New Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Synopsis Avoids Calling Sequel a Horror Film

Since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was first announced, filmmakers behind the flick have teased it as the franchise's first scary movie. Executives on the studio's side of things, however, have been cautious so as to not label the follow-up a horror movie, and the latest synopsis for the flick reflects that. Instead of getting a "horror" designation, both Marvel and Disney have opted to push it as a "supernatural action-adventure."

The new synopsis (obtained via The Direct) also teases a new adversary the eponymous sorcerer (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his supporting cast will encounter during the flick.

"In Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before," the synopsis reads. " Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary."

Scott Derrickson, a filmmaker with roots in horror, was the one to first champion a scary Dr. Strange movie. Studio head Kevin Feige quickly pulled those comments back, instead comparing it to Gremlins or Raiders of the Lost Ark.

"I mean, there are horrifying sequences in Raiders that I as a little kid would [cover my eyes] when their faces melted. Or Temple of Doom, of course, or Gremlins, or Poltergeist," Feige once said in 2019. "These are the movies that invented the PG-13 rating, by the way. They were PG and then they were like, 'We need another [rating].' But that's fun. It's fun to be scared in that way, and not a horrific, torturous way, but a way that is legitimately scary — because Scott Derrickson is quite good at that — but scary in the service of an exhilarating emotion."

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters May 6th. What other characters do you think will end up appearing in the upcoming feature? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!