Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead For Multiverse Of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe, breaking down the walls of the multiverse in a way that will affect the entire future of the franchise. As the fallout of the movie settles, fans are left to make sense of what they just witnessed, and what exactly will happen next.
For many comic book fans, certain events of Multiverse of Madness may have felt somewhat familiar, as the film clearly took cues from the classic comic storyline "House of M," written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Olivier Coipel. As such, there are numerous parallels between aspects of the MCU's most recent film and one of Scarlet Witch's most important stories.
Lost Children
A major aspect of Multiverse of Madness was the absence of Billy and Tommy Maximoff from their mother's life. After losing her two sons when the Westview Hex closed that the end of WandaVision, Wanda Maximoff attempts to traverse the multiverse in an effort to regain what she'd lost.
"House of M" has a similar inciting incident, as the comic book version of Wanda is driven into a depression after losing her own children, who had never existed in the first place. Much like the cinematic Wanda, this version of the character even creates illusions to deceive herself into believing her children are alive and well, only to be returned to a tragic reality.
Xavier Rendered Useless
Sir Patrick Stewart returns to his iconic role of Professor Charles Xavier after his long stint of playing the X-Men leader in Fox's franchise featuring the mutants. However, Xavier is quickly dispatched by the powerful Scarlet Witch, who psychically snaps his neck, killing him.
Much like in Multiverse of Madness, Professor X is powerless to stop Wanda, even despite his own great strength. While Xavier is not violently murdered in "House of M," he is discarded in such a way that he cannot help the surviving X-Men and Avengers right the altered reality that Wanda had created.
Friend Turned Against Friend
Multiverse of Madness sees Dr. Steven Strange pitted against his friend and fellow Avenger Wanda Maximoff as the latter descends into desperate villainy as a result of her incredible loss. As such, Wanda develops from a one-time hero into a bonafide supervillain, committing several atrocities that can never be undone.
The "House of M" storyline similarly featured former friends of Wanda's, who were forced to fight her for the greater good of the world. In the comics, it was not just the sorcerers of Kamer-Taj, but the entirety of the Avengers and the X-Men, who found themselves to be no match for Wanda's power, even with their combined strength.
Scarlet Witch At Her Most Powerful
In the MCU, Wanda has always been afraid of her own powers - but she isn't afraid anymore. The character's latest appearance depicted her at her very strongest, as even Doctor Strange himself proved to be unable to stand against her power, perhaps confirming her as the strongest Avenger in the MCU.
The comics similarly depict an all-powerful Scarlet Witch, perhaps even more powerful than the one seen in Multiverse of Madness. This Wanda had the power to rewrite the entirety of reality itself, creating an altered universe where historical events had played out in favor of mutantkind. This remains one of the greatest displays of power ever committed by an Earth-bound being.
Grief-Stricken Wanda
Wanda has suffered more than most other characters in the MCU. Not only has she lost her parents and her brother, but in the last several years, she has had to say goodbye to her husband three times, and her own beloved children twice. In this way, Wanda has suffered more than most other characters in the MCU, driving her to commit her atrocious acts in the latest Doctor Strange film.
"House of M" shows Wanda completely driven by grief, which becomes her motivation for creating a better world. Not only does she repair her own grief by creating this alternate reality, but she also does so for several other heroes, including Spider-Man himself, who awakes to find that his long lost love Gwen Stacy is alive and well, and is the mother of his child.
The Convening Of A Council
The Illuminati is a council whose members generated plenty of Multiverse of Madness's fan theories. This group plays a pivotal role in the film before being completely discarded by the powerful Scarlet Witch, who disposes of each member in a grisly manner, killing them all.
The conjoining comics storyline also features the coming together of a group of very powerful beings, though not the Illuminati. Rather, this storyline includes the rare union between the Avengers and the X-Men, who convene in order to discuss the fate of the Scarlet Witch, who some believe is too dangerous to be left alive.
An Alternate Reality
As the title suggests, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness leans heavily into the aspect of the multiverse, featuring several realities distinct from the MCU that fans know. Strange and America Chavez visit plenty of alternate realities, both utopian and dystopian, on their interdimensional foray.
While "House of M" does not feature the multiverse, it does include an altered reality, this one handcrafted by the Scarlet Witch herself to fit her deepest desires. This a rewritten version of the Marvel Universe that comic readers are familiar with, albeit with a twist wherein mutants rule society and humans are derided and subjugated.
Mutant Madness
Though many expected Multiverse of Madness to fully introduce mutants into the MCU, the film does no such thing. It does however lay the groundwork in its inclusion of an alternate-reality Professor X, whom Wanda kills. Her encounter with a fellow mutant, however, could portend the Scarlet Witch herself being the one to initiate mutants into her world.
Mutants play a much different role in "House of M." Indeed, the storyline is perhaps best known for Wanda's three infamous words spoken as her reality crumbled: "No more mutants." With this statement, Wanda erased the vast majority of mutant powers from the world, leaving only a handful unaffected. Many still believe that some version of this moment may be yet ahead for the MCU's version of Wanda.
Nothing Will Be The Same
While Multiverse of Madness didn't necessarily change the MCU in ways that most fans might have expected, it did alter the franchise in a way that will never be amended. It would appear that the multiverse itself continues to crumble, as Earth-616 is set on a collision course with another Earth, which will inevitably leave to an Incursion that will leave only one reality left standing.
"House of M" also altered the Marvel Universe, albeit in a very different way. The fallout of this iconic storyline saw most mutant powers erased from the world, cleaning up the scores of lesser mutants, who had now become nothing more than regular humans. Much like the MCU's Wanda, the comic book Scarlet Witch took grievous action that led to the complete and irreparable altering of her own reality.
It Comes Down To Wanda
Despite acting as the primary antagonist of Multiverse of Madness, the film's finale sees Wanda Maximoff come to see the error of her own ways, bringing an end to her villainy by destroying the Darkhold and giving up her dream of reuniting with her children. In the end, she is implied to have died, though she likely escaped the rubble of Chthon's temple and entered into exile.
"House of M" ends in a similar manner, wherein Wanda realizes that the alternate reality she has created isn't much better than the original, choosing to restore the world to its rightful order, though not without making one major change in the near-extinction of mutants. In the epilogue, Wanda is revealed to have exiled herself, living a peaceable life in the countryside, where she can no longer harm any innocent people.