Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marked a new step for the MCU, as it heavily utilized story details from Marvel Studios’ first-ever Disney+ series, WandaVision. While Elizabeth Olsen turned out to be the main villain of Strange’s second solo outing, her journey in WandaVision set the stage for some interesting plot threads more than a year in advance.
Due to this series’ unique format, fans went on a wild journey through the history of American TV sitcoms. This included nods and references to six decades of hit TV shows, from The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched to Modern Family and The Office.
With this unique format, many episodes brought a TV-style commercial paying tribute to a big part of Wanda’s story. From a toaster made by Stark Industries to a watch named after Baron Von Strucker, each one got fans thinking about what they meant in the grand scheme of things.
Now that both WandaVision and Doctor Strange 2 are in the world, one of those commercials specifically sticks out thanks to Wanda’s eventual mission in the latest MCU movie.
Wanda’s Nexus Influence in WandaVision
Episode 7 of WandaVision featured the last of seven commercials for different MCU-related products as a part of Wanda's sitcom-based reality inside the Westview Hex. That last one promotes the Nexus drug, which is promoted as working to "anchor you back to your reality, or the reality of your choice."
"Feeling depressed? Like the world goes on without you? Do you just want to be left alone? Ask your doctor about Nexus. A unique anti-depressant that works to anchor you back to your reality. Or the reality of your choice.
Side effects include feeling your feelings, comforting your truth, seizing your destiny, and possibly, more depression. You should not take Nexus unless your doctor has cleared you to move on with your life.
Nexus, because the world doesn’t revolve around you. Or does it?"
Initially, fans thought this to be a nod to the NEXUS World Internet Hub in Oslo, Norway, which was featured in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda's first full MCU movie. Tony Stark visited this location in an attempt to locate Ultron through the internet as the villain worked to bring Paul Bettany's Vision to life.
In the end, this was one of the only commercials that didn't have a surefire tie to the MCU or a definitive explanation of how it connected with Wanda's past. However, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may offer a new meaning for this commercial by introducing Xochitl Gomez's America Chavez as a "Nexus Being" within the MCU.
In the comics, the term "Nexus Being" is used for individuals that only have one version of themselves across the Multiverse. While the MCU doesn't use this term specifically, America Chavez reveals that she can't dream, meaning there are no other Variants of herself that exist. This would mean that the young hero is by definition a Nexus Being.
So, how does this tie back to WandaVision? As the commercial uses the Nexus drug as a way to solve all of the woman's problems that ail her, the advert can be seen as an allegory for how America (the Nexus Being) can be used to solve all of Wanda's problems too. The fact that Nexus can anchor someone in "the reality of your choice" seems like a direct reference to the fact that America can take Wanda to any reality that she wishes: one where her family is real.
It may also show just how powerful Wanda Maximoff truly is, as she could have just shown an ability to see the future.
Wanda Maximoff's True Power Unveiled in Doctor Strange 2
Wanda Maximoff unleashed more power in Doctor Strange 2 than in any previous MCU project, making it clear that she's one of the franchise's most powerful beings, if not the most. Even so, if this commercial was meant to tease America Chavez's presence in the greater Multiverse, it may have indicated the moment when Wanda first realized that America was a person of interest to her.
Even though America didn't actually appear in her and Strange's universe until the opening moments of Doctor Strange 2, Wanda had enough power and more than one way to search the Multiverse for answers to her problems. As the commercials mostly deal with Wanda's past to begin with before showing a future event in the Nexus commercial, this could represent Wanda's growing power and hint at her having the ability to see potential futures.
By the end of the series, Wanda had also taken a full dive into the pages of the Darkhold, opening her eyes to magic she never knew about, including knowledge about dreamwalking that she used in Doctor Strange 2. The commercial may have tipped the Scarlet Witch off on where to look next, showing Wanda someone with the ability to travel the Multiverse and give the grieving mother exactly what she wanted - a world with her children.
But even with Wanda having learned the Darkhold's magic before her apparent death in Doctor Strange 2, there may be another party responsible for leading her down that path in the first place. That would be the witch who first showed the Scarlet Witch what the book was capable of - Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness.
Was It Agatha All Along?
Even though Wanda created the Westview Hex all on her own, Agatha Harkness made her presence felt alongside WandaVision's leading character throughout its nine-episode run. The show's villain sought to learn how Wanda learned how to do "magic on autopilot," hoping to take some or all of that power for herself.
As it pertains to Wanda and America, however, Agatha was the one who first revealed the Darkhold's existence to Wanda, thereby showing her the first signs of a path towards happiness.
In Episode 9's second post-credits scene, Wanda could hear the voices of her twin sons, Billy and Tommy, calling to her from across the Multiverse after giving them up with the Hex. Looking back at the Nexus commercial, could Agatha have been the one to have that playing in Wanda's head even before introducing her to the Darkhold itself? Agatha may have been tampering with the commercials to manipulate Wanda, with the Nexus commercial showing the Scarlet Witch what she could have if she took the plunge.
Wanda and Agatha both had big parts to play in the creation and evolution of the Hex, with Agatha's influence clearly having an effect on Wanda throughout the series. This could have been yet another level of depth to Agatha's villainy as she tried to take Wanda's power from her, eventually leading to Wanda learning about America Chavez and going after the youngster's abilities.
No matter which theory is the definitive one, it's clear that the WandaVision commercials were meant to get fans thinking about how the material really tied back to the Scarlet Witch. In the end, her interactions with America Chavez in Doctor Strange 2 were a near-direct result of that influence, pushing Wanda Maximoff towards her dark path and eventually helping America kickstart her run as a Young Avenger.
All nine episodes of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are now streaming on Disney+.