Marvel Studios' WandaVision is about to come to a monumental end with its final episode coming at the end of the week. With eight episodes’ worth of stories now revealed to the world, the stage is set for something truly special with multiple superhero throwdowns potentially set to ensue.
Although “Episode 8” mostly used exposition as its primary plot device, the story did its job giving some much-needed background for both Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff and Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness. After Harkness was revealed to be one of the original witches from the Salem Witch Trials in 1693, she took Wanda on a wild trip down memory lane to remind the Sokovia Avenger of her most traumatic moments.
This all led to a wild ending to the episode as Agatha revealed her full form, dangling Billy and Tommy Maximoff in front of their mother as they were held with magic by the necks. During this moment, Agatha uttered a line that could have some major repercussions for not only the last episode of WandaVision , but also for the future of the MCU as a whole.
The last line of “Episode 8” was Agatha’s as she said “Oh yes, your children. And Vision, and this whole little life you’ve made, this is Chaos Magic, Wanda. And that makes you the Scarlet Witch.” While this may not seem like much in the moment, and while the most notable moment of it could be the Scarlet Witch name-drop for now, the implications of Chaos Magic could have come major ramifications in the future of the MCU.
WHAT IS CHAOS MAGIC?
Chaos Magic from the pages of Marvel Comics was thought to be so powerful that even Stephen Strange thought it couldn’t truly exist. It’s a magic that can manipulate and warp the very fabric of reality and existence to the user’s whim, and it can also bring complete destruction in an instant.
In ancient times, the Elder God and Arch-Demon Chthon used Chaos Magic to rule the world as the God of Chaos, but Earth’s mages ended this reign before sealing Chthon in Mount Wundagore. In the comics, Wanda was touched by the demon and given a fraction of his power, which allowed her to control Chaos Magic and alter reality on her own.
She was also tutored by Agatha Harkness on how to use and expand on this power, making her even more formidable than she is with just her mutant abilities alone. Even though Wanda isn’t technically a mutant in the MCU (yet), this could open the doorway to having that side of her history explored as well.
THE MCU’S FUTURE WITH THIS NEWFOUND POWER
The most interesting thing about Scarlet Witch within the MCU is that she’s never had any sort of training, only improving her skills on her own through the years. That seems to be the reason she comes off as such a loose canon of sorts, since she’s been seen over the last six years mostly making things up as she goes along.
Although this side of Wanda hasn’t been explicitly seen yet, there have been teases leading up to it at certain points throughout WandaVision .
This came as early as “Episode 1,” where Todd Davis as Mr. Hart was quoted as saying “I mean, look around. There’s all this chaos in your household.” This is especially telling considering how close this was to the events of “Episode 8,” which showed Wanda unleashing her full powers through her grief and initially creating her own reality in Westview.
While it will be exciting to find out how much Chaos Magic will actually play into the last episode of WandaVision , its existence sets up a whole new world of possibilities for Wanda's next appearance in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness .
The MCU's multiverse will obviously be in play with the word firmly in the title of Benedict Cumberbatch's mystical Marvel sequel. While there are no specific story details known for this Phase 4 entry just yet, Wanda's newly named Chaos Magic could play a major role in the craziness that's about to happen in next year's pivotal Doctor Strange flick.
Whatever happens at the end of this Disney+ show, it's likely that Doctor Strange will take Wanda under his wing and train her to use her magic even more effectively than how she's used it in the past. However, with Wanda being powerful enough to create the Westview Hex without even trying, there is the potential for even more chaos to come into the MCU as the Doctor Strange sequel comes around.
WILL CHAOS MAGIC SUCCEED OR FAIL?
There are a number of ways that Chaos Magic could play into the MCU's future , specifically once Wanda and Doctor Strange team up in their own multiversal adventure next year.
Wanda is proving herself capable of basically creating material — and even life — out of thin air, which will make her a key player as Doctor Strange explores the untapped MCU multiverse. This will also come after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home , which is just about confirmed to be using the multiverse concept as well, and the Scarlet Witch could surely become an interesting player in that story alongside multiple heroes and villains from past Spidey adventures.
No matter how all of this plays out, it's becoming clear that Wanda Maximoff will play a key role as the story of the MCU's Phase 4 takes shape. Already regarded as one of the most powerful Avengers in the franchise before the end of the Infinity Saga , her skills will only grow and improve as WandaVision ends.
For the time being, MCU fans won't be waiting too much longer to find out how this powerful magic will come into play in WandaVision . Whatever happens in the show's final episode will set the stage for some potentially wild events to come later on in Phase 4, bringing the MCU to entirely new levels of insanity.
This will all begin coming to a head when "Episode 9" of WandaVision premieres on Friday, March 5, 2021.
