Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continues to receive praises for delivering an eerie take on MCU’s Multiverse. As much as Sam Raimi deserves applause, composer Danny Elfman’s spine-chilling track for the sequel also played a pivotal part in bringing Raimi’s horror genre to life. However, in the process, Elfman may have unintentionally created a DC-Marvel crossover by re-using his 2017’s Justice League soundtrack in Doctor Strange 2.
With Marvel Studios’ world premiere done and dusted for Multiverse of Madness and early reviews in, more new marketing materials have begun rolling out for the public, including the official score now available to listen to on Youtube or even stream on Amazon Music, etc. But one particular track has attracted more attention than usual for reusing the same tune from Justice League.
The Doctor Strange 2 track titled “Stranger Things Will Happen” uses the tunes from the DCEU’s ensemble flick at the mark of 1:22 in the video below. A Reddit user has shared a comparison of both film’s tracks which is surprisingly an exact copy. Though it should be noted Elfman was also scored for the DC film.
In the past, several composers have used their temp tunes already produced in their past projects. In fact, Elfman produced the chords aforementioned above in Agee Lee directed 2003’s Hulk movie. And 2002’s Spider-Man soundtrack also has the familiar chords. In any case, early reactions complimented his score for elevating action scenes. But some criticized the artist for rehashing old themes.
It should be noted Elfman’s score was used only in the theatrical edition of Justice League which was cut by Joss Whedon. A majority of DC fans see Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the 4-hour cut as the original version and it uses Junkie XL’s Hans Zimmer influenced soundtrack.
Speaking of Doctor Strange 2 score, the last track’s title “An Unexpected Visitor” has some intrigued if it could be an indication of a new character reveal, possibly in the post-credits scene. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives on May 6.
