Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness · reception & legacy
2022 · Sam Raimi
How Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
Divisive on release in 2022 — critics and fans split over its whiplash tone — but as complaints about anonymous MCU house style grew louder, it's increasingly cited as one of the few Marvel films with a visible director, and Raimi devotees have only grown fonder of it.
What's debated
The eternal fight: is this a real Sam Raimi movie smuggled into the MCU, or a Marvel content-delivery machine with a few Raimi zooms sprinkled on top?
Its footprint
Its cameo-heavy centerpiece sequence flooded the internet with memes and reaction videos on opening weekend, and 'the most Raimi thing Marvel ever let happen' became shorthand for studio films that briefly go feral.
Where it stands
Mid-tier MCU by consensus, but a minor auteurist cause on Letterboxd — the entry people rewatch for the direction rather than the franchise.