delayed all of next year’s Marvel MCU movies a few days ago. Kevin Feige explained that there was no cause for concern. Production issues simply pushed the release dates back. And fans will have to wait a few months longer for new movies after Spider-Man: No Way Home premieres. That’s assuming the next Spidey movie makes its December 17th release date. It so happens that the first movie to follow Spider-Man 3 is Doctor Strange 2, which is easily one of the most exciting movies of Phase 4. Feige did not detail the production issues, but an insider said the sequel needed significant reshoots.
It turns out she was right, as Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed that reshoots are in order. The actor played Doctor Strange in the first movie and several other MCU films, including the last two Avengers installments. He knows better than to reveal any spoilers in interviews. But the same leaker claims to know what Marvel wants out of these reshoots. You’ll want to avoid what follows if you hate MCU spoilers.
The Doctor Strange 2 reshoots leak
Soon after Feige said the MCU Phase 4 delays are no big deal, YouTuber Grace Randolph offered more details about the inner workings at Marvel. According to her, both No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness have some story issues. These are conclusions that followed test screenings, Randolph reported.
It might be too late to fix No Way Home, which also happens to be a Sony movie. But Marvel has plenty of time for Doctor Strange 2 reshoots. Randolph also said that the VFX teams working on these MCU movies are on a tight schedule, and there’s a lot of pressure on ensuring the special effects are exceptional. The focus appears to be Spider-Man 3 at the time.
No Way Home post-production will take longer because of the reshoots, she said. Randolph didn’t offer any specifics about what Marvel wanted to change in Doctor Strange 2. But she said that the studio decided to add in a lot more cameos. Marvel felt that they were “too light on Easter eggs to please fans. This is supposed to be the Multiverse of Madness, not the Multiverse of Meh.”
As a reminder, early Doctor Strange 2 leaks said that the film will have a lot of crazy cameos, being a multiverse movie. Since then, we saw a massive leak that gave us the entire film plot, including some of the wild cameos and the villains — we’ve recapped them at this link.
But you might not necessarily be familiar with the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness plot leaks. So this is your final spoiler warning for what follows below.
Cumberbatch’s interview and the big reshoot spoiler
Cumberbatch appeared on the Today Show earlier this week with co-star Claire Foy to talk about The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. But if you’re an MCU star, you’re bound to have to answer questions about your Marvel character, and that’s precisely what happened during the segment.
Asked about the Doctor Strange 2 movie, Cumberbatch confirmed the reshoots, without revealing any real details:
Very excited [about the sequel]. Sam Raimi’s at the helm, so expect extraordinary things, and yeah, we’re in the middle of making it even better. We’ve got some reshoots coming up in November and December, and then it comes out in May, and I guess you’ll have to wait until then.
Cumberbatch babysat Tom Holland during previous press tours to ensure that he wouldn’t spoil Avengers secrets. He’s not going to share any Multiverse of Madness reshoots spoilers.
But Randolph comes to the rescue with an unexpected tidbit about the Doctor Strange 2 reshoots.
I also hear today they're going to tone down #Wanda a bit so she isn't so totally evil, and a little less bloody.
Basically, do a better job mixing #SamRaimi's sensibility with the #MCU's.
I'm sure it will turn out great!
— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) October 25, 2021
The big Doctor Strange 2 villain
Apparently, Marvel wants to tone down Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) so “so she isn’t so totally evil, and a little less bloody.” That’s on top of adding “a ton more Easter egg characters.”
Given that Randolph was the first to report the Doctor Strange 2 reshoots, the Wanda information is probably accurate.
If you’re familiar with all the Doctor Strange 2 leaks, then you probably know Wanda is the big bad villain of the film. She will do some unspeakable things for her children, which is very much in line with her character. Let’s remember Wanda started as an anti-hero in the MCU. And we’ve had plenty of time to discover her darker side over the past few years.
WandaVision started exploring Wanda’s darkness, showing us how the last few years impacted her mental well-being. She might have come to her senses by the end of the TV show, but it’s not hard to see what would send her over the line again — hint: it’s in the show’s post-credits.
Wanda going rogue, or full villain, is something we’ve expected all along. Just like we expect her to redeem herself after Doctor Strange 2.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres on May 6th, 2022.
