Doctor Strange 2 Theory: Wanda Will Clash With Mordo Over The Darkhold

Since Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) is shown in the post credits scene of the series finale of WandaVision studying the Darkhold, the Book of the Damned that she acquired from Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), the credits scene suggests that Wanda will have a conflict in the upcoming MCU film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with another skilled sorcerer: Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Assuming that Mordo has maintained his extreme beliefs on what constitutes as the proper implementation of magic since he last appeared within Doctor Strange, it’s likely that Wanda and Mordo will clash over their different approaches to practicing magic.

In episode 8 of WandaVision, Agatha takes Wanda on a tour of her past, revisiting some of the traumatic moments from Wanda’s formative years to convince Wanda that she wields Chaos Magic, a type of magic never seen before within the MCU. Revisiting Wanda’s memory of the death of her parents and the Mind Stone experiments Wanda volunteered for as a teenager, Agatha reveals that Wanda always had magic residing naturally within her that was amplified when exposed to the Mind Stone, which is why Agatha proclaims Wanda to be the Scarlet Witch in the series finale. According to Agatha, the Darkhold contains an entire chapter about the Scarlet Witch, a prophesied sorceress who doesn’t need the support of a coven, has no need for incantation, and whom wasn't born, but was forged. Since Wanda’s magic naturally emanates from her during moments of elevated emotion, Wanda’s powers have certainly been forged by her own circumstances or her traumatic experiences.

In comparison to other sorcerers depicted within the MCU, such as Mordo and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wanda doesn’t need to activate her magic by purposefully casting a spell. While Mordo had formal training under the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) in Eldritch Magic, Wanda’s Chaos Magic naturally flows from her when her emotions are heightened and can be used to alter reality, which is why she was able to create the Hex when she was grieving over Vision’s (Paul Bettany) death. When it comes to their methods of practicing magic, Wanda and Mordo are almost polar opposites. Unlike Wanda’s magic, which thrives off of unfettered emotion, Mordo believes that there should be more limitations when practicing magic, such as operating within the rule of natural law. Since WandaVision’s post credits scene reveals that Wanda now has access to the Darkhold, her magic will likely only increase by the time she returns within Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Wanda Is Learning More Powers From The Darkhold

Scarlet Witch levitates while using magic in WandaVision.

Since Wanda’s natural Chaos Magic never required Scarlet Witch to have any formal training in magic, the Darkhold is Wanda’s first real study of magic. While this is the first time the book has been introduced within the MCU, the Darkhold has previously been featured on the Marvel-related television show Agents of SHIELD, where it was established as a book on dark magic that was believed to contain infinite knowledge. In the WandaVision post credits scene, Scarlet Witch already appears to have learned quite a bit about the basics of magic from the Darkhold in the short time that Wanda’s been in exile, since Wanda has already mastered astral projection and manages to consciously make a cup of tea while studying the Darkhold in her astral form.

As Agatha pointed out within “The Series Finale,” the Darkhold contains a whole chapter devoted to the power of the Scarlet Witch, which provides Wanda with the rare opportunity to learn more about her specific magic and develop her skills as a sorceress with real training rather than just relying on her natural ability. Given the foreshadowing featured at the end of the post-credits scene in which the voices of Wanda and Vision’s twin boys Billy (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne) can be heard calling to their mother for help, the scene heavily hints at the first form of dark magic Wanda will likely pursue: the resurrection of her children, who died in WandaVision after Wanda deconstructed the Hex around Westview. With the Darkhold’s extensive knowledge on Chaos Magic and dark magic at Wanda’s fingertips, it’s safe to assume that Wanda will begin to live up to her cataclysmic prophesied power in Doctor Strange 2.

The MCU Established The Darkhold Originated In The Dark Dimension

Agatha Harkness reading the Darkhold in WandaVision

Given the Darkhold’s past history within the Marvel-related series Agents of SHIELD, the book could provide Scarlet Witch with the answer to Billy and Tommy’s resurrection. Made from dark matter that originated in Dormammu's Dark Dimension, the Darkhold was used in Agents of SHIELD by the scientist Joseph Bauer (Kerr Smith) to create a Quantum Particle Generator for his research facility, Momentum Labs. While Bauer believed the machine was producing new matter, the machine was actually drawing energy from the Dark Dimension. Since the scope of Scarlet Witch’s Chaos Magic hasn’t been defined within the MCU yet, it’s likely that her magic will be described in scientific terms, similar to how Eldritch Magic is described as energy being drawn from alternate dimensions in Doctor Strange.

With the ability to warp reality, Wanda's Chaos Magic transformed objects within Westview on the surface, but she was unable to alter their molecular structure. In WandaVision episode 5 "On A Very Special Episode...", Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) discovered that while her bulletproof vest had been transformed into a 70s ensemble, the outfit was still made up of the same materials as her SWORD uniform and was therefore 87% kevlar. If the scientist Joseph Bauer was able to use the Darkhold to create a machine that produces new matter, Wanda herself could either draw energy from the Dark Dimension to further strengthen her warping abilities and change objects down to the molecular level in order to bring Billy and Tommy back to life, or she could physically craft the twins from dark matter originating within the Dark Dimension, similar to how the Darkhold itself was made.

Theory: Mordo Will Think Scarlet Witch Is Abusing Dark Magic

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Scarlet Witch will likely make an enemy of Mordo due to her study and possible practice of dark magic. In Doctor Strange, Mordo lived by his own moral code that the Masters of Mystic Arts shouldn’t practice any magic that violates the natural law. When Doctor Strange used the Eye of Agamotto, a.k.a. the Time Stone, to stop Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his Zealots from bringing Dormammu to Earth, Mordo was opposed to his methods since it violated the principle rules of time. Initiated by his disproval of the Ancient One's practice of drawing power from the Dark Dimension to extend her lifespan, Mordo decided to leave the Masters of the Mystic Arts and go on a crusade to steal magic away from those whom he believes abuse it, as is shown in the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange when Mordo takes Jonathan Pangborn’s (Benjamin Bratt) powers away from him.

If the arc created for Mordo at the end of Doctor Strange continues into the sequel, it’s likely that Mordo will think Scarlet Witch is abusing her magic, similar to the Ancient One. Since Agatha proclaimed that Scarlet Witch’s magic exceeds the power of the Sorcerer Supreme, it’s unlikely that Wanda’s abilities will go unnoticed by Mordo, especially after the events of WandaVision. If Scarlet Witch does attempt to resurrect her twins using the Darkhold, a book that Mordo would already disapprove of given its connection to Dormammu’s Dimension, the practice of that type of dark magic would certainly classify as a violation of the natural law and could encourage Mordo to target Wanda as one of the sorcerers who shouldn’t be allowed to practice magic.

Ironically, while both Mordo and Wanda’s methods of practicing magic oppose one another, the two characters have some similarities going into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While both Wanda and Mordo are on separate missions, with one wishing to increase their magic while the other wants to limit it, it’s currently unclear whether or not they’ll be a friend or foe to Doctor Strange and their intentions won’t be determined until they appear within the sequel.

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