Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi recently discussed the titular superhero’s constant internal battle between his light and dark sides.
In an excerpt from the 2022 book, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (via The Direct), Raimi opened up about Doctor Strange‘s character flaws. The director noted that he’s “a good person, but he’s got his own psychological problems.”
The director explained, “He sometimes can be a little selfish, a little arrogant, proud. And this prevents him from being some flawless good guy. He wrestles with his dark side, and he delves into the supernatural in a way that some other magicians who are fighting for good think is immoral.”
However, Raimi — who is also known among the comic book fandom for directing Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy — defined the flawed nature of Doctor Strange. He argues that’s what makes the character not only interesting, but relatable to audiences.
“I find him to be a character at war with himself, which we all are. And so he’s very relatable in that way, even though he’s a superhero,” he said. “We find Doctor Strange at the beginning of our film as someone who has not only passed through the mastery of magic, but who’s now dealing with the results of a life spent devoted to one’s craft at the extreme of his personal life.”
Doctor Strange travels the multiverse
Taking place after the events of the Disney+ limited series WandaVision and the 2021 film Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follows the titular Master of the Mystic Arts (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse with the help of newcomer America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released as part of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The superhero movie grossed $955.8 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2022. While a sequel has not been officially announced at this time, Multiverse of Madness ended with the titular hero heading into the Dark Dimension with Clea to fix an incursion that he caused, setting up either a third Doctor Strange movie or the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is streaming on Disney+.
