Theory: Doctor Strange 2 Is About Rescuing Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch’s involvement in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been confirmed since before WandaVision premiered, but what if Doctor Strange’s second solo adventure is all about rescuing Wanda from the multiverse? The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its expansion now that the Infinity Saga came to an end with Spider-Man: Far From Home after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and its highly anticipated Phase 4 will not just cover movies but also TV/streaming as the studio has a long list of TV projects coming up.

First in line and kickstarting Phase 4 is WandaVision, a TV show centered on Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). WandaVision follows these two characters as they live and idyllic suburban life in the quiet town of Westview, but viewers quickly learned that things are not what they seem in town, and while Wanda controls a big part of it, she doesn’t have full control of the town, its residents, and the events that happen inside the Hex. WandaVision still has more to tell in its final episodes, so the link to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be properly established, but it might not be a happy one.

The concept of the multiverse has already been introduced in the MCU, but the dangers and consequences of messing with it are yet to be seen. With that in mind, WandaVision might not have a happy ending after all and might instead have a tragic one that will bring Doctor Strange into the mix, thus making way for the events of his second solo movie, which could be all about rescuing Wanda.

Wanda Is In Doctor Strange 2

The MCU has already explored the realm of television with shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, and Inhumans, as well as the world of streaming with those Marvel shows exclusive to Netflix, but they haven’t directly linked to the movie side of this universe, instead having just a couple of references to the movies but no direct connection to them. That will change in Phase 4 with all those TV shows set to stream exclusively on Disney+, which are planned to be an active part of the MCU, and as proof, there are two that are already confirmed to tie directly into the movie side of the MCU: WandaVision and Loki, both confirmed to tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In WandaVision’s case, the connection with Doctor Strange 2 will be deeper as Elizabeth Olsen is confirmed to appear in the movie as Scarlet Witch, though exactly what her role will be remains to be seen.

WandaVision’s Happy Ending Doesn’t Fit Wanda’s Arc

Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in WandaVision

Scarlet Witch has gone through a lot during her time in the MCU, and while many fans would like to see her have a happy ending at the end of WandaVision, that just doesn’t fit her arc, more so as the series isn’t her final MCU project. Wanda’s arc has been defined by tragedy from the beginning, as she grew up in Sokovia and her parents died when she and Pietro were 10 years old. The Maximoffs were having dinner when a mortar shell hit their apartment building, killing Wanda and Pietro’s parents. The twins spent two days trapped in the rubble and fearing that a second shell that landed three feet in front of them would go off at any moment, but that didn’t happen and they were eventually rescued. The second shell had the Stark Industries name on it, which led the twins to hate Tony Stark and the Avengers, even protesting against them when they grew up.

Wanda and Pietro later took part in a series of experiments where they were exposed to the energy of the Scepter and thus the Mind Stone, which ended up giving them powers. Continuing their fight against heroes, the twins briefly joined Ultron before learning about his true plans, after which they changed their mind about the Avengers and joined them so they could save Sokovia. Sadly, Pietro was killed during the Battle of Sokovia, adding more tragedy to Wanda’s story. Wanda’s struggles continued in Captain America: Civil War with the Lagos incident, after which she was labeled a threat by many, and though she was starting to get her life back on track in Avengers: Infinity War, tragedy struck again as Vision was killed by Thanos, and she later disappeared as a result of the snap.

Wanda, along with half of life in the universe, returned in Avengers: Endgame after the Hulk undid Thanos’ snap and joined the rest of the MCU heroes in the Battle of Earth. After that, Wanda was seen mourning Vision’s death, and the MCU then jumped to the events of WandaVision. Happiness, then, hasn’t really been present in Wanda’s arc, and there are no reasons to believe that WandaVision will give her a happy ending.

Agatha’s Plan Could Include Opening Doors To Other Worlds

Now, WandaVision episode 7 ended with a big twist in the shape of the reveal of the real villain of the show: Agnes (Kathryn Hahn), who is actually Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch. As this big twist happened right at the end of the episode, it’s still unknown what the MCU’s version of Agatha can do and, most importantly, what her intentions and goals really are, as she was revealed as the puppet master behind many events in Westview, most notably Pietro’s return and recast (as he’s now played by Evan Peters rather than by Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

So far, Agatha has been shown to be able to control minds and quite possibly absorb powers too, and she might be a much more skilled witch than Wanda is. Among Agatha’s plans could be opening doors to other worlds, which fits with the Nexus tease in episode 7’s commercial, and she could achieve this through the Nexus of All Realities, leading to the multiverse chaos Doctor Strange will have to deal with in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though exactly why she would want to open those doors remains to be seen.

Theory: Wanda Is Trapped In The Multiverse & Strange Has To Rescue Her

Scarlet Witch Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness Villain Theory

The opening of these doors to other dimensions can not only unleash a number of threats and obviously a lot of chaos in the multiverse but could also lead to Wanda being trapped in it, either intentionally or accidentally. The multiverse is formed by all parallel dimensions in existence, and the only character who has gone through many of them and lived to tell his experience is Doctor Strange (though it’s worth mentioning that Scott Lang, Hank Pym, and Janet van Dyne have traveled to the Quantum Realm and back). If Wanda gets trapped in the multiverse at the end of WandaVision, the only character who could save her is Doctor Strange.

It has been generally assumed that Wanda’s role in Doctor Strange 2 will be that of a fellow hero helping Strange fight whatever threat they come across, or that she will be the trigger of the “multiverse of madness” and thus the villain, but she might actually be the victim in all this. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, then, would be all about saving Wanda from the multiverse and in the process save the multiverse itself. Although there are many ways in which WandaVision could end and there might be more twists and reveals in its final episodes, Wanda getting trapped in the multiverse would be an interesting and entertaining way of connecting the show to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it’s also fitting with Wanda’s arc – it’s only a matter of seeing what Agatha’s real intentions are.

Next: How WandaVision's Big Twist Sets Up Spider-Man 3 & Doctor Strange 2