Spider-Man 3 Almost Didn"t Let Doctor Strange 2 Happen

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Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 is widely considered the weakest movie in the trilogy, and the reception it got almost stopped Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from happening. After going through a bunch of obstacles, Spider-Man finally made his big screen debut in 2002 in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, with Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, and its success made way for two sequels, with Spider-Man 2 regarded as not only the best of the trilogy but also one of the best superhero movies ever made.
Spider-Man 3, on the other hand, didn't have the same luck. Spider-Man 3 saw the web-slinger facing three villains – New Goblin (James Franco), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Eddie Brock/Venom (Topher Grace) – and bonding with the Venom symbiote, but all this and more resulted in a convoluted plot and underdeveloped characters. The failure of Spider-Man 3 had a heavy impact on Sam Raimi for years, so much so that it almost kept him away from joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was looking for a new director.
How Spider-Man 3’s Failure Affected Sam Raimi

Spider-Man 3 was criticized for having too many villains and plotlines, for its pace, lack of humor (compared to the previous films), underdeveloped characters, and more, becoming the only movie in the trilogy to receive mixed reviews. Raimi himself once called Spider-Man 3 “awful”, and has openly spoken about what went wrong with it during pre-production, such as being pressured to add Venom as one of the villains. The negative internet reaction to Spider-Man 3 also affected Raimi, who opened up about it in 2021 in an interview with Collider, sharing that people made sure he knew how big of a mess Spider-Man 3 was, and it was an “awful” experience for him that made it difficult to return to the superhero genre.
Raimi also shared that when his agent called to tell him Marvel was looking for a director for the second Doctor Strange movie, he wondered if he could still do it, as he also knew how demanding superhero movies can be. Luckily, Raimi changed his mind as he liked the character of Doctor Strange, what director Scott Derrickson did in the first movie, and where the character was left at the time, which encouraged him to make his big return to superhero movies as part of one of the biggest superhero multiverses currently active.
Doctor Strange 2 Was A Good Comeback For Raimi (Despite Its Failure)

Raimi’s MCU debut and return to the superhero genre was received with enthusiasm and excitement from the audience, and this, along with how far the MCU had gone by then, set the bar very high for Raimi. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a box office hit but received mixed reviews, though this time, Raimi’s direction was praised, along with the movie’s visuals, musical score, and production design, with criticism going towards the screenplay. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness feels both like a Sam Raimi movie and an MCU movie, though it also had its messy moments, but in the end, as Raimi’s comeback to the superhero genre, it definitely met expectations. It’s unknown if Sam Raimi will make more superhero movies after Doctor Strange 2, especially now that interest in Spider-Man 4 has resurfaced, but agreeing to return to the genre after Spider-Man 3 was a great decision.
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