Superhero sorcerer Stephen Strange sent Marvel Studios back to the top of the box office with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which had Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular hero explore the myriad dimensions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Not only did the film introduce a long list of new characters, but it also brought filmmaker Sam Raimi back to Marvel after the Evil Dead director helmed the original, pre-MCU trilogy of Spider-Man films. To no one’s surprise, Raimi delivered one of the franchise’s darkest, most horror-fueled films to date, complete with terrifying zombies, gruesome deaths, and Gargantos — a massive, tentacled creature from a nightmarish dimension that tore apart Manhattan in the movie’s wild, opening scene.

In order to bring that scene and others to life, Marvel relied on a host of visual effects studios that each focused on bringing certain scenes and elements of Multiverse of Madness to the screen. Digital Trends spoke to Olivier Dumont and Michael Perdew of VFX studio Luma Pictures, who served as the studio’s VFX supervisor and Senior VFX Producer, respectively, about their work on the Gargantos battle, as well as the visual redesign they developed with Marvel for the film’s magic. They also offered up some thoughts on a few of those Doctor Strange rumors that circulated well before the film arrived on screens.

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