Ever since 2016's Doctor Strange offered up a proper introduction to the mystical side of Marvel, the presence of magic in the MCU has only grown. However, WandaVision revealed that the Sorcerer Supreme's first solo outing wasn't the first time moviegoers had seen Marvel magic in action, as Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch turned out to be a witch herself. After the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel's two most powerful magical heroes will be teaming up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
WandaVision certainly proved to be a divisive MCU outing as some found enjoyment in its episodic sitcom style and magical elements, while others grew frustrated with an ending that failed to deliver on viral fan theories.
With the debut of Agatha Harkness, viewers learned a lot more about the magical side of the MCU, including the introduction of magical runes as a type of spell casting able to inhibit another witch's power.
While this concept was initially introduced with reference to WandaVision's witches, magical runes appear to be carrying over to the rest of the MCU as Doctor Strange has been seen to use them in Spider-Man: No Way Home's latest trailer.
Doctor Strange Magic Links to WandaVision Finale
A newly-released promo for Spider-Man: No Way Home, posted on the Sony Pictures India YouTube channel, featured Doctor Strange casting magic with runes just as Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness did in the WandaVision series finale.
Within WandaVision, Harkness explained that runes form a basic protection spell, within which "only the witch that cast the runes can use her magic." However, with no other sorcerers seemingly present in No Way Home for Strange to magically inhibit, perhaps they will serve another purpose here.
Having been introduced to the spell by Harkness in a previous episode, Wanda eventually learned to cast runes herself by the finale in time to use them against her magical rival in the series' final battle.
The full promo can be watched below:
WandaVision's Role in the Multiverse Saga
In the aftermath of the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios' next chapter appears to be centered around the Multiverse and the infinite possibilities it brings. With the Multiverse birthed in the season finale of Loki, both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness certainly seem to be taking full advantage of the reality shift.
Both WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home will serve as lead-ins to the problems Doctor Strange will have to handle in Multiverse of Madness. With this in mind, it wouldn't be shocking to see the wall-crawler threequel connecting to the sitcom series in some form.
It's safe to say fans had high expectations going into the reality-bending WandaVision, from introducing mutants to opening the Multiverse. Coming out of the series, perhaps it may not have been as MCU-shifting as expected, but it proved game-changing for Wanda's character as she finally become the overpowered Scarlet Witch.
Agatha Harkness' final moments in WandaVision saw the Salem witch cryptically hint to Wanda that she has "no idea what [she's] unleashed" and is "gonna need [her]." The meaning behind these ominous warnings remains unclear, but this may be explored in the Doctor Strange sequel and the Agatha: House of Harkness Disney+ series.
Whatever Wanda may have unleashed - be it her own raw power or something else - is probably the answer to WandaVision's place in the Multiverse Saga. Things ought to become clearer when the Scarlet Witch reappears in Doctor Strange's next solo outing but perhaps No Way Home will leave viewers a tease of what's to come.
Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17, 2021, meanwhile, WandaVision is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.
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