The MCU Can Finally Do Justice To X-Men's Best Story The Movies Failed

Scarlet Witch's role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems to function as the MCU's version of one the best X-Men stories which the Fox movies failed to adapt twice. After undergoing numerous changes in WandaVision, the now-called Scarlet Witch will return to the big screen in Doctor Strange 2. In addition to Doctor Strange and Wanda, Multiverse of Madness will feature several Marvel characters, such as America Chavez, What If...? 's Supreme Strange, and Patrick Stewart's Professor X.

Those who have only followed Wanda's journey through the movies might find it difficult to understand her role in Multiverse of Madness, as the Disney+ series WandaVision has advanced the character's story further than any other film. The events which took place in Westview helped Wanda grieve the loss of Vision, as she started to go down a dangerous route. Wanda has grown close to Agatha Harkness and is now in possession of the chaos magic book known as the Darkhold.

Now that Wanda is the mother of a pair of twins whose souls may be lost to the Multiverse, she has additional motivation which could drive her down a similar path to the X-Men's Jean Grey. Although not much is known regarding how Scarlet Witch's story will play out in Doctor Strange 2, this appears to be the most powerful that Wanda has been in the MCU. However, with great power could also come great calamity.

Scarlet Witch's MCU Story Is Like X-Men's Dark Phoenix

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff Scarlet Witch in WandaVision and Sophie Turner as Jean Grey in X-Men Dark Phoenix

The stories of Scarlet Witch and Jean Grey have always echoed each other in the comics, and the same is happening in the MCU. After originally being introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron as an "enhanced" being with her mutant powers downgraded, Wanda has finally started to receive the cinematic attention she deserves. However, the arc that was chosen for Scarlet Witch in the MCU draws inspiration from the more troubling side of the character's history. Wanda's powers are evolving at a terrifying rate, especially after she linked with Agatha Harkness in WandaVision. Her traumatic experiences over the past three Avengers films have made Scarlet Witch a risk, as she struggles to control her powers.

This concept is very similar to the X-Men's Dark Phoenix arc. After being possessed by a cosmic entity, Jean Grey's already enormous power grew even more, to the point that the mutant lost control of her actions and became a villain. Due to the Phoenix Force, Jean Grey became a risk not only to the X-Men, but to the entire universe. The struggles to control the Dark Phoenix's powers are often tied to elements of Jean Grey's psychology, especially in other reinterpretations of the Phoenix Saga such as in X-Men: Evolution and the Ultimate universe.

Both trailers for Doctor Strange 2 add to the end of WandaVision and indicate that Scarlet Witch will have an antagonistic role in Multiverse of Madness. After hearing their voices echo across the Multiverse at the end of WandaVision, she is searching for her lost children, which could put the character on a collision course with Doctor Strange and the Illuminati. Wanda has already made cosmic mistakes in WandaVision, and that could only get worse now that the character has possession of the Darkhold. Wanda’s use of the magic book tied to chaos magic can be compared to the effect the Phoenix Force had on Jean Grey.

Scarlet Witch’s Doctor Strange 2 Role Can Finally Undo X-Men's Worst Movie Shame

X-Men Dark Phoenix Trailer Jean Grey as Phoenix

More than echoing the Dark Phoenix storyline, Scarlet Witch's role in Doctor Strange 2 can do justice to an arc that the Fox X-Men franchise failed to adapt in multiple movies. Both X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Dark Phoenix were adaptations of the Phoenix Saga, and neither managed to translate the greatness of the comic book to the screen. Not only did X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix fail as adaptations of one of the most important stories in the X-Men lore, but both films also had an underwhelming reception by both critics and audiences and were coincidentally the last in their respective series.

Adapting an arc as important as the Phoenix Saga into just one movie would never be an easy task, and X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix de-characterize the stories of Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force so much to the point that just a few elements of the comic book were actually integrated in the Fox X-Men films. The rogue Jean Grey was present in both films, but that was just about it. Dark Phoenix promised to be a more faithful adaptation starting with the name, but the film felt as small and without major consequences as the previous attempt.

Wanda isn't Jean Grey and Doctor Strange 2 has nothing to do with the Phoenix Force, but the next Doctor Strange movie could offer Scarlet Witch an arc that resembles the Phoenix Saga more than anything in the X-Men movies. Multiverse of Madness will have the chance to show the true scale of the abilities of a character as powerful as Wanda – now amplified thanks to the Darkhold – especially if she faces off against Doctor Strange and Professor X. Wanda's actions could have ramifications for the Multiverse, as indicated by the intervention of the MCU version of the Illuminati. This sense of grandeur is exactly what was lacking in the Fox films, and could be the reason why Scarlet Witch's role in Doctor Strange 2 might turn out to be the "better Dark Phoenix adaptation."

Doctor Strange 2 Can Answer Marvel's Oldest Power Rivalry

It's worth noting that Scarlet Witch's possible confrontation with Patrick Stewart's Professor Xavier could echo X-Men: The Last Stand. In the original X-Men movie chronology, it was exactly by fighting Jean Grey that Professor X died for the first time. The leader of the X-Men failed to help his student control her powers and had to pay with his life. Jean had reached a power level so high that not even a mutant as powerful as Xavier could stop her.

Thanks to Wanda's role in Doctor Strange 2, a similar showdown could be featured. The film's trailer confirms that Professor X will be part of the Illuminati, which means a fight between the mutant and the Scarlet Witch might happen. Regardless of the outcome of the battle between Professor X and Scarlet Witch, fans will eventually compare it to the confrontation between Jean Grey and Charles in X-Men: The Last Stand. Due to this point, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can answer one of Marvel's oldest rivalries: whether Dark Phoenix’s possessed Jean Grey is more powerful than the MCU's Scarlet Witch.

Next: Why Doctor Strange 2 Won't Pay Off Scarlet Witch's Forgotten Cliffhanger