Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home is officially out in theaters, the next cinematic Marvel Studios production is 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Teaming the Sorcerer Supreme with Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch, the sequel will see the duo meeting new and familiar faces as they traverse the mayhem caused by the Multiverse.
Reshoots on the film are expected to wrap soon, with the additional footage reportedly including more cameos and characters inspired by the success of Loki and Spider-Man's recent threequel.
Merchandise for the Doctor Strange sequel revealed that Baron Mordo and Wong will be getting all-new costumes, in addition to providing the first proper look at Xochitl Gomez's America Chavez and an odd green minotaur.
Warning - this article contains spoilers for the post-credits sequence of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Fans who have already seen Spider-Man: No Way Home got their first glimpse at what the Multiversal sequel has to offer, including Wanda Maximoff's brand new look.
Scarlet Witch's Role in Doctor Strange 2
Rather than the typical stinger used at the end of MCU flicks, No Way Home decided to use its second post-credits sequence to promote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with an all-new trailer.
The new footage offered up new looks at what Scarlet Witch has been up to since WandaVision, now seemingly living a cottagecore lifestyle in isolation. Rather than staying up near the mountains like in the WandaVision post-credits scene, Wanda is now set up in a farmhouse surrounded by white-leaved trees and rolling hills. She's even got a few sheep to keep her company.
But why the change of scenery? Is this a completely new location that Wanda has moved to, or is it perhaps a new Westview-like Hex that Scarlet Witch has manufactured to seclude herself in?
It's possible that Wanda could still be living near the mountains, but has simply created a bubble as further protection from outsiders with a new atmosphere inside. Alternatively, the mountain aesthetic could have been part of a new Hex, with Wanda changing her surroundings to match her mood.
Another explanation is that this was actually an astral projection that Wanda has placed as a decoy. The post-credits sequence for WandaVision showed that Scarlet Witch had mastered the ability to project herself while performing another task, so Wanda could be employing this tactic to trick the outside world into thinking she's somewhere else. Maybe a decoy is being used while Wanda continues to study magic in the mountains, or explore the Multiverse for her sons.
You're Saying There's a Multiverse?
In any case, Doctor Strange has tracked Wanda down to get some help. Scarlet Witch is expecting to be reprimanded for her wrongdoings in Westview, but the former Sorcerer Supreme is not interested in the matter at the moment. Instead Strange reveals that he needs a helping hand before asking her how much she knows about the Multiverse.
Many expected WandaVision to kickstart the MCU's Multiverse, but that honor was given to Loki about six months later. So why has Strange come to Wanda specifically? The magical doctor may have sought out Wanda's help simply because of her status as the Scarlet Witch, with her powerful magic potentially having insight into the concept.
Marvel Studios has yet to fully explain WandaVision's Nexus commercial and whether it connects to the notion of Nexus Events established in Loki or the concept of Nexus Beings originating in Marvel Comics. If it's the latter, this may be the connection Strange is looking for.
In the comics, Nexus Beings are able to vastly alter the timeline of the reality that exist in by manipulating probability. Perhaps the mantle of the Scarlet Witch is a type of Nexus Being, granting Wanda with powers befitting of a Multiversal caper. Strange may need these powers in a pinch as he traverses the Multiverse.
Alternatively, Strange may have caught wind of Wanda's Multiversal whispers. Tommy and Billy Maximoff's voices could be heard in the WandaVision post-credits scene, which may have spurred Wanda on a quest to seek them out how to access the Multiverse. Perhaps Scarlet Witch has accrued a great deal of knowledge about alternate universes, which Strange will need if he is set to journey into madness.
Scarlet Witch's New Suit In Doctor Strange 2
Another moment in the trailer shows Wanda in a new outfit, hovering crosslegged over a circle of candles. The Scarlet Witch's new suit is only ever-so-slightly different to her costume in WandaVision, with this new version simply extending the sleeves all the way up to cover her shoulders. Otherwise, the suit looks fundamentally the same from tiara to toe. So why the change?
It'd be easy to make a dumb joke about Wanda's shoulders getting cold, but perhaps the costume change could be signifying something about Wanda herself. What if this Wanda is a Variant?
Some Multiverse of Madness rumors indicate that Wanda will be facing off against a Fox-related character in the film, potentially positioning her in more of a villainous role. The fact that there's an evil Doctor Strange in the trailer makes this even more likely, so why not have an evil Wanda? The sleeve variation could be the tell on which Wanda is which witch, potentially indicating a switcheroo between the two to get the upper hand on Strange.
Either way, Wanda seems to be casting a spell in this moment, though it is unclear exactly what. Perhaps Scarlet Witch is attempting to summon her sons through the Multiverse, or at least versions of them that are without their mother.
Wanda could also simply be peering into the expanses of the Multiverse here to look for her little tykes. Strange held a similar pose when analyzing 14,000,605 possible futures in Avengers: Infinity War, so this may be the optimum position for a sorcerer to look out into the universe in search of answers.
Now that Wanda has successfully ascended to accept her Scarlet Witch title, the Doctor Strange sequel is set to explore much more of what Maximoff is capable of. Multiverse of Madness will team Wanda up with Stephen Strange, but there's always the chance that the Scarlet Witch's own motives could get the better of her.
Let's hope for Strange's sake that it won't come to that.
Wanda Maximoff will return when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres in theaters on May 6, 2022.
