Michael Waldron, who wrote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, defended the recently released Marvel Cinematic Universe film receiving a PG-13 rating.

In an interview with io9, Waldron was asked about the recent discourse surrounding Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's PG-13 rating, which saw many online debating whether it should have received a higher rating. The question specifically focused on how much of the film's violence was in the script versus in Sam Raimi's direction of the movie. Waldron said it was a combination of Raimi's directing and his writing. Waldron then commented on the controversy directly, saying, "Yeah. I mean, people's heads are melting and exploding. [Laughs] You know, I think the movies that were the most impactful for me were the movies that felt a little bit dangerous to watch as a kid, so it's kind of fun to feel like we made one of those."

RELATED: Doctor Strange 2 Set up the MCU’s Next Demonic Threat (No, Not Mephisto)PG-13 is part of the Motion Picture Association's film rating system and is applied to films that may not be appropriate for those under the age of 13. The PG-13 rating came about as a response to the content of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins, both of which were also released in 1984. Those two movies originally received a PG rating. The first film to receive the rating was 1984's Red Dawn.

In 2019, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's original director, Scott Derrickson, described the film as the MCU's first scary movie. Later that year, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige clarified those comments, saying that, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had "scary sequences," it wasn't necessarily a horror film. In that statement, Feige mentioned the scary sequences in Temple of Doom and Gremlins, saying they were the reasons the PG-13 rating was created and noting that "it's fun to be scared in that way."

RELATED: Doctor Strange 2 Scribe Says Wanda Being [SPOILER] Was a Very Early DecisionDespite the discourse on its rating, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has proven a success commercially. At the time of writing, the film has grossed more than $479 million worldwide. Critically, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness holds a 75 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters now. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, Benedict Wong as Wong and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch.

Source: io9