Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is currently without a director. The head honcho behind the first movie, Scott Derrickson, has left the project due to creative differences; although he still remains on at the very least as a producer.

Sam Raimi is the current name that’s heavily rumored to be taking up the role. There’s plenty of reasons why fans should be excited by this prospect but also reasons why Scott Derrickson would have been perfect. Here’s 5 points arguing each side of the case!

SCOTT DERRICKSON: CONTINUITY

For the sake of creative continuity, it makes sense to continue on with Scott Derrickson. After creating a success of the first film and firmly bringing Doctor Strange into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Derrickson can definitely be trusted with the property.

What’s more, he introduced a number of story details that will play heavily in the sequel. Baron Mordo’s journey, for instance, is likely to factor in, so it makes sense that the previous director can carry on this plot and conclude it how he sees fit.

SAM RAIMI: NEW VOICE

Sometimes there’s a lot of benefits to bringing a new voice into a project, especially when it’s one as talented as Sam Raimi’s. The director has a very unique style and could bring a lot of new flourishes to this already well-established franchise.

While the character was not growing stale by any means, a change in leadership could certainly bring big story changes that keep everything feeling fresh. For an example of how well this can work, simply look at Taika Waititi’s revival of Thor.

SCOTT DERRICKSON: STRONG VISION

Despite Raimi having a unique voice, it’s clear that Derrickson has a clear and strong vision for the sequel. It’s likely what the studio and director fell out over, as Derrickon’s voice on how he wanted to move the story forward would have been very clear.

It looked like the former director wanted to move this into even darker territory, playing off of his horror background and taking Doctor Strange into the realms of nightmares. This sounds like an excellent next step for the master of the mystic arts.

SAM RAIMI: HORROR TONE

Sam Raimi also comes with a great horror background though, that can lend itself well to this project. In fact, he may be able to toe the line well, between genuinely scary moments while still delivering a film that can be enjoyed by families.

The film needs a delicate and sophisticated touch so that both fans of the franchise and Disney can be happy with the final product. If that means it’s going to be within the horror genre, besides Derrickson, there’s very few as able to do this as Sam Raimi.

SCOTT DERRICKSON: MCU CONSULTING

Scott Derrickson hasn’t just worked on the character for the first movie though. He’s also consulted on all the other films that Doctor Strange has appeared in, even helping out with the increased power set he was working with.

The last couple of films have made the character even more interesting and Derrickson is partially responsible for this. With this upgraded Stephen Strange there’s no telling what else he could have achieved with the iconic Marvel sorcerer.

SAM RAIMI: COMPETENT DIRECTING

Much like Scott Derrickson, Sam Raimi is a very competent director. He’ll be stepping into a brand new project for him, that has been established under different people. That’s a difficult thing to do for any creative talent.

Due to his ability to direct in such a brilliant way, with interesting camera angles and a method of getting great performances from actors, Raimi’s work should shine through no matter how much creative control he actually gets on the movie.

SCOTT DERRICKSON: MULTIVERSE

The multiverse of madness idea that’s coming up is one that was set up in the previous Doctor Strange adventure. Derrickson showed us all his versions of the multiverse and it looked epic. It was one of the most visually stunning sequences of the whole film.

We’re looking forward to more of this in the future. With so many alternate realities and characters in store, it’s only right that the man that first really introduced the multiverse to audiences should be able to explore these infinite realities further.

It had to be mentioned at some point. Raimi already has some Marvel history after previously working with Sony on the iconic web-slinger, Spider-Man. His trilogy was revolutionary for the genre and helped to shape comic book movies today.

With a multiverse of madness, any realities could be brought into the mix. There’s already rumors and fan theories therefore that Raimi’s Spider-Man could make an appearance in the upcoming film; which is more likely with the director at the helm.

SCOTT DERRICKSON: FAR INTO DEVELOPMENT

Unfortunately for the project, Scott Derrickson was actually quite far into the stages of production before he had to leave due to the creative differences. There’s no telling what kind of state the movie has been left in then and how far through it is.

It’s quite a late time for anyone new to come on and so much of Derrickson’s mark will be left on the film, even as he continues to produce on it and will likely get story credit. It’s logical therefore that he can just complete his work and a new hand comes in for the sequel.

SAM RAIMI: COMIC BOOK STYLE

Sam Raimi’s style is very comic book heavy. His camera work and cinematography is extremely graphic and sometimes feels like it’s pulled straight from the pages of a graphic novel. This is a big win for a franchise like this.

Other Marvel Studios films would lend themselves to a more realistic approach. But as the Doctor Strange sequel is entering into the weird and wild, it makes sense that the visual language used conveys that and compliments it further.