Director Sam Raimi, who helmed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, said that Marvel Studios allowed him complete creative control -- though there was a major caveat.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Raimi explained that, while Marvel allowed him "complete creative freedom," Multiverse of Madness still had to "follow so many things in Marvel lore." He said, "[...] even though I had complete freedom, the previous movies and where Marvel wants to go in the future really directed the path in an incredibly specific way. Within those parameters, I have freedom, but I've got to tell the story of those characters in a way that ties in with all of the properties simultaneously."
As an example, Raimi pointed out that Multiverse of Madness is intended to follow the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. "We had to make sure, for instance, that Doctor Strange didn't know more than he had learned about the multiverse from No Way Home," he said. "And yet we had to make sure he wasn’t ignorant of things that he had already learned. So everything was dictated by what had become before."
According to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, he and his team recently returned from a retreat where they mapped out the next decade of the MCU. "In the next 10 years, with existing characters and new characters and new storytelling tools with the multiverse, anything can happen," he said. Feige did not reveal any details regarding characters or storylines that might appear in the next 10 years of the MCU.
Multiverse of Madness will also tie directly into two of Marvel's Disney+ series, WandaVision and Loki, both of which dealt heavily with the multiverse. However, while the Doctor Strange sequel will delve further into the multiverse, writer Michael Waldron has explained that the multiverse will not be used as a plot device or a "MacGuffin," and instead will act as the film's emotional core.
Following the success of No Way Home, it was reported that Multiverse of Madness would have "more fun with the multiverse," with reshoots including even more cameos and character introductions than originally intended. Among the possible cameos are an appearance from Patrick Stewart as Professor X as part of the Illuminati and an appearance from Captain Carter, who was introduced in Marvel's What If...? series. The film will also see the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez, and the return of Scarlet Witch following WandaVision and Karl Mordo following the first Doctor Strange film.
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives in theaters on May 6.
Source: Rolling Stone