It may feel like a dry spell now, but MCU fans have only mere weeks to wait before the Marvel Studios machine kicks into overdrive for the new year. At the moment, the biggest of these imminent projects has to be Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The spell-binding sequel is set to debut on May 6, bringing Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange back to the big screen, alongside Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch.
Olsen's Avenger was last seen in her own Disney+ series WandaVision last year, having finished the show in the possession of some dark magic that will surely turn the head of one Doctor Strange.
Both Strange and Wanda have been prominent in the film's marketing thus far with Ms. Maximoff supposedly serving as somewhat of an antagonist in the upcoming MCU film. While the exact specifics of her story in Strange's adventure have not been given, recent quotes do hint at what is in store for the two.
Strange and Wanda Team Up
In the Spring 2022 issue of Disney's D23 magazine obtained by The Direct, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness co-producer Richie Palmer teased unexpected things for Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff in the upcoming sequel.
Palmer revealed her excitement for Scarlet Witch's team-up with Doctor Strange, saying "fans have been eager to see [this] for years," and that they got to do this in a "pretty fun, unique way:"
"They are arguably two of the most - if not the most - powerful beings in the MCU. It was only a matter of time before we got them together, and we do it in a pretty fun, unique way.
That isn't to say this will be standard or run-of-the-mill by any means, as the Marvel producer mentions that despite being a "classic Marvel team up" the two "do some things together that you'd never expect to see them do:"
"It's a classic Marvel team up, but they do some things together that you'd never expect to see them do."
This will be something different for Wanda in her meeting with Strange, as Palmer says, "Wanda has been through a lot," but after the events of WandaVision "she really knows who she is." This new feeling of "self-actualization" will surely play into the unexpected surprises Palmer is teasing.
Expect the Unexpected for Multiverse of Madness
If the marketing for Multiverse of Madness has taught fans anything it has been to expect the unexpected when it comes to the upcoming MCU sequel. The film looks like it is going to be a trippy, cameo-filled adventure through the Multiverse, so the fact that fans are going to be surprised by some situations Wanda and Strange find themselves in is not all that surprising.
But what could the specifics of those unexpected shenanigans going to be? Could Wanda become entangled with the Marvel Illuminati that is rumored to appear in the film? Or maybe she meets her animated counterpart from the 1990s X-Men cartoon? When dealing with the Multiverse the possibilities are literally endless.
Of note here, though, is the use of the word "team-up" when talking about Strange and the Scarlet Witch. It has been widely assumed that Olsen's sorceress would be serving as more of an antagonistic figure in the upcoming film, but if she is in fact teaming up with Stephen Strange and co., then that may not be the case.
Certainly, all will be answered when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 5.
