico for RogerEbert.com, however, rated the film 2 out of 4 stars, and gave it a negative review, feeling the film was "sewn together from pieces of other films, comic books, and TV shows and given life with the electricity of a Marvel budget" and labelled it a "Frankenstein movie". He criticized the characterization in the film, and felt that "the story keeps coming back to incredibly shallow character traits like Wanda’s grief, Strange's unspoken love for Christine, or America's uncertainty about her own powers" instead of focusing on the potential of the multiverse, and criticized the use of CGI, though he added that the film did contain Raimi's "visual flair".[185] Alonso Duralde of TheWrap also gave a negative review, comparing the film's use of the multiverse to that of Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), and wrote "Daniels' boldly inventive indie movie explodes with wit and nerve and character – most of which are prominently missing from this latest MCU adventure", and also criticized the screenplay of the film, which he thought was "so crowded with plot and characters and magical doodads that there's no room for the characters", though he praised Elfman's score and the visuals.[186]