Credit: MarvelResponses to Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022) were mixed, to say the least – but that hasn’t stopped Marvel from considering its director for new projects in the MCU.
Released in May 2022, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness was more of a joint outing for Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) than a solo Doctor Strange film. Its plot followed Strange as he tries to protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teenager capable of traveling the Multiverse, from Wanda Maximoff (Olsen).
Packed with cameos – including Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Reed Richards (John Krasinski) – it marked the MCU’s second major foray into the Multiverse after Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). However, it was much more poorly received, with critics complaining that it was “so crowded with plot and incident and magical doodads that there’s no room for the characters.” It currently ranks as the MCU’s sixth-lowest-rated installment on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite the backlash, rumor has it that Marvel’s eyeing up its director Sam Raimi for a major MCU return. According to industry insider Jeff Sneider, Raimi is not only being considered for the next Doctor Strange movie but also for Avengers: Secret Wars (2026).
Considering the latter is also set to be penned by Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron, it’s not a massive surprise that Marvel is considering bringing Raimi back to complete the duo. The film is expected to wrap up Phase 6 of the MCU – and the Multiverse Saga – essentially serving as a second Endgame.
Little is known about Marvel’s plans for Secret Wars right now. There are two Marvel storylines of the same name, but it seems more likely that the MCU will follow the events of the second, released in 2015, which sees an “incursion” caused by Earth-616 (the world of the MCU) and the Ultimate Universe 1610 collide and gift the villain Doctor Doom with the power of the Beyonders.
The Avengers ultimately destroy Doom in a multiversal war but end up merging the alternate characters of the “Ultimate Universe” (including Miles Morales’ Spider-Man) with those of Earth-616. If the leaked plans for Secret Wars that cropped up in November are true, Kevin Feige wants to pull off something similar, going so far as to include Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men like No Way Home (the latter of whom was directed in the franchise by Raimi), as well as past iterations of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
Safe to say, if this is even remotely true, we’re in for one heck of a film – and an incredible Phase 7 and beyond.