Sam Raimi is in talks to replace Scott Derrickson as director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which means there's a possibility that Raimi might once again be working with the character of Spider-Man. The sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange was first reported back in December 2018, but it wasn't until SDCC 2019 that Marvel confirmed details about the film. The movie was officially titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with both director Scott Derrickson and lead actor Benedict Cumberbatch slated to return. Elizabeth Olsen was also confirmed to appear as the film will tie directly into the events of the Disney+ series WandaVision.
Derrickson clearly had big plans for the character's sophomore outing. At Marvel's SDCC panel, Derrickson stated that he hoped to tackle a "gothic, horror" tone, making the sequel the MCU's first scary movie. However, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige soon clarified with comments of his own, stating that the film wouldn't be a true horror movie. These conflicting comments left fans in confusion, until earlier this month, when it was announced that Scott Derrickson had stepped down as director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Similar to James Gunn's temporary removal from Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, MCU fans wondered just where Marvel would turn in its search for a replacement.
It turns out that fans didn't have to look too far, as Marvel wants Sam Raimi to direct the anticipated sequel. Raimi's name should be familiar to both cinephiles and comic book fans everywhere, as he's the creator of the cult classic Evil Dead series as well as the director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, the first two of which are widely considered to be some of the best superhero films ever made. And based off of a mixture of behind-the-scenes knowledge as well as rampant fan speculation, there is a possibility that Raimi could once again direct Spider-Man.
As a result of the reforged Disney/Sony deal to share Spider-Man, the character is slated to appear in both Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 as well as an undisclosed MCU film. The original Disney/Sony deal was a bit more expansive, with five film appearances promised for the webslinger in the MCU. However, as a result of the strenuous circumstances surrounding the creation of the new deal, the details have been a lot more secretive aside from the fact that it only covers two more films featuring Spider-Man.
While we don't know exactly what this unknown MCU film is, chances are it won't be anything like any of the other appearances the character has had outside of his solo films. The five film appearances covered in the original deal were Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Since the Avengers are seemingly disbanded in the aftermath of Endgame (or, at least, not entirely active as they were before), it wouldn't really make sense for Spider-Man's unknown appearance to be in an Avengers film. On top of this, based off the roster of films slated to released in Phase 4, there are only so many that would contextually fit an appearance from the character.
While speculation has run rampant on what that film will be, there is a chance that it could end up being Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The two characters have had a long and storied history of working together in the comics, from the early days of the Marvel Team-Up series in the 1970s, to both of them as members of the New Avengers roster in the early 2000s. Tom Holland himself has even expressed interest in wanting a Spider-Man and Doctor Strange crossover, and Doctor Strange is the only character with a film in Phase 4 that Peter has actually had an extended interaction with on-screen.
Behind-the-scenes, it's also unlikely that Sony would want the new deal to continue much further than 2021/2022. If they were desperate to bring the deal to a close quickly, having the character's final appearance take place in Phase 4's biggest film (in terms of worldbuilding within the universe) would be a worthy send-off. Furthermore, with multiple characters appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, this is the perfect opportunity to include Spider-Man. It's the Phase 4 team-up movie, for all intents and purposes. And on top of that, there's no character who would benefit the most from exploring the multiverse than Spider-Man, who now has to contend with Sony's Marvel universe (which itself now exists in the MCU).
All of this is coupled with the possibility of Sam Raimi's return to the world of superhero films, a director whose work with Spider-Man has achieved acclaimed status among both fans and popular culture. It's entirely plausible that Raimi might even ask to use the character himself, for old times sake. And if he does, it could become one of the biggest movies the MCU has ever produced outside of the Avengers films.
There are a lot of story implications regarding the idea of Spider-Man appearing in a Sam Raimi-directed Doctor Strange sequel, especially one as metaphysical as Multiverse of Madness is promised to be. On a surface level, it could mean the return of the "Parker Luck" that Raimi perfected on-screen, something which certain fans have complained that Tom Holland's version of the character is sorely missing. This couldn't come at a more perfect time, as the cliffhanger of Spider-Man: Far From Home knocks the character down to his absolute lowest, which gives Raimi a lot to work with.
There's also the storytelling potential posed by the sequel officially introducing the multiverse into the MCU. Tom Holland has repeatedly teased his near-cameo in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Feige himself has talked about how Spider-Man is the "only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes," which is an overt reference to the Spider-Man universe that Sony is actively building with 2018's Venom and now the upcoming Morbius. While it isn't likely that fans will ever get that live-action Spider-Verse film starring all three live-action Spider-Men, Doctor Strange could be the perfect character to bridge the gap between the MCU's Spidey and Sony's budding villain universe. While all of this is merely speculation at the moment, it's hard to deny that there's a massive allure to the idea of Sam Raimi once again directing the wall-crawler in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
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