Sam Raimi took over the directing duties for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after Scott Derrickson. He had huge shoes to fill as the film was expected to blow everyone with the full exploration of the multiverse, and the depth and consequences of what it meant for the larger MCU. The hype for the film increased tremendously due to the rumors of the appearance of potential Marvel characters as Doctor Strange explored the endless multiverse. Another major focal point of the film is Scarlet Witch and the search for her children, mixed with the threat she poses to the entire fabric of reality.
The film opened to mixed word of mouth from audiences, who lamented its failure to fully explore the intricacies of the multiverse and the missed opportunities with Scarlet Witch’s antagonistic focus of the film. Since its release, many unused concept art from the film has been released and fans continue to criticize the MCU for not utilizing these ideas and concepts which would have made the film more compelling and significant to the larger MCU.
Also read: Doctor Strange 2 Director Sam Raimi Reportedly in Race to Head Avengers: Secret Wars
New Concept Art Shows More Terrifying and Compelling Look for Scarlet Witch
Sam Raimi‘s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did not receive the expected love and appreciation when it was released. For a film that was expected to blow open the craziness and threat of the multiverse, the film proved to be a frustrating and lazy introduction to the idea of the multiverse. It was also criticized for underutilizing the antagonistic turn of the Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen. A new unused concept art for the film was recently revealed by user Marvel Facts on X which shows a completely unique and terrifying look at Scarlet Witch.
#MultiverseOfMadness concept art with Wanda’s crown infused with her skin pic.twitter.com/kTHzjEeett
— Marvel Facts (@MarveIFacts) September 13, 2023
The new look has fans commenting on how the film could have turned out if they explored the look and how the MCU has not fully utilized Raimi’s grasp over horror and gothic elements properly.
Sam Raimi is the coolest mf alive and this movie was a waste of his time https://t.co/7M6Y8NdkJ8
— Buy Pikmin 4 u coward (@Schaffrillas) September 13, 2023
They obviously don’t respect him
— The Bogeyman (@Splatter_Shrek) September 14, 2023
the entirety of multiverse of madness was just one big missed opportunity pic.twitter.com/J8SLgaqjUM
— frogself (@OXYN0VA) September 14, 2023
A waste of all of our time really
— blakely.gif ✨ (@projectgreybird) September 14, 2023
Raimi’s direction saved it for me. Any other mf directs it and it’s a cinematic disaster
— 🏴🇱🇻 (@cifuenteszn) September 13, 2023
Surely fans seem frustrated with the MCU with how they have grown lazy with its characters and storytelling. This interesting look at Wanda could have turned out to be a game-changer in the film which would have increased the intensity and stakes for Doctor Strange.
Marvel Gave Full Creative Control to Sam Raimi But With a Catch
Sam Raimi was selected by the heads at Marvel to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after Scott Derrickson left the project due to creative differences. He was permitted to have full creative control and bring his own style and approach to the film. But there were certain rules that Raimi had to follow. He addressed this aspect in an interview with Rolling Stone,
“Marvel allowed me complete creative freedom. However, it had to follow so many things in Marvel lore, [so] even though I had complete freedom, the previous movies and where Marvel wants to go in the future really directed the path in an incredibly specific way. Within those parameters I have freedom, but I’ve got to tell the story of those characters in a way that ties in with all of the properties simultaneously.
We had to make sure, for instance, that Doctor Strange didn’t know more than he had learned about the multiverse from No Way Home. And yet we had to make sure he wasn’t ignorant of things that he had already learned. So everything was dictated by what had become before”
One can deduce that Raimi was not able to fully commit to what he wanted to do with the film. With certain limitations of fitting into the larger MCU universe, he had to construct the film in a way that contributed to the future of the MCU. This limited the potential and possibilities of making the film more exciting and compelling than what the film turned out to be.
Also read: “You’re not paying attention to the fans”: Sam Raimi Blamed Sony for Ruining His Spider-Man 3 With Tobey Maguire After Being Accused of Favoritism
Sources: X, Rolling Stone
