Sam Raimi's Favorite MCU Character Revealed (It's Not Doctor Strange)

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Sam Raimi, director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has revealed his favorite character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it’s not the titular Master of the Mystic Arts. The sequel to Doctor Strange is fast approaching its May 6 release date and is set to potentially mark a groundbreaking shift in the MCU. The story will see Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange on a journey that crosses the boundaries of the multiverse. He'll be joined by old mystical allies such as Wong (Benedict Wong) and the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), as well as new ones like the dimension-hopping America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).

 

Raimi took the reins as director of the project after the director of the first film, Scott Derrickson, left due to creative differences with Marvel Studios. While Raimi had not directed a feature since 2013, many were delighted with the legendary genre filmmaker’s return, mostly due to his seminal work on the original Spider-Man trilogy. That series, starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, is often credited with laying the groundwork for the comic book movie boom that audiences enjoy today and was vindicated as such when Maguire returned to the role for another multiverse-spanning incident in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

 

Now, in an interview with Moviepilot, Raimi reveals which character in the MCU is his personal favorite and it’s not the star of his upcoming movie. The director was asked a question submitted by a fan who wanted to know which hero who has been part of the expansive cinematic experiment was his personal favorite. While Raimi has been steeped in the world of Doctor Strange for several years now, his answer was Spider-Man. Raimi gave a detailed reason for his choice in the quote below:

 

“I think that Spider-Man has always been my favorite MCU character. Mostly because of the reason that everyone else loves him; he’s identifiable as a human being. He’s got problems, he’s got bad skin, he’s gotta do his homework, he doesn’t have enough money and yet he struggles to do the right thing. He puts everything he’s got; he sacrifices everything to do the right thing and is really somebody you can identify with and look up to. It embodies the thing I love about a great superhero movie which is, 'I could do that, a little part of that could be me.' And if they tell the story right, you leave the theatre saying, 'It will be me.'

 

It seems that Raimi is still loyal to the character he has loved for decades and who brought him huge recognition in the 2000s. The director’s answer encapsulates what many fans cite as their reason for loving the character since his inception in 1962, that being his inherent relatability via personal struggles on top of his extraordinary life as a superhero. Indeed, Raimi’s description is that of the general appeal of Spider-Man and it is worth noting that, while this answer may imply he is speaking about Tom Holland’s web-slinger, Raimi does not mention Holland by name. Considering the director admitted he was something of a novice to the MCU, having only seen 4 films from the series prior to signing on to Doctor Strange 2, it’s possible Raimi may be approaching this question from a more overall perspective of Marvel movies.

While fans are yet to see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there is already demand for Raimi to do more work in the MCU if he wishes. With Maguire’s recent return, and even a rumored cameo in Doctor Strange 2, the possibility of an official Spider-Man 4 has never been so real. Regardless, this answer is a charming display of Raimi’s love for Spider-Man and his understanding of the character that made his initial Marvel cinematic debut such a rousing success.

 

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