Sam Raimi Explains Why It Was Easier For Him To Jump Into the MCU Than the Original Spider-Man

To some, Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might sound complicated with its multiple layers and various universes and characters. For Director Sam Raimi, however, working with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Multiverse was easier to do than the original Spider-Man.

In an interview with IGN, Raimi said that jumping into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was “much easier” than creating Spider-Man since “all the work had been done.” The first Spider-Man movie required Raimi to create a new story “from scratch” and he reflects that was a really “difficult thing to do.”

This time, however, Raimi had sources to pull from while creating this new story in the Multiverse of Madness. Raimi was able to look at the first Doctor Strange film as well as Wanda Maximoff’s journey in WandaVision and other Marvel films, for example. 

“[Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness] was much easier for me. All the work had been done, the characters came to me fully formed — Wanda and Doctor Strange,” Raimi said.

It also helped that most of the characters in the film, with the expectation of America Chavez, had been seen in other films before and came to him “fully formed” this time. “So it was really about recognizing the stories they had told and making a new story forward,” Raimi said.

“Chiwetel Ejiofor was completely formed, he had a history, same with Benedict Wong. So it was really about recognizing the stories they had told and making a new story forward, versus creating Spider-Man from scratch which was really, a difficult thing to do.”

If you’re looking to be caught up on all things multiverse, be sure to check out our guide on The State of Marvel’s Multiverse. Be sure to read our spoiler-free review of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in which we call it a “Sam Raimi movie from top to bottom, for better and worse.” It releases this Friday, May 6, 2022.

Casey David is a Freelance Writer for IGN.