How Fulfilling Scarlet Witch’s Multiverse Prophecy Can Fix The MCU’s Future

Avengers: Secret Wars will bring an end to the Multiverse Saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Wanda Maximoff's Scarlet Witch may have a key role to play in the final act thereof. Despite her apparent death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Scarlet Witch's destiny has yet to be fulfilled, heavily implying that she will indeed return in Phases 5 and 6 of the MCU. When she does make her inevitable return, Wanda must not only fulfill the final part of her compelling character arc but also fix a key fault in the Multiverse Saga's storytelling as the next Saga begins to unfold.

WandaVision, one of Marvel's most successful Disney+ shows, finally revealed Wanda Maximoff to be the legendary Scarlet Witch, a being who was prophesied to one day either rule or destroy the Multiverse. Although Wanda vehemently denied these claims about her future, her work with the Darkhold appeared to cement her role in the potential destruction of the Multiverse. However, the finale of Multiverse of Madness saw Wanda's heroic redemption as she sacrificed her life in order to destroy the Darkhold forever. This apparent death, while impactful, cannot be the end of the Scarlet Witch's story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or in the final act of the Multiverse Saga.

Destroying The Multiverse Could Give The MCU A Clean Slate

The MCU's Multiverse needs to end for the sake of the franchise's future stories. While the alternate reality antics of Phases 4, 5, and 6 are certainly worth exploring, the Multiverse also offers too easy a narrative cheat for future films and series. So long as the Multiverse is a viable plot device, dead characters can always be brought back, plot holes can be lazily filled, and stakes will always be far lower. Therefore, once the Multiverse Saga comes to an end in Phase 6, the MCU's Multiverse itself should cease to exist as well, closing up this fun but potentially messy storytelling device once and for all.

The MCU can fulfill Wanda's prophecy and perfectly end the Multiverse Saga by having the Scarlet Witch completely destroy the Multiverse, save for one Sacred Timeline. Not only would this finally bring Wanda's story to a satisfying conclusion that acknowledges the extreme danger of her abilities, but it would also give the MCU a clean slate as it begins to set up its third saga. No longer burdened by the many alternate reality franchises that came before and ran alongside the MCU, Marvel movies can continue in one streamlined reality that is no longer burdened by Multiversal threats like incursions or the villainous Kang the Conqueror.

How Destroying The Multiverse Can Affect Secret Wars

Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire), Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), and Namor (Tenoch Huerta) line up for the final battle of Secret Wars

The MCU's Secret Wars must overcome its bloated story, which is sure to be filled with dozens of recognizable heroes and villains from various alternate realities, and the destruction of the Multiverse may help the film accomplish this unprecedented feat. In fact, it may very well serve as the reason behind the many Multiversal cameos that are rumored to fill the film, as variants from all across the Multiverse join the final stand against Kang, or whatever cosmic villain may take his place in Phase 6's finale. Much like Doctor Strange's botched spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Multiverse's destruction can bring countless variants together for one last battle.

Moreover, Secret Wars can adapt Endgame's scrapped ending to craft a surprisingly emotional conclusion to the Multiverse Saga. If it becomes clear throughout the events of Secret Wars that only one universe can survive, as is often the case with incursions, the climax of the film is sure to be incredibly tragic, as heroes from throughout the Multiverse lay down their lives so that at least one timeline can continue to exist. While Endgame originally planned to kill off all six original Avengers, Secret Wars can kill off dozens of well-loved heroes, including the variant Spider-Men and the cast of Fox's X-Men franchise, as their respective universes are destroyed forever.

This ending would also complete Scarlet Witch's redemption after Doctor Strange 2, while also making her the pseudo-protagonist of Secret Wars and, by extension, the entire Multiverse Saga. Given that the saga began with her Disney+ series, Wanda is also the perfect person to bring the current era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a close, using her immense power to bring the Multiverse crumbling down forever. Moreover, Marvel Studios may even elect to inject elements from the classic House of M comics storyline into Secret Wars, perhaps replacing Wanda's "no more mutants" line with something akin to "no more Multiverse."

When Can Scarlet Witch's Dark Prophecy Be Fulfilled?

The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) menacingly conjures a spell as the image of the Darkhold sets in around her.

It is unclear when Wanda Maximoff can fulfill her true destiny in the MCU, but certain films and series seem more likely than others. There are several upcoming MCU films and series that Scarlet Witch can return in, including the WandaVision spinoffs, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Vision Quest. However, while these two Disney+ series could easily set up the fulfillment of the Scarlet Witch prophecy, neither is likely to feature the actual destruction of the Multiverse. Instead, the true culmination of Wanda's ongoing story arc in the Multiverse Saga is more likely to come as a result of Kang's conquest in Phases 5 and 6.

Kang is certain to wreak unparalleled chaos throughout the Multiverse after being released from his Quantum Realm prison in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The events of the upcoming Ant-Man film play into The Kang Dynasty, creating a major problem for the Avengers to face in Phase 6. They will undoubtedly use every resource at their disposal to defeat Kang the Conqueror, likely drawing directly from the Multiverse to do so. If their interdimensional meddling proves too extreme, they may bring about an incursion so large, that the only way to preserve their universe is to destroy the Multiverse itself, ending The Kang Dynasty in a massive cliffhanger.

However, even more likely is that Secret Wars will present an even bigger threat than Kang himself that will necessitate the all-out destruction of the Multiverse. Some theories have suggested that Doctor Doom could be Secret Wars' main villain, and there is any number of colossal Multiversal threats outside of Kang himself that could make it necessary for Wanda to wipe out any alternate realities that threaten the Sacred Timeline's existence. Regardless of the reason behind her actions, it seems as though the very best occasion for the Scarlet Witch's utter destruction of all but one reality is Avengers: Secret Wars, the very last installment of the Multiverse Saga.

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