Sam Raimi became a transformative force in cinema by revitalising the horror and superhero genres through the Evil Dead and Spider-Man franchises. Before achieving this dominance, he attempted to secure rights to The Shadow, a 1930s pulp vigilante character with clear cinematic potential. When studios declined to finance his vision, Raimi instead created Darkman, an original superhero narrative starring Liam Neeson that ultimately proved foundational to his later major successes in the genre.

The Shadow remained a lingering ambition throughout Raimi's career. In 2013, over two decades after abandoning his initial adaptation plans, Raimi confirmed his continued desire to direct the character, articulating appreciation for the sophistication of the pulp source material and its historical roots. His persistent interest proved poorly timed: Universal had already attempted a Shadow film in 1994 with Alec Baldwin under director Russell Mulcahy, which achieved neither critical acclaim nor box office success, possibly suggesting that Raimi's failure to secure the property earlier may have inadvertently protected his reputation.