An MCU fan’s look at the filming locations behind the Illuminati headquarters shows why Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessEarth-838 looks like in real life. After the events of WandaVisionScarlet Witch’s MCU journey took a dark turn thanks to the Darkhold, which corrupted Wanda Maximoff’s mind and led her to the MCU’s Earth-838 timeline in search of her children. Meanwhile, the Illuminati ignored Doctor Strange’s claims and underestimated Wanda’s power. Due to the Illuminati’s negligence, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Featuring some of the most brutal deaths in the MCU so far.
On his popular Instagram account Stepping through filmPhotographer Thomas Duke shares a few images of the real-life location where Wanda’s murder of the Earth-838 Illuminati took place, holding frames of the scene to compare it with the fictional setting of the movie. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ Illuminati HQ scenes were shot at the British Museum in London. Marvel used CGI to add a new room with a glass entrance, as well as some statues. Check out the pictures below:
What the Scarlet Witch Illuminati Battle Pictures Mean
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ filming locations show how movies are made
The real-life location used for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘Alternate universe Illuminati headquarters shows how easy it is to create sci-fi worlds. With enough creativity and a few subtle improvements, a place as well-known as the British Museum can look like a superhero team’s center of operations. The architecture of the British Museum fits the Illuminati’s elegant, ultra-pure aesthetics, and it contrasts with the bloodbath caused by the Scarlet Witch.
Elizabeth Olsen did not meet John Krasinski when filming her Illuminati scenes
In the description of his Instagram post, Thomas Duke mentions “The actors never actually filmed together?!”. Indeed, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was filmed in 2020 and 2021, through the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Illuminati actors have to film their parts separately, which is part of why they seem unfazed when each of their colleagues dies. According to the actor himself, Elizabeth Olsen did not meet John Krasinski when filming her Illuminati scenes, and she did not even know if Marvel had cast Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic yet at this point.
Our take on the Scarlet Witch Illuminati battle pictures
Marvel movies look very different from the final product behind the scenes
It’s common to hear how Marvel movies use and overuse green screens and CGI. However, there is more to superhero movies and shows than the cast wearing motion-capture suits on an empty green set. There are countless variables at play when creating projects as large as this Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. A rapidly rotating group of Illuminati candidates, inevitable rewrites and reshoots, and unforeseen delays caused the Doctor Strange Sequel to finding creative ways to shoot the Earth-838 scenes. Still, Scarlet Witch’s Illuminati massacre looks seamless on screen.
Source: Stepping through film / Instagram