It's been no secret that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is planning to dip its toes in the pool of horror. In the past, MCU chief Kevin Feige even dubbed it as the blockbuster film franchise's "first horror film," complete with some freakier and more intense imagery as the multiverse opens up to whatever horrors are out there. The MPAA agreed with this sentiment, sticking the upcoming film with a PG-13 rating for "intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language." With Sam Raimi at the helm, it only builds more anticipation for how he's planning to utilize his horror background to make this one of the more unsettling MCU films to date.
Marvel has always stuck within the realm of PG-13 as a rule for its major films, but the "frightening images" part of this rating isn't a common occurrence. It all stems back to when Multiverse of Madness was set to be helmed by Scott Derrickson, yet another horror director who leaned into the scary possibilities the multiverse provides. When Raimi took over, the goal remained to make this MCU outing a little more frightening. Trailers and featurettes have already given us a taste of some of the more disturbing aspects including shots of Wanda Maximoff covered in blood and Doctor Strange facing down unbelievable nightmares from beyond.
While the plot of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been kept somewhat under wraps, the teasers we've seen so far also betray a grimmer tale compared to others in the MCU's catalog. Thanks to Doctor Strange's meddling with space and time, particularly in Spider-Man: No Way Home, reality itself is tearing apart at the seams. He must face the consequences of his actions and work with Maximoff and newcomer America Chavez to keep the world together and confront the terrors awaiting them in the multiverse. There's almost a cosmic horror vibe to it all with the multiverse as this major unknown that could hold anything from giant squid monsters to evil versions of the characters we know and love.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees the return of Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen as Strange and the Scarlet Witch respectively with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, Benedict Wong, and Rachel McAdams joining them on their creepy multiversal journey. Raimi directs from a script by Jade Bartlett and Michael Waldron. In terms of the horror genre, Raimi's biggest contribution is through the campy and beloved Evil Dead franchise. Nothing that scary will make its way into Doctor Strange, but he'll certainly try to push the boundaries of what qualifies as PG-13.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is creeping closer to its theatrical debut on May 6.