The Marvel Cinematic Universe is on the verge of embarking on a journey into a new phase in its existence. On a literal level, the franchise will commence its Phase 3 films with the release of Captain America: Civil War, but on another level, it’s beginning a new era in which the old roster of Avengers will slowly be supplanted by newcomers. One of the most fascinating of these newcomers is the strange one – Stephen Strange that is.
The process of picking up details surrounding the Doctor Strange solo film has been challenging to say the least. However, a new photo has surfaced that could potentially tease a mysterious yet familiar location to fans of the source material.
Louis D’Esposito – co-president of Marvel Studios – Tweeted a telling photo from the set of the Sorcerer Supreme’s solo adventure. Check it out below:
On set with @scottderrickson and @stphnbrssrd #doctorstrange pic.twitter.com/rPVyVwY1Xu— Louis D’Esposito (@louisde2) December 14, 2015
The photo does not provide any further glimpses at Doctor Strange himself, or his real life counterpart Benedict Cumberbatch; D’Esposito explains in the comments of the photo that the actor was in costume and therefore couldn’t be shown to the general public. However, the photo does provide a good look at one of the film’s locations. It’s an ancient looking stone room covered in mystical markings and full of what look to be artifacts. The background shows green screen canvas indicating that wherever the location is intended to be, the filmmakers will make it even more exotic in post-production.
It’s difficult to say exactly what location this will be, but we have a couple guesses. One possibility could be that this location is Stephen Strange’s lair: The Sanctum Sanctorum. If that turns out to be the case, then the filmmakers will merely use the green screen to project the New York skyline, as The Sanctum Sanctorum is traditionally depicted as a three story townhouse in Lower Manhattan. The presence of the Symbol of Light on the door behind the men would seemingly confirm that hypothesis. However, another possibility is that this location will be the home of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and be used for flashback sequences telling the story of how Strange came to find himself under their tutelage.
Sitting on the table behind the men in the frame looks to be an artifact from Marvel lore known as the Eye of Agamotto. In the comics, this object left in the possession of Stephen Strange for safekeeping, and used to battle the demonic terror known as Dormammu. If the eye in the background is indeed the Eye of Agamotto, it could possibly indicate that Marvel is telegraphing a threat for future films even after The Avengers finally take down Thanos in the coming Infinity War arc.
Then again, seeing as Doctor Strange costar Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) is rumored to be playing Dormammu in the film, perhaps Stephen Strange will end up using the Eye of Agamotto sooner, rather than later.
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
Source: Louis D’Esposito
