Expect to see all kinds of classic Sam Raimi charm and chaos when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters.
Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed in a new interview with Empire that the switch from former Doctor Strange filmmaker Scott Derrickson to Raimi altered Multiverse of Madness both tonally and aesthetically to fit Raimi’s skillset. “Once it became Sam, it was always about making it a Sam Raimi picture,” the actor noted. He also promised fans, “Your head’s going to be spun.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marks Sam Raimi’s first official Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, and his first superhero project since helming Spider-Man 3 in 2007. Fans will recall that Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy, which starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, marked the first successful adaptation of Spider-Man and his iconic supporting cast of villains on the big screen.
The Raimi-helmed Spider-Man 2 even featured an in-universe reference to Doctor Strange’s character, with J. Jonah Jameson’s employee Ted Hoffman (portrayed by Raimi’s brother Ted Raimi) proposing the name for Doctor Octopus’ villain moniker, only for Jameson to complain that “it’s taken.” Most recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home saw the return of Raimi’s Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus and Sandman, as well as marked Maguire’s return as that universe’s Spider-Man appearing alongside Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield’s incarnations.
After fans got their first look at Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a post-credit scene in No Way Home‘s post-credit scene, Marvel released a TV spot during the Super Bowl, followed by its second official trailer online. The trailer featured more of Dr. Stephen Strange, Wong and Wanda Maximoff dealing with the repercussions of a collapsing multiverse, including the debut of Young Avenger America Chavez and Lovecraftian-inspired being Shuma Gorath.
Another notable scene in the trailer depicted a handcuffed Strange being led to a room full of seated figures, with one person addressing him off-screen in a voice eerily similar to Sir Patrick Stewart. This moment, in particular, has led many fans to speculate that Multiverse of Madness will mark the MCU’s first appearance of Charles Xavier/Professor X — a role originated by Stewart in the live-action X-Men films.
The Multiverse of Madness trailers also teased multiple versions of Doctor Strange himself. In addition to the first trailer’s evil-looking Strange, these included Strange in his Defenders outfit and a What If…?-inspired Zombie version of Strange. Though it’s unclear if these characters are the same ones from Marvel’s animated series, Multiverse of Madness‘ poster also featured a brief image of Captain Carter’s shield, suggesting the What If…? hero might appear in the film.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6.
Source: Empire
About The Author
