Doctor Strange: How The Sanctum Santorum Was Created

When you think about Doctor Strange, an image of the hero's Sanctum Sanctorum must come to mind. The swanky pad is a staple of the series and sits in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village. Over the years, the Sanctum Sanctorum has undergone all sorts of renovations that have updated its style. And, according to Charles Wood, the townhouse will be getting yet another renovation in Doctor Strange.

ComicBook.com visited the set of Doctor Strange earlier this year and met with the production designer to talk about the Sanctum Sanctorum. When asked about the iconic locale, Charles said it was probably the most important space they worked on.

"[The Sanctum Sanctorum] was probably the most important space we've got, the most iconic space," he said. The designer said his team relied on the Doctor Strange comics as a guide to help them create their version of the homy headquarters.

Charles explained, "When you walk into the Sanctum Sanctorum you can either do two things, you can walk into it and your experience could be, "This is what it is, it's a great looking place, it's kind of weird," or you can walk into it and be blown back a bit. We try to do the second part of that. We hope. It's a strange world, but it should be."

According to the designer, the Sanctum Sanctorum will have a very distinctive look on-screen compared to its comic book counterpart. Charles said his team struggled to find that "line when you're not pushing it so far that is becomes unacceptable" but that they found it in the end.

As for what that result looks like, Charles says fans will have to wait and see. The designer kept quiet about what the Sanctum Sanctorum looks like in real-life. When he was asked whether the pad would keep its "sort of Bohemian, beatnik-y" vibe, Charles answered with a vague workaround.

"You're going to have to wait. I couldn't possibly tell you that. It's a good question," he said. "I'm going to get in trouble. It's unexpected, let's put it like that. Sorry."

Earlier this year, Marvel Studios did release some concept art of the well-known townhouse. The art showed off a shadowy side of the locale and featured the Sanctum's large, circular window. The piece had an earthy yet almost steampunk vibe to it, so fans have only become more interested to see the iconic set come to life.

Marvel's Doctor Strange follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City's Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.

Doctor Strange will hit theaters on November 4 2016.