Spider-Man Director Remembers Trying to Make Thor Movie With Stan Lee in the 1990s

Sam Raimi is best known for his work on Spider-Man and the Evil Dead franchise, and now the director is taking on Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness next. It turns out, before he helmed his Spider-Man trilogy, the director and Stan Lee went around pitching a Thor film in the early 90s. Raimi recently had a discussion with Rolling Stone and he revealed the experience of trying to get a Thor movie made.

“They were great. We worked on a story based on his Thor stories, then we took it around to pitch to the different studios — and I couldn’t believe that they didn’t regard [Lee] more highly back then,” Raimi told the magazine. “This was probably 1991 or something, and he was treated like just another writer. “Oh, great. You write comic books. Big deal.” I remember going to eight different studios, and then looking at eight different rejection slips, saying “How could they say no to this?” They’d say things like, “People are kind of touchy about their gods,” and I’d go, “Yes, but it’s not like a religious picture. He’s the God of Thunder!” They so didn’t get it.”

Raimi’s next film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will finally hit theaters next week. The film broke Fandango’s advance ticket sales record for 2022. In support of the occasion, Director Sam Raimi had a discussion with Fandango. During the conversation, the director revealed some things about the sequel including who he thinks the villain of the film could be as well as who he thinks could win in a fight between Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch.

“Wow. That’s a question I’ve been asking kids on the playground since third grade. Who is stronger, this character or that character? Well, I think Wanda’s magic, from Marvel lore, is more powerful than almost any of the other characters in this picture, but Doctor Strange has the knowledge of the mystic arts that Wanda doesn’t have, and he’s got the help of Kamar-Taj,” Raimi told the website. “If you were to pit them against each other, different altered versions of themselves … there could be Doctor Strange out there that’s more powerful than our Wanda. Or there could be a Wanda out there who is more powerful than our Wanda here. So, because of these altered versions, it’s all a mixed bag of possibilities.”

Marvel Studios describes Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as follows: “To restore a world where everything is changing, Strange seeks help from his ally Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Avengers’ most powerful Scarlet Witch, Wanda. But a terrible threat looms over humanity and the entire universe that no longer can be done by their power alone. Even more surprising, the greatest threat in the universe looks exactly like Doctor Strange.” 

The film is directed by the legendary Sam Rami and will star Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch, Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on May 5th, 2022!

Do you wish Stan Lee and Sam Raimi got to make their Thor film? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!