Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has clarified that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will not be a horror movie. Marvel announced their Phase 4 slate at San Diego Comic-Con, and the Doctor Strange sequel immediately captured fans’ imaginations. This time round, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme will be joined by Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch - possibly as an ally, possibly as an enemy.

During the Marvel Studios panel in Hall H at SDCC, director Scott Derrickson stated that he would be making the first scary MCU film. Derrickson is an accomplished horror director, and that comment immediately led to speculation that Doctor Strange 2 would be the MCU’s first foray into the horror genre. Superhero films are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of tone and style, as proven by Joker becoming the most profitable comic book adaptation of all time, and many hoped this would be part of Marvel’s response.

Speaking at the New York Film Academy, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has offered an important clarification. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a horror film,” he observed, “but … it’ll be a big MCU film with scary sequences in it.”

Of course, Feige is actually simply reiterating Derickson’s own statement from SDCC; the director said that Doctor Strange 2 would be scary, not that it would be a horror movie. And yet, the very fact eager fans jumped to the conclusion Marvel was finally pivoting towards horror should make Feige sit and up and take note. There’s clearly an appetite for superhero films that don’t fit into the standard four-quadrant model. A string of R-rated successes such as Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Joker prove that even adult content is no longer a barrier. Marvel Studios has usually been the front-runner in the industry. Increasingly, though, the riskier approaches are taken by Marvel’s rivals - and they’re reaping considerable rewards.

Still, there is hope that Marvel will branch out and bring more diversity into the MCU in terms of tone and style. Ryan Reynolds recently confirmed that Deadpool 3 is now in development at Marvel, and Disney CEO Bob Iger himself has insisted that Marvel should operate under a policy of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” when it comes to the Merc with a Mouth. The first two Deadpool movies were critical and popular darlings, with Deadpool grossing over $780 million against a budget of just $58 million, and the sequel bringing in the same kind of amount. Hopefully Deadpool 3 will perform just as well, persuading Marvel to take some more creative risks down the road.

More: Doctor Strange 2 Can Completely Change The MCU

Source: New York Film Academy

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