How 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Will Bring Horror to the MCU
Marvel is taking a risk with 'Multiverse of Madness' being the MCU’s first horror film, but it’s a risk that the Universe can take to introduce a whole new genre.
Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' from Marvel Studios.
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' is shaping up to be a major first for the MCU. But, not in ways that people expect. The upcoming sequel, which is directed by Sam Raimi, will be the first horror movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While this may not seem like a major upheaval of the formula Disney and Marvel have going, it could mean a change for the better for the future of the MCU and how Disney approaches its very heavily family friendly franchise.
Before we get into the MCU present, it's important to note that Marvel has attempted to make horror movies in the past, outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brand. Marvel was dipping into the genre all the way back in 1998 with 'Blade,' and one can even argue 2007’s 'Ghost Rider.' Both films being massive successes, and 'Blade' being a stepping-off point for Marvel creating more comic book films in the future.
Blade
When most people hear of a film so successful that it allowed Marvel to continue making movies, one wouldn’t think it was a 'Blade,' which was dark, violent and a horror film about a B-tier superhero. Not something as big as 'Iron Man,' or 'Captain America.' While you can easily explain this away as Marvel dipping its foot into the supernatural horror craze of the era, you can’t ignore the impact the film had on the superhero genre going forward.
Now, what does this mean for the current MCU? While we have a 'Blade' film currently in development, it will not be the franchise's first horror film. But that doesn’t mean 'Multiverse of Madness' can’t help influence the tone the film might end up having. But to get to the bottom of that, we have to talk about the movie's two different directors.
The first 'Doctor Strange,' released in 2016, was directed by Scott Derrickson, one of the prolific horror directors of the 2010s. The mind behind 'Sinister' and 'Deliver Us from Evil,' both of which are incredibly terrifying and disturbing. While 'Doctor Strange' was a different project for him, it shared similarities with what he had done before. Surreal-sometimes scary-imagery, and otherworldly evil. You can’t argue that 'Doctor Strange' just felt different then everything in the MCU that came before it.
Even with something incredibly different, 'Doctor Strange' still was a hit, making $677.7 million at the box office. The numbers don’t lie; audiences enjoyed, well, the strange (no pun intended) and weird. As we’ve seen before, Marvel listens to the box office and the viewers. So, what does that mean for 'Multiverse of Madness?'
Enter Sam Raimi, and finally, why a horror movie could lead the MCU in the perfect direction. A lot of MCU fans know Raimi was the director of Marvel’s original 'Spider-Man' trilogy. But many more know him as the director of the iconic comedy-horror franchise, 'The Evil Dead,' which was violent, funny and most importantly, scary. Everything that Marvel can use.
Raimi is quite possibly the best director that can integrate horror into the superhero genre. Many consider the original 'Evil Dead' a great first-time horror film, and a great lead into the spooky and the scary. And while 'Spider-Man' was a long way from being scary or terrifying, Raimi has shown his props in both genres.
Director Sam Raimi at San Diego Comic-Con.
Horror is very moldable. We’ve seen everything from psychological horror, to comedy, to even humor driven towards the young adult genre. Horror can be done without being terrifyingly scary, which is what I believe to be a major misconception the filmgoing audience has, and is prominent in how people are handling the ideas of 'Multiverse of Madness' being a horror film.
When one looks at horror, all they see is jump scares or brutal, gory violence. But horror can be used in so many ways, some of which has already been shown in the trailer. Everything from dimensional beings such as Gargantos (which in the film bears a striking resemblance to Lovecraft-inspired monsters) and even from everything we’ve seen, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) herself, which one can argue is a take on the monstrous feminine trope.
What I’m trying to get at here is that Marvel would be really giving up something special if they don’t go full-in with the horror route. Horror is a genre that is very rarely touched in big name franchises like this, but the MCU has shown it’s not afraid to dip its toes into experimental works, with 'Eternals' being a huge example of this.
But as we know, horror can scare away an all-ages audience. You alienate an audience by deviating too far from the mold, and this does seem too far to the normal viewer. This is all leading up to the reason why Marvel adding horror into such a huge franchise is fantastic.
While early, they’ve shown that horror isn’t something they're afraid to dive into to fit the source material. If 'Blade' had been released with no vampires save for Blade himself, how would that have worked? Or if the Spirit of Vengeance’s skull in 'Ghost Rider' was incredibly dumbed down and not realistic? For both films, the horror would have been pretty much non-existent and it would lose the point of the adaptation in the first place.
Doctor Strange’s comics have always been weird and otherworldly. And while the first movie tackled that fantastically, the second film has a chance to continue. The first movie can be considered a toe-dip, inching people into the idea of an even freakier and out-there sequel. They’ve seen what the world looks like, now what if we go deeper?
Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' from Marvel Studios.
While going deeper keeps it close to the comics, it also helps audiences open to the idea of this sequel breaking genre expectations. While you’d have trouble calling the first movie “scary”, that leaves 'Multiverse of Madness' open to pick up that mantle. And as we discussed, Marvel has a crazy number of angles they can take this from.
But let’s also look at how crazy appealing this can make the horror genre. While we have had superhero horror films in the past, they have been considered cult. 'Multiverse of Madness' has a huge chance to change that, welcoming so many viewers into a genre that would have once scared them off, now having them in with open arms.
It can also show that horror doesn’t just need to be for adults, and can create something that nearly every audience can lose themselves in, without returning home with nightmares (at least I hope not!) With 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,' Marvel seems to be setting up their chance at branching out into other genres and experimental plans in the process.
Whether this works out or not is still to be seen, but I think if any company can pull off getting a massive audience into a new genre of film; it’s Marvel. And I can’t wait to see how spooky they take it!
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
