First Doctor Strange 2 Set Photo Arrives As Filming Prepares To Wrap

Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has endured one of the more difficult productions in the franchise’s history, and only part of that is due to the Coronavirus pandemic necessitating several release date delays and a couple of shutdowns during filming.

Director Scott Derrickson was originally slated to return before either departing or being fired over creative differences depending on what you choose to believe, but you can’t deny that Sam Raimi is a more than adequate and perhaps even superior substitute. The Sorcerer Supreme’s second solo outing was initially set to hit theaters next month before being pushed back to November, and it’s now arriving in March 2022 following the Phase Four reshuffles, which will mark the longest gap ever between standalone MCU sequels after the first film was released in November 2016.

Shooting kicked off last fall without leading man Benedict Cumberbatch, who was busy on the other side of the world with Spider-Man: No Way Home, while Elizabeth Olsen jetted straight from WandaVision reshoots into Multiverse of Madness without even so much as a break. Now, Kevin Feige has confirmed that shooting is set to end this week, and the first set photo has coincidentally made its way online, which you can check out below.

It’s obviously not the most exciting image, but this one scene in particular is looking to cost almost $3 million, so there’s probably going to be a lot of CGI superhero shenanigans added in post-production. Plot details are still firmly under wraps, but based on the little we know so far, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is shaping up to be the weirdest and wildest entry in the long-running series yet.