One of Marvel Studios’ most famous tricks is trying to convince people that each of their movies operate in a unique genre setting, when in reality the vast majority of them simply tend to slap a different coat of paint on the same familiar plot, story and character beats, but they boast just about enough individuality and plenty of entertainment value, so audiences let it slide.
If you’re looking for a hero with daddy issues then you’ve got Tony Stark, Thor, Loki, Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, Wasp and more to choose from. Fancy a comic book blockbuster where the good guy faces off against an evil mirror version of themselves? Then check out the entire Iron Man trilogy, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ant-Man or Black Panther to name but a few.
The point is, the formula has proven so successful that there’s very little need to deviate from it too heavily, with all 23 installments to date also featuring the requisite amount of witty comebacks and snappy quips. However, insider Daniel Richtman claims that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be veering into full-blown horror territory, or at least as far as you can push it in a PG-13 family friendly franchise like the MCU.
Sam Raimi’s background in horror would certainly make him the ideal candidate, and he directed one of the genre’s best ever PG-13 efforts in Drag Me to Hell, but it remains to be seen how far Kevin Feige would be willing to push those particular boundaries, especially with young children making up such a huge part of the fanbase.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will no doubt have its fair share of freaky moments, but it probably won’t stretch the limits of the rating as far as something like A Quiet Place, Lights Out or Insidious did, all of which were PG-13.
