“I had seen ‘Iron Man,’ the first ‘Avengers,’ ‘Black Panther,’ and ‘Doctor Strange,’ and little clips of the other movies,” Raimi told Fandango. “They’ve made 28 movies. I’ve only really seen four or five.” But Raimi was a lifelong “giant fan” of the Marvel comic books, especially from the 1970s through 1990s. “I was super familiar with the characters, and their stories, and their interactions,” Raimi added. “That’s what the Marvel movies are based on.” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” picks up where record-breaking “Spider-Man: No Way Home” left off: Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has created a tear in the universe, and other iterations of characters are now overlapping — i.e. the three Spider-Men, played by Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire. “Multiverse of Madness” is in theaters May 6.
And Raimi is already looking ahead, teasing that “anything is possible” in the MCU, including a fourth Raimi Spider-Man film. “I love Tobey [Maguire]. I love Kirsten Dunst. I think all things are possible,” Raimi said. “I don’t really have a story or a plan. I don’t know if Marvel would be interested in that right now. I don’t know what their thoughts are about that. I haven’t really pursued that. But it sounds beautiful.” In short, Raimi would “absolutely” return to the MCU again. “It’s like the world’s best toy box to be able to play at Marvel,” he said. “I’d love to come back and tell another tale, especially with the great management they’ve got there.” While Raimi “couldn’t promise” that certain rumored MCU Easter eggs exist, including Patrick Stewart making an appearance as Professor X, the director did let on that the film is a “journey into the multiverse” with many Doctor Stranges and multiple Wanda Maximoffs (Elizabeth Olsen). “It’s a great challenge for them and great fun to direct them playing these altered versions of themselves,” Raimi said. “There could be a Doctor Strange out there that’s more powerful than our Wanda. Or there could be a Wanda out there who is more powerful than our Wanda here. So, because of these altered versions, it’s all a mixed bag of possibilities.” Plus “Multiverse of Madness” will have an “element of horror” that only the “Evil Dead” director can bring. “It is spooky at some times and scary at others. It’s unknown what you’ll find in the multiverse,” the “Drag Me to Hell” filmmaker said. “It’s within that unknown that suspense and darkness exists, a tool to titillate the audience’s fear. Plus, Doctor Strange in the comics has always dealt in universes and dimensions that were quite spooky, so we tried to bring some of that into this film.”
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” premieres in theaters May 6. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
