While Disney+'s WandaVision is a one-season limited series, it is far from the last time fans will see Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch will star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange in May's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, an Avengers-level crossover event that promises to rewire the very fabric that makes up the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Plot specifics remain scarce, but a pair of trailers have sent storyline speculation for Doctor Strange 2 into a frenzy. Both trailers heavily feature Olsen's Wanda, with the most recent batch of footage emphasizing her dark side.
From a storytelling perspective, this villainous turn gives Wanda Maximoff a twisted new lease on life. Even with five appearances already under her belt, Olsen tapping into Wanda's evil ways shows audiences the Scarlet Witch is just getting started.
Multiverse of Madness promises to be a hero's journey for Wanda just as much as it is for Strange. While its unclear if Wanda's heel turn will continue until the Doctor Strange 2 credits, a redemption arc for the sitcom enthusiast is lying in wait.
WandaVision Round 2
What is a sequel show, if not a limited series persevering?
Marvel Studios' submission of WandaVision into various "Limited Series" categories at the 79th Annual Golden Globes all but squashed any hopes for a second season, but that doesn't mean the world of Westview can't continue. Disney has already greenlit Kathryn Hahn's Agatha: House of Harkness, a spin-off series that will center around the WandaVision antagonist.
Just as Captain America 4 will pick up where The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left off, a sequel project entitled Scarlet Witch could continue the legacy that WandaVision started. While Wanda's journey in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remains to be seen, promotional material for May's Marvel release is riddled with clues as to where the Scarlet Witch could go next.
WandaVision and Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman has confirmed that WandaVision Season 2 is "not in the cards".
The Wicked Witches of Westview
The aforementioned Agatha: House of Harkness is the most seamless spot for Olsen's Wanda Maximoff to show up after Doctor Strange 2. It's unclear where Marvel Studios will take Agatha in her solo series, but if she's sticking to her wicked ways, Wanda can't be far behind.
WandaVision's series finale saw the Scarlet Witch double down on her Hex spell on Agatha, ensuring her nemesis would remain a prisoner of Westview for years to come. Considering Multiverse of Madness is venturing back to Westview, could one of the two Wandas in that familiar living room set Agatha free?
Just as Avengers: Endgame blatantly set-up Tom Hiddleston's Loki series, Doctor Strange 2 will likely feature one scene that catalyzes House of Harkness. If Wanda is a central part of that moment, her chances of showing up in Agatha, or even being a main character, immediately skyrocket.
Vision's Multiverse Connections
The Vision fans knew from Avengers: Age of Ultron remains powered off, but a rebooted version of the ivory android is still out there. White Vision is sure to come into play at some point in the MCU's future, and the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer made sure audiences remembered that.
Wanda remarks that "Vis had his theories" about the Multiverse, before certifying that her deceased husband believed it was "dangerous."
Those Multiversal dangers have already reared their heads. December's Spider-Man: No Way Home shined an unfortunate spotlight on the consequences of tampering with the Multiverse, as Tom Holland's Peter Parker was forced to give up all of his relationships in order to prevent a clashing of realities.
Based on WandaVision's series finale post-credit scene, Wanda will also be faced with similar Multiversal temptations. The cries from Billy and Tommy Maximoff plant the idea that Wanda's long lost twins are in danger, but going after them could reap far worse ramifications. Just as the Dweller in Darkness charmspoke promises to Tony Leung's Wenwu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Maximoff twins' exclamations could be an attempt to lure Wanda into giving into her temptations.
While this would be bad news for Doctor Strange, it would set up a new storyline for Wanda moving forward.
Going after Billy and Tommy from a different universe means also finding a Vision Variant. Billy and Tommy's cries for "Mom!" might not even be for Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda, but rather a Scarlet Witch Variant that finds herself in peril.
In this universe, what if it's a Vision Variant that lost his Wanda?
Wanda's Love Triangle
Having the MCU's Wanda go after this Vision Variant would allow for another intimate, WandaVision-like story while also being completely fresh.
In this scenario, Wanda is on the outside looking in. Placing her in a new universe shortly after her tyrannical reign over Westview immediately strips the Scarlet Witch of all control, which is a complete 180 from where the character was in WandaVision.
On top of that, Marvel could pull from Tom King's comic run of The Vision, a storyline that spotlights the android and his family of robotic children. Wanda's realization that Vision can find happiness without her could ruffle some feathers, setting up an awkward love triangle.
That triangle could quickly become a square with the introduction of White Vision. The SWORD superbot is still roaming the MCU, but now seemingly equipped with all of Paul Bettany's Vision's knowledge. Considering Bettany's Vision viewed the Multiverse as "dangerous," White Vision could make it his mission to ensure all realities remain stable. When he detects the MCU's Wanda Maximoff attempting to force herself into a Vision Variant's life, White Vision steps in, and fans have themselves a love square that would put Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream to shame.
If this story wants to retain that WandaVision vibe, there are plenty of more mature sitcoms that would thrive off of a complicated affair storyline. Everything from Friends to How I Met Your Mother are just waiting to receive their Maximoff makeover.
X-Ploring the Maximoff Pedigree
The MCU's Wanda is the daughter of a Sokovian couple, but there's still opportunity to do the Scarlet Witch's origins comically accurate.
On the page, both Wanda and Pietro Maximoff are the children of Magneto. This relationship was ditched within the MCU due to mutants existing under the 20th Century Fox banner at the time, but since March 2019, the X-Men rights have reverted back to Marvel Studios.
Mutants and the Fantastic Four have remained in Marvel President Kevin Feige's writers' room for the past three years, but that changes this May. Patrick Stewart's Professor X is set to factor into Doctor Strange 2 as a member of the Illuminati, although it remains to be seen whether this will be the same version from Fox's X-Men movies.
With Charles Xavier making the MCU leap, Erik Lensherr can't be far behind. A sequel series to WandaVision could explore a Scarlet Witch Variant who is the daughter of Magneto, which would only emphasize the magic user's villainous tendencies. This is also an opportunity to bring Evan Peters back into the fold as Quicksilver, considering his Peter Maximoff confirmed he was the son of Magneto in X-Men: Apocalypse.
X-Men canon has always been a mess, but venturing into the Multiverse allows anything and everything to be possible. Regardless of how Marvel Studios wants to approach a sequel series to WandaVision, a 136-second trailer for Doctor Strange 2 highlighted that there's still plenty of story to be told with the MCU's Scarlet Witch. Fans can only imagine the possibilities after two hours of Multiverse of Madness.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
