We are only around six weeks away from seeing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrive in cinemas, and it is not too much of an exaggeration to say that the hype building around the movie is heading to a peak level. This month’s edition of Empire Magazine is certainly helping tease the film with a cover feature and a lot of new behind-the-scenes details about the film, which is sure to bring another $1 billion movie to Marvel’s doorstep. Comments by Kevin Feige in the issue have continued to add fuel to the belief that the movie will lean heavily into the horror genre, with the Marvel Studios president saying that the film will “make Evil Dead II fans very happy.”

Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue to see Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange find himself being pulled into the unknown of the multiverse and all the dangers it hides, including variants of himself and the returning Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. In what promises to be a spectacular ride, the new Doctor Strange movie is set to see many cameos of known characters, new characters, and variants of popular characters all being thrown into the mix by director Sam Raimi.

Having helmed the original Spider-Man Trilogy two decades ago and the Evil Dead movies decades before that, Kevin Feige has made it clear that fans of both of Raimi’s big franchises will be pleased with the result of his work on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Of course, Raimi was not originally meant to be directing the latest outing for the former Sorcerer Supreme, with original Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson being attached to the project until creative differences led to his departure. In having Raimi on board, Feige made it clear that he wanted the director to make sure he put his stamp on the movie. Feige said:

“We want it to be a Sam Raimi movie. He would give notes like, ‘This action is cool – you’re competing with Avengers and Spider-Man, no problem – but don’t forget the Sam Raimi parts.’ You will see just how Sam Raimi it is, in ways that will make fans of Evil Dead II very happy.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Will Lean Into Evil Dead’s Horror Elements

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Marvel Studios

While the Doctor Strange sequel will still be sitting just the right side of R-rated for Marvel, there is certainly going to be a darker, scarier journey coming to the MCU, something that is being replicated by upcoming movies such as Blade and the Disney+ series Moon Knight, which premiere’s at the end of this month. Fans of Raimi’s Evil Dead II, which celebrated its 35th anniversary earlier this month, are well aware of how the film sees an evil, possessed version of lead character Ash fighting for control of the body they share. From the trailer for Doctor Strange 2 we know that there will be not only a “Sinister Strange” in attendance but also a zombie version, which will undoubtedly fall heavily into Raimi’s ballpark.

In addition to Strange’s variants, there are giant demons, alternative versions of Wanda and more horrors unknown all ready to descend on the MCU and there really could be no one better to bring that to life than Raimi. While Doctor Strange was a box office hit in 2016, the film’s $677 million box office gross will seem like peanuts compared to the cash flood expected to come in from the sequel when it premieres on May 6th.