Sam Raimi almost didn't return to the Marvel Universe after Spider-Man 3

As influential as Sam Raimi’s 2000s Spider-Man films were in the creation of what’s now known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not everything the director made was a smash hit, namely Spider-Man 3 (2007). As much as The Evil Dead creator is known as the mastermind behind cult hits such as Army Of Darkness and Xena: Warrior Princess, he’s also known for bringing the web-slinging superhero back to the silver screen, which eventually gave way to a series of blunders.

While Spider-Man 3 did give us some unforgettable moments, like the emo, Venom-infused Peter Parker, the film’s shortcomings filled a long list. The fan derision following the third release of the Tobey Maguire-led franchise apparently left Raimi with the desire to never dive into the world of big-budget superheroes again.

“I didn’t know that I could face it again because it was so awful, having been the director of Spider-Man 3,” Raimi says in a recent interview with Collider. “The internet was getting revved up and people disliked that movie and they sure let me know about it. So, it was difficult to take back on. But then, I found out that there was an opening on Doctor Strange 2. My agent called me and said, ‘They’re looking for a director at Marvel for this movie and your name came up. Would you be interested?’ And I thought, ‘I wonder if I could still do it.’”

Ultimately, it looks like he decided he could still do it. He took on the director role for the forthcoming Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch.

“They’re really demanding, those types of pictures,” Raimi says. “And I felt, ‘Well, that’s reason enough.’ I’ve always really liked the character of Doctor Strange. He was not my favorite, but he was right up there with the favorites. I loved the first movie, I thought [director] Scott Derrickson did a wonderful job, an incredible job. So, I said, ‘Yeah.’ They left the character in a great place. I didn’t think I would be doing another superhero movie. It just happened.”

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness will be released on March 25, 2022.