Sam Raimi wants to direct Secret Wars, here’s why that’s a terrible idea

Sam Raimi’s a Marvel legend who gave us two of the greatest superhero movies of all time, but he can’t be trusted to make Secret Wars. 

Calling Sam Raimi one of the most talented filmmakers of his generation is hardly controversial. As a young man, he pushed the boundaries of good taste with his spew-flecked Evil Dead films (some of the best horror movies of all time), and then, when he was at the height of his powers, he gave us Spider-Man 1 and 2.

While not the first superhero films of the new Millennium — X-Men (2000) takes that particular honor — the first two Spider-Man films were vital in helping the fledgling genre establish its credentials and arguably laid the groundwork for the likes of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and the wider MCU.

Marvel Studios

The granddaddy of superhero movies

It’s no exaggeration to say Hollywood and the superhero genre as a whole would look very different if it weren’t for Raimi’s Spider-Man films. Yet despite his incredible contributions to the genre that keeps the spandex business going, the news that Raimi’s interested in directing Avengers Secret Wars — the culmination of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga — should cause anyone invested in the MCU’s ongoing storyline to break out in a cold sweat.

So what’s the problem? Well, there are a couple of issues with Raimi taking the reins of what should be the greatest superhero movie of all time. The first is the most obvious: his last superhero film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, was fine at best and a tedious avalanche of Easter eggs and references at worst.

Sure, there were a few moments of his trademark magic touch — the Deadite-inspired ghouls Strange summons during the climax as he puppets his own decaying corpse are vintage Raimi. Still, it felt like a Raimi film built by committee rather than the cohesive vision of a single filmmaker, and the result isn’t quite a camel, but more a superhero movie with a hump. It kind of begs the question, what’s the point of hiring an auteur like Raimi if you’re going to hold his hand throughout and make him conform to a pre-established look? 

Sony Pictures

Missing magic

But honestly, that’s by the by. While I was disappointed that Raimi wasn’t allowed to have more fun with the Bleecker Street magician’s sophomore film, it worked within the confines of what Marvel Studios wanted, and plenty of people had fun with it. However, that might not hold true if he takes on the Avengers. You see, Raimi is actually a massive comics fan. He loved Steve Ditko’s and Stan Lee’s run on The Amazing Spider-Man and has spoken ad nauseam about his love of Ditko’s Doctor Strange drawings. 

That’s why he wanted to work on these films; he genuinely enjoyed the source material. Here’s the rub, though: when he doesn’t care about something, it shows. Take, for example, Spider-Man 3. Raimi’s admitted that he doesn’t care for the character of Venom, and why would he? Raimi wasn’t reading comics when that character was introduced, and he has no attachment to Spidey’s gooiest bad guy. 

That’s part of the reason why Spider-Man 3 sucks (I’m sorry, Gen-Z readers, but being ‘memeable’ doesn’t make a movie good) because Raimi had to be forced to include the character for commercial reasons, and he couldn’t get it to work with his vision of Spider-Man which is rooted in those early Ditko and Lee stories. 

The same’s true of Multiverse of Madness; it’s clear when watching that Raimi loves the Ditko-inspired weird visuals, but he’s less interested in the multiverse stuff. That’s why the film feels like it comes to a stop halfway through its run, so you can walk through the equivalent of a comic con autograph alley. Sure, it’s fun to see John Krasinski in some Fantastic Four pajamas, but it’s ultimately a slightly cynical ploy to get MCU stans and the terminally online to pat themselves on the back about fan-casting. 

Raimi didn’t even bother to watch WandaVision before making Multiverse of Madness despite it being the next chapter in Wanda’s story. Why? Well, he trusted his team to steer him in the right direction, which is laudable but ties into this feeling that if Raimi isn’t interested in something, he’s just not going to engage with it. 

A better class of hero…

That’s not what you want from someone putting the bow on a saga. You can say what you want about the Russo Bros’ recent work, but there was a feeling in their MCU movies that they were committed to that universe and wanted to deliver the most satisfying conclusion to the Infinity Saga. I don’t think you can say the same about Raimi, and I can’t see him sitting down to watch all of Phases 4 and 5 and engaging properly with the material. 

I’ve no doubt he’s sincere when he says he wants to make an Avengers movie, but I don’t think he wants to make the Avengers movie fans are demanding. 

Maybe this is the wrong way to approach filmmaking, and Marvel should take a risk on Raimi. It just seems to me that, with the relatively poor reception of Marvel’s Phase 4 and Phase 5 so far, Marvel can’t afford to take that chance. Finally, there’s a selfish reason for wanting Raimi to stay away from the Avengers: I want him to make more horror films and that Spider-Man 4 movie with Tobey Maguire! 

Love all things Marvel? Then check out our guide explaining the best way to watch all the Marvel movies in order. We’ve also got detailed articles breaking down everything you could possibly want to know about the Deadpool 3 release date and the Thunderbolts release date. If that’s not enough we’ve also put together a list of all the best new movies on streaming this month.