The Coronavirus pandemic has already wreaked havoc with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s release schedule, leaving fans dismayed at the entirety of Phase Four being reshuffled, but it’s also caused some production headaches when it comes to both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The overlapping shoots have been a logistical nightmare, with Elizabeth Olsen flying from Los Angeles to London to start work on the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel almost immediately after wrapping WandaVision‘s reshoots, while Benedict Cumberbatch finished up on Netflix’s The Power of the Dog in New Zealand before he pitched up in Atlanta to begin filming his scenes on Jon Watts’ web-slinging threequel.
Sam Raimi kicked off production on Multiverse of Madness without his leading man, who then joined up with the cast and crew after finishing on No Way Home, only for his solo sequel to get shut down due to increased COVID-19 protocols. Both MCU blockbusters are currently back in front of cameras at full speed, though, with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker set to swing into theaters just three months before Doctor Strange returns five and a half years after his solo debut.
As well as the dovetailing schedules, we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Bruce Campbell was set to cameo in Raimi’s film long before he basically confirmed it himself – that Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will also be set during the same time period narratively, although we haven’t been made privy to specifics.
This means that the multiverse could only be a major issue for the MCU’s superheroes for a short span of time, but enough to cause some serious problems for Doctor Strange, who may be forced to battle against Scarlet Witch and assist Spider-Man simultaneously across an infinite number of realities.
