It was revealed earlier this year that Community creator Dan Harmon would be doing some script doctoring for Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Today, Kevin Feige explained that Harmon wasn’t just brought on to punch up the script’s humor. Marvel sought out Harmon because he’s got a ton of experience being multidimensional stories on a little ol’ science fiction show called Rick and Morty.
Feige revealed that they brought on Harmon because obviously everyone at Marvel were fans of Community. It is, after all, where Captain America: Civil War and future Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo first left their marks as directors, and the MCU has featured several Community cast cameos.
It turns out, Marvel wasn’t just interested in Harmon’s comedic talents to add a little levity to their supernatural superhero film. “We’re also fans of his cartoon Rick and Morty, which is about, of course, humor, but I would argue that any given episode of that show has an unbelievably amazing sci-fi concept that could be its own movie,” Feige revealed. Feige is 100% correct.
“So, really, we just wanted him to watch the movie, and talk to us about it, and give us his opinions on the sci-fi concepts. That was as important to us as any humor that he could add to the movie.”
It might be a little surprising to consider that the creator of one of the most beloved sitcoms in recent memory is also a master sci-fi storyteller, but watch any episode of Rick and Morty and you’ll soon find out that topics like interdimensional travel, ethical cloning, A.I., Virtual Reality, and other sci-fi staples are handled not only with humor but with huge sophistication. If anyone can make the interdimensional magic of Doctor Strange understandable, it might as well be Dan Harmon.
Doctor Strange hits theaters November 4, 2016, and Season 3 of Rick and Morty is, supposedly, due on Adult Swim before the end of this year.
