England has gone into another national lockdown, and it's likely to remain that way until at least mid-February. While film and television productions are allowed to continue shooting, it sounds like Marvel Studios has decided to hit the pause button on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Talking on Jimmy Kimmel Live yesterday, WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen confirmed that she's currently based in the UK in order to work on the Doctor Strange follow-up which will see the Sorcerer Supreme team-up (or battle) with the Scarlet Witch, and the actress also shared some insight into why cameras have stopped rolling for the time being.
"Since the hospitals are overwhelmed here, we can't go back to work until that calms down," Olsen confirmed when asked about her role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. "[I'm] just safely hanging out here, and just really grateful I get to be working. Disney has kept me busy during quarantine!"
Work on the Sam Raimi-helmed sequel actually started sooner than expected, so it's unlikely this pause will result in another release date delay. Things are pretty bad in the UK right now, though, so it depends how long the hospitals remain overwhelmed and when Marvel Studios decides it's safe to start filming again.
We'll be sure to keep you updated, but this likely means Disney's other UK-based productions - like the live-action Little Mermaid - have been similarly paused in response to the pandemic.
Click on the "Next" button to take a look back at 10
amazing MCU moments fans never saw coming!
10. "What The Fu-" - Spider-Man: Homecoming, 2017
As Spider-Man: Homecoming nears its end, Peter Parker has turned down Tony Stark's offer to join The Avengers, rejected that snazzy Iron Spider costume, and instead gone back to his classic red and blues. Back in his bedroom, the web-slinger removes his mask and it's then that the unexpected happens.
In a moment no one could have predicted, Peter's Aunt may appears in the doorway behind her nephew and exclaims "What the fu-" as the credits roll with one heck of a cliffhanger.
Marvel Studios made us wait until Spider-Man: Far From Home to address how May reacted to her nephew being a superhero, though it's a shame we never got to see the conversation that followed. Kevin Feige loved this moment in the comic books, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that it made it to screen back in 2017.
9. How Nick Fury Lost His Eye - Captain Marvel, 2019
While it would be unfair to say that fans spent years wondering how Nick Fury lost his eye, it was certainly an unanswered question that generated frequent discussion. When it became clear that Captain Marvel would delve into the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director's past, it was inevitable that we'd finally get some answers, but who could have imagined it would play out like this?
Despite it looking like Fury might lose his eye at the hands of one of the Skrulls, it instead came when he was toying with Goose, an alien Flerken that just so happens to resemble a cat.
All it took was a single scratch, and Fury was left without both his eye and a nasty looking scar we first caught a glimpse of in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Making this moment a punchline didn't resonate with every fan, but we're betting you never predicted this would take place.
8. "I Am Iron Man" - Iron Man, 2008
It wasn't easy to choose between this and Samuel L. Jackson's surprise appearance as Nick Fury in that unforgettable post-credits scene, but Marvel Studios really established just how different their movies were going to be when Iron Man ended with this unexpected twist ending.
Rather than pretending that Iron Man was his bodyguard as his comic book counterpart did for all those years, Tony Stark told the world that "I Am Iron Man," and we really couldn't have asked for a more memorable ending for the opening chapter of what would one day become the MCU.
This was a moment handled perfectly by director Jon Favreau, and while some fans have been disappointed by the lack of secret identities in this shared world, this was still a great scene.
7. Agent Coulson's Death - The Avengers, 2012
Despite not being a character from the comic books, Agent Coulson was an immediate hit with moviegoers, and his recurring presence turned him into a legitimate fan-favourite by the time The Avengers started. That's perhaps what made this shocking moment hurt so damn much.
After playing a key role in assembling Earth's Mightiest Heroes for Nick Fury, Coulson was there to protect the team from Loki and used Destroyer tech to take the God of Mischief down.
Of course, Loki being Loki, he reappeared moments later and drove Chitauri Sceptre straight through the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Any hope of him being saved was soon gone, and everyone's jaws were left on the floor after seeing this hero meet his maker so soon into his MCU tenure.
6. S.H.I.E.L.D. Falls - Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014
By the time Captain America: The Winter Soldier rolled around in 2014, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still in its infancy in some ways, and we had only just started getting familiar with S.H.I.E.L.D.
The reveal that the spy organisation had been infiltrated by HYDRA made for a surprising plot twist on its own, but the fact Captain America was ultimately forced to ground S.H.I.E.L.D. and expose their secrets to the world alongside Black Widow meant Nick Fury's tenure as Director came to an end way sooner than any fan could have predicted or imagined.
Was it a mistake to get rid of S.H.I.E.L.D. this soon? An argument could definitely be made that there was more storytelling opportunities, but for shock factor alone, this moment is worthy of being here.
5. Vision Lifts Mjolnir - Avengers: Age Of Ultron, 2015
You probably think that Captain America lifting Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame is more deserving of a place on this list, but after it was teased in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it was a moment which wasn't necessarily expected, but one we all hoped to see would happen in the "Infinity Saga" finale.
After his creation, The Vision implores Earth's Mightiest Heroes to come together to put an end to Ultron once and for all, and as the team is getting ready to leave, he passes Mjolnir to Thor.
Proving that he's not on Ultron's side and is truly worthy of assembling next to the rest of The Avengers, this was a major moment for The Vision and one which established him as one of this shared world's biggest heroes. Not everyone loved it, but you can deny it was genuine surprise.
4. Everyone Dies - Avengers: Infinity War, 2018
Heading into Avengers: Infinity War, the stakes were obviously high, but fans were convinced that the sequel wouldn't necessarily revolve around the Mad Titan, especially with rumours that everyone from Annihilus to Galactus could be coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As a result, when Thor buried Stormbreaker into Thanos' chest, it looked like he would be defeated just in time (as is so often the case in superhero movies). Instead, the villain was still able to snap his fingers and unleash the power of the Infinity Stones to enact his deadly, terrible plan.
With that, beloved heroes like Black Panther, Bucky, Spider-Man, and Groot all turned to ash, shocking fans everywhere, and leaving us all wondering how they could possibly be resurrected.
3. "I Am Iron Man" (Again) - Avengers: Endgame, 2019
Of course, all those heroes would eventually be brought back from the dead thanks to The Hulk using the time-displaced Infinity Stones to bring back all the lives Thanos snuffed out five years earlier.
However, with the Mad Titan's forces overpowering Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Tony Stark was forced to take matters into his own hands (literally) when he donned the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped his own fingers - declaring "I Am Iron Man" one final time - to wipe out Thanos and his massive army.
We expected the hero to potentially meet his maker in Avengers: Endgame, but not like this, and not in a way that so perfectly referenced his first adventure in the MCU. The Russo Brothers nailed it.
2. Steve Rogers' Trip Through Time - Avengers: Endgame, 2019
Not all of you will necessarily agree with this topping poor Iron Man's end, but of all the ways fans imagined Captain America's story reaching its end, who could have imagined it would be this?
Heading back in time with the Infinity Stones to return them to their rightful place, it seemed like Steve Rogers was going to be sticking around for the foreseeable future...except he didn't come back. Instead, an old man wielding Captain America's shield returned to the present day, and it was then we learned he had decided to remain in the past to finally get his happy ending.
That beautiful final shot of Steve dancing with Peggy Carter couldn't have been any better, and is an ending for Chris Evans' Star Spangled Avenger we could have never predicted beforehand.
1. Spider-Man's Secret Identity Is Outed - Spider-Man: Far From Home, 2019
If your jaw wasn't on the floor after watching this mid-credits scene, we don't know what to say.
Based on rumours that had been doing the rounds, it seemed likely that we might get an Oscorp mention or something similar, but when a news report started playing near Madison Square Garden, it was hard to say what was coming next. Of course, you could have given any fan a million bucks and they wouldn't have guessed it would be the return of J.K. Simmons' J. Jonah Jameson!
As it that wasn't big enough, he proceeded to reveal that Mysterio had framed Spider-Man for his murder before telling the world that it's secretly Peter Parker beneath the wall-crawler's mask.
Simply amazing.