Massive spoilers ahead for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing and expanding, and Phase Four has been a wild ride so far. The most recent Marvel movie that hit theaters is Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The blockbuster packed some major twists, and now Doctor Strange 2’s writer has reacted to WandaVision fans who are mad about Scarlet Witch’s actions.
Doctor Strange 2 serves as a sequel to a number of projects, including Disney+’s series WandaVision. That acclaimed series allowed Elizabeth Olsen to finally take center stage as Wanda Maximoff, resulting in her becoming a fan-favorite character. And as such, some fans took umbrage with the Scarlet Witch being ruled my dark magic and grief, and making some murderous decisions as a result (RIP The Illuminati). Screenwriter Michael Waldron recently spoke to The Playlist about the blockbuster, and the strong reaction coming from WandaVision fans out there. As he put it,
I guess I would say to the WandaVision fans, like, I get it. Watching a character you love do bad things sucks. That elicits a strong feeling, which is what we're trying to do in the movies. We never would have done it if it didn't feel like the next step in her character journey.
Well, there you have it. Michael Waldron seems to understand the complicated feelings that are rising for audiences following the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, especially related to Wanda being the movie’s main antagonist. But it looks like there might be a master plan in the works for the Scarlet Witch moving forward. Does that mean it's safe to assume she’s not actually dead? Fingers crossed.
Michael Waldron articulated himself well regarding what is one of the biggest reactions coming out of Doctor Strange 2: the handling of Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff. The finale of WandaVision saw her seemingly turning away from her villainous tendencies, setting the folks of Westview free and sacrificing her own happiness in the process. But early in the runtime of The Multiverse of Madness it becomes clear that she’s got an evil plan in the works.
Of course, there are some extenuating circumstances that influence Wanda’s decisions throughout Doctor Strange 2. Perhaps the most important being the side effects of carrying/reading the Darkhold, which was proven to negatively affect others like Agatha Harkness and Doctor Strange’s variant. And given her immense grief and longing for her kids, one can understand why Wanda might have broken bad. But that doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking.
In the end Wanda once again realized the error of her ways in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After seeing how she terrified the variants of her sons, the Scarlet Witch would destroy the Darkhold across the multiverse. It looked like he perished in the process, but the fandom isn’t convinced.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
