Theory: Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic Sets Up Doctor Strange 2's Villain

WandaVision episode 8 introduced Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic into the MCU - and it could set up Chthon, the Elder God who could serve as the villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has long promised WandaVision would see Wanda Maximoff become the Scarlet Witch. Speaking at São Paulo's Comic-Con Experience in 2019, he confirmed the show would "reveal a name that I'm not even sure we've said in the MCU yet, but we absolutely make a big deal of in the show, which is that Wanda is in fact the Scarlet Witch. What does that mean, that she is the Scarlet Witch? And that's what we play into in this show, in ways that are entirely fun, entirely funny, somewhat scary, and will have repercussions for the entire future Phase 4 of the MCU."

That promise has finally become a reality in WandaVision episode 8, in which Agatha Harkness finally figured out just how Wanda is rewriting reality at will. According to Agatha, Wanda is no ordinary sorceress, but rather stands apart from all practitioners of the mystic arts as one who defies the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Where most sorcerers harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the Multiverse, meaning energy is neither created nor destroyed, Wanda is different. She is a Scarlet Witch, capable of spontaneous creation.

But, as exciting as the name "Scarlet Witch" may be, the most important detail may be the specific type of magic Wanda wields. According to Agatha Harkness, she's harnessing something called "Chaos Magic" - and that may be crucial to the future of the MCU.

Chaos Magic Explained

Wanda has Chaos Magic burst out from her

The comics had traditionally treated Wanda Maximoff as both a mutant and a sorceress, but during Kurt Busiek's Avengers run he revealed Scarlet Witch's magic was different to those of other sorcerers. She was born at Mount Wundagore, a place where the fabric of reality is thin, and consequently the Elder God named Chthon was able to imbue the infant with his own mystic power. Thus, in the comics, Wanda is the one sorceress to wield Chaos Magic, the raw primordial force of creation itself. She could spontaneously create probability-ruptures, temporal shifts, and sudden gusts of physical force - blasts of power Wanda herself compared to "chaos grenades." As Agatha Harkness explained when revealing the truth about Chaos Magic to Scarlet Witch, "Chaos Magic is wild magick, nature magick -- but she who is attuned to it can guide it, and shape it to her will." The ultimate manifestation of Chaos Magic came in the House of M event, in which Scarlet Witch rewrote the entire of reality in order to create a "Happily Ever After" life.

With the benefit of hindsight, WandaVision has shown Wanda displaying many of the abilities Agatha Harkness listed in the comics: she reversed time around a SWORD infiltrator who appeared in Westview as a beekeeper, for example, and she blasted Monica Rambeau out of the town with a burst of raw kinetic force. What's more, the entire premise of WandaVision now appears to be the MCU equivalent of House of M, albeit at a smaller scale because the reality hex only affects a localized area. But the MCU's version of Chaos Magic appears to go one step further than the comics, with Wanda actually able to spontaneously create, explaining how Vision has been brought to life and she has given (accelerated) birth to twins.

Chthon Is The Source Of Chaos Magic

Scarlet Witch looks above at a swirling yellow vortex in Marvel Comics.

In the comics, Scarlet Witch is an inversion of the "Chosen One" archetype. Where most Chosen Ones are heroic characters, destined for greatness and goodness, she was chosen at birth by the demonic Chthon. A Lovecraftian monster, Chthon was one of the so-called "Elder Gods" who ruled Earth in times long past, but he and his ilk became caught up in a war against unknown, benevolent forces, and they were banished from this plane of existence. Still, there are remnants of Chthon's influence, most notably the book of dark magic known as the Darkhold. In the comics, cultists have used the Darkhold to create many of Marvel's most dangerous supernatural creatures, including the likes of vampires and werewolves, but the book's true purpose is to grant Chthon a foothold on Earth - in order to enable his return.

Chthon's most famous attempt to breach the dimensional barriers and invade Earth involved Scarlet Witch. As noted, he had imbued her with access to his own power, and every time she used her Chaos Magic Wanda inadvertently strengthened that link. Finally, Wanda was captured by Chthon's servants the Darkholders, who took her to a sacred site where the fabric of reality was thin. There, they performed an arcane ritual in order to allow Chthon to possess Scarlet Witch. Fortunately they had underestimated the strength of Scarlet Witch's will, and she resisted Chthon's influence, defeating him.

Chthon Could Be The Villain Of Doctor Strange 2

It is possible, therefore, that the reference to Chaos Magic may suggest the MCU is set to introduce Chthon, or a similar Elder God. Just as in the comics, the MCU has suggested there are certain places of mystical power, and Wanda could find herself drawn to one - as a potential conduit for Chthon. That would explain why Elizabeth Olsen is due to appear in Doctor Strange 2, which has been given the exciting title Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness; the interdimensional invasion of an Elder God would certainly justify such a title. It is further worth noting that Chthon and all his fellow Elder Gods, such as the monstrous Shuma-Gorath, were inspired by the horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft - and Doctor Strange 2 director Sam Raimi is a fan of Lovecraftian horror. It all seems to add up rather well.

In Doctor Strange, Wong suggested forces such as Shuma-Gorath would soon be drawn to Earth. "Word of the Ancient One's death will spread through the Multiverse," he observed ominously. "Earth has no Sorcerer Supreme to defend it." Worse still, the destruction of the Time Stone means the Masters of the Mystic Arts have also lost their greatest weapon, because they can no longer peer through the mists of time to identify threats before they materialize, or to figure out exactly what course of action will repel such a powerful force. Thus Doctor Strange 2 could force Stephen Strange to prove himself Earth's new Sorcerer Supreme, by virtue of his own power and skill alone, bereft of both his greatest teacher and his greatest tool - and striving to prevent the Scarlet Witch being consumed by her own Chaos Magic.

Next: MCU Theory: Scarlet Witch's Mind Stone Connection Sets Up Doctor Strange 2