Is ‘Multiverse of Madness’ The MCU’s First Horror?
The new trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released early last week, and it’s safe to say the film looks trippy as hell. If it weren’t for the clips of character interaction, I’m not sure any of us would really understand what the film is about, but we all know it looks fantastic. The doors of the multiverse have been bust wide open, and all of the mind-bending Steve Ditko weirdness is coming along to the party. There are many reasons I’m excited for this film, but one in particular is the prospect of genre bending. One question I’ve seen people asking is whether this film is branching out and dipping its toes into horror territory. It would be a bold move for Marvel, but one which would undoubtedly pay off.
It’s an interesting proposition, considering the MCU to date has been family friendly and Marvel Studios sits firmly within the House of Mouse. So at face value it would seem unlikely Marvel would go rogue and make a film which lends itself to the horror genre. Unlikely, but not implausible. In this new phase we’re currently in, it is a time for change. Not only have we seen TV shows added to Marvel’s release schedule, but new characters are making their debut and diversifying the universe as we know it. If Marvel had plans to expand the universe but still stick to a similar tone and style, then fans would likely grow bored. Phase Four is about looking forward and taking us to new places, which is why I think leaning into horror isn’t so much of a stretch. We already know a new Blade project is in production, the trailers for Moon Knight have promised a darker look at mysticism, and this new Doctor Strange film is heading in darker territory with the whole of reality at stake. Between Blade, Moon Knight and Doctor Strange, the dots are slowly starting to connect.
If we’re considering the possibility of Marvel making a horror film, or a film which leans into horror, then there are two myths to bust:
1. “Marvel aren’t known for horror” - Yes they are. There’s a strong legacy of horror comic books from the 1970s featuring monsters, vampires, Morbius, and Dracula himself. It’s not something which has ever gone away, considering Blade and Morbius still feature in contemporary comic books, and the popularity of the ‘Marvel Zombies’ series. Plus, look back at the history books prior to the MCU. Blade had a trilogy. A trilogy of 18 rated films which performed very well, long before the MCU came along. So realistically, it’s not fair or accurate to say Marvel aren’t known for horror because they’ve already got a solid history of tapping into the genre.
2. “You can’t make lower rated horror films” - Yes you absolutely can. Look no further than M Night Shyamalan’s The Village (2004), a brilliantly crafted film which has a 12 certificate whilst leaning heavily into horror territory. What we need to remember is that horror is an incredibly broad genre, with sub genres and various tropes and tricks. Horror doesn’t automatically mean blood splatters and jump scares. Arguably, horror is one of the most diverse film genres, which means writers and directors have a near infinite scope for creative expression. With horror it’s not just about the content, but about the story and tone as well. Marvel could easily make a creepy film which flirts the line with horror and crawls inside our heads, without increasing the ick factor and being given a higher certificate rating. Think back to all of the creepy imagery in animated films you watched as a child, because all of those were also given a low certificate rating. When the pink elephants were on parade and traumatising children, they did so under a U rating, meaning anyone of any age can watch that film. Don’t tell me horror films can’t be made under a lower certificate rating, because good horror can.
From these two myths it’s clear not only are Marvel interested in heading into horror territory because it’s something they’re familiar with, but also it’s something which could easily be achieved. With the right storyteller, they can achieve anything. The best point of comparison to make, mainly because everyone wants to see this director tackle a Marvel or DC film, is the two original Hellboy films. Guillermo Del Toro crafted a dark but beautiful world with Hellboy (2003) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) and both of those films were 12 rated. We saw strange creatures, comic book violence, creepy sequences where science and mysticism bashed heads in spectacular fashion, and yet nothing was deemed too explicit to warrant a higher rating. They were by no means fully-fledged horror films, but they were darker than standard comic book films and played with genres to borrow from horror stories. It was a tone which perfectly suited the story, and it was creepy enough without going too far. We unfortunately saw a Hellboy film with a higher rating in 2019, and we can all agree it was an absolute bin fire. Sometimes the 12 rating actually helps. Rather than going too far because there are no limitations, writers and directors make the most of the room they are given and create bold new ways to send chills through the audience.
Broadly speaking there are three things to consider, which explain how this Doctor Strange film could lend itself to horror, but also why it should lend itself to horror. Allow me to explain.
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1. The director
It’s important to remember that when The Multiverse of Madness was first announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2019, Scott Derrickson specifically stated this would be Marvel’s first horror film. Scott Derrickson not only directed the first Doctor Strange film, but comes from a background in directing horror films, so it was a match made in heaven. Ultimately, creative differences came into play and Derrickson stood down from the sequel, but it was never confirmed if Marvel had a change of heart in terms of letting this be a horror film. And who have they brought in to replace Scott Derrickson? Sam Raimi, who beyond directing Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy, also comes from a background of directing horror films. If they have a director who is experienced in making both horror films and comic book films, why not let them merge together? Raimi has proven he can do both in isolation, so it stands to reason he is a good choice of director if we want to see the two come together.
As I mentioned above, it’s unclear if the intention is still for this to be Marvel’s first horror film now Sam Raimi is directing, but it does make the argument seem more plausible. They have a director at the helm who is known for making both comic book films and horror films, so it wouldn’t make sense to stop Raimi from doing what he does best. It also wouldn’t make sense to prevent Raimi from having creative control over the project, considering how creative his mind is and his passion for comic books.
2. The title
Without wanting to analyse too much and put my linguistics degree to good use, there are two key words from the title of this film which we need to focus on in order to understand their vision. “Multiverse” is obviously one of them, so we know we have an infinite number of universes at play, but the other word is “madness.” This whole film exists because Doctor Strange messed with reality and has left it open to threats. In fact there is a quote from Wong in the trailer which sums up the situation perfectly:
“You opened the doorway between universes, and we don’t know who or what will walk through it.”
As the current Sorcerer Supreme, Wong’s focus will be on mystical threats. He is clearly worried about the darkness which will reach our universe now that it’s been tampered with and potentially damaged by Strange’s interference. It’s clear the multiverse won’t all be sunshine and rainbows, there will be darkness there too. Which makes sense considering the multiverse is an infinite number of possible realities. With the multiverse, much like real life unfortunately, comes bad days, misery, destruction and even sometimes death. In fact if the animated What If..? series told us anything, it’s that alternate realities doesn’t necessarily mean “better” realities. Quite often we see stories centred on a dark twist, presenting us with a skewed mirror image of the MCU we all know. In particular the Doctor Strange episode of What If..? sees a variant of Strange bringing about the total collapse of reality in an attempt to save Christine Palmer. If all the multiverse had to offer was cookies and unicorns then there would be no stakes, no challenge to conquer and no story to tell. That’s not to say the multiverse only brings with it destruction and misery, but to deny the darkness would be a very bland way of showing us a supposed infinite number of realities.
If we’re going down the route of the multiverse being linked with “madness” it suggests there is ample opportunity to show how weird and dark the multiverse can be. This doesn’t mean the film has to be 100% horror, but what it means is that certain sections can lean into aspects of horror fiction. If we’re seeing multiple different realities throughout the events of the film, it would be fun to see a mixture of both light and dark. They could make it a whacky multiversal road trip where we some lighter universes and fun cameos, but also some seriously messed up universes.
3. The comic books
Anyone who is familiar with the comic books will know that Doctor Strange stories are often dark. There is a lot of fun to be had with mysticism, and especially when Doctor Strange is used as a consultant for mystical issues in the universe, but magic also comes with a darkness. I’ve written recently about magic in the MCU and how Mordo is keen to remind people that magic has a cost, which echoes similar themes from the comic books. (click here to read the full article https://medium.com/@adam.d.lester17/mordos-return-to-the-mcu-10-reasons-to-be-excited-7187e73cbd87). This film isn’t going to be the first Harry Potter film, where magic can be used to fix glasses and levitate feathers, and the protagonist sticks his wand up a troll’s nose for an easy joke. This is serious territory with all of known reality at stake. That’s not my way of saying there’s no playfulness or joy to be found in the multiverse, but rather there is a mixture of the two. For every universe out there with sunshine, there’s another with rain.
If you want a great example of how dark Doctor Strange comics can be, there are of course plenty to discuss, but the example I would recommend is a more recent story arc from the 2015 series written by Jason Aaron. There is a story arc entitled ‘Mister Misery’ centred around a villain of the same name. Earlier in the series it’s explained that magic has a cost, and Doctor Strange is asked if he is paying his tab. It turns out Strange has actually been channelling the pain and suffering caused by using magic into a living being he keeps locked in the Sanctum’s basement. So Mister Misery is a physical embodiment of the darkness that comes with Strange using magic. It’s a perfect example of a more serious side to magic, exploring themes of responsibility and accountability.
Obviously ‘Mister Misery’ is just one very specific example, but it shows how close the Doctor Strange comic books come to horror. Stories quite often flirt the line, or sometimes jump head first into horror territory. It is a celebrated aspect of the character, and one that many would love to see make its way to the big screen. Also factor in the rumour this film will feature the comic book villain known as Nightmare, ruler of the dream dimension and known for his fondness of harnessing fear to torment people, and it makes sense for this film to embrace the darkness we see so often in the comic books.
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Obviously all of this is speculation until we actually see the film, but it is a subject many people are keen to discuss. I am keeping an open mind before I see this film, but I can’t deny the fact I would like to think Marvel are going into horror territory for some characters/ projects. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with adding more flavours to the taste palette, especially considering the common criticism that Marvel films sometimes read as homogeneous. It makes a lot of sense to diversify the universe and shake things up, so not all projects feel as though they’re coming off of the same assembly line. We’ve already got boots on the ground Earth heroes, we’ve got mystical characters, we’ve got cosmic characters up in space, so it makes sense to have a pocket of the universe dedicated to darker threats. In the same way DC Comics has the Justice League Dark to specifically tackle mystical threats, so too could the MCU have a team established for horror-esque threats. Blade, Moon Knight and Doctor Strange are already confirmed, and there’s rumours of Ghost Rider looming, so it would be fun to have their own horror pocket of the universe dedicated to making creepier films and TV series. It’s certainly something which would have a large audience.
To summarise, I don’t think we’ll necessarily get an all-out horror film from Marvel just yet, and if we do then it won’t be this new Doctor Strange film. What’s more likely is this film will play with genres and blur the distinction between them, which is a great way to show the multiverse on screen. Rather than having a multiverse which is the same flavour as every other Marvel film, we’ll see just how weird and whacky Marvel can get when they branch outside of their comfort zone. The Multiverse of Madness is one of my most anticipated films of the year, and my desire to see them head into horror territory is a fun wish but is by no means a demand. I trust Sam Raimi’s vision and I trust the ongoing MCU narrative to deliver a film unlike anything we’ve seen before.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ releases in cinemas on May 6th.
