Theory Time: Scarlet Witch Will Become A Villain In Doctor Strange 2

It looks like the multiverse will come into play majorly in MCU’s Phase 4. One of the movies which will explictly deal with the multiverse is Doctor Strange 2. The sequel has been titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

This title clearly establishes that Doctor Strange 2 will be a movie that will be tied to two themes- Multiverse and potentially very intense psychological trauma. There’s very prominent comicbook precedent for Scarlet Witch to be linked to both themes. As such, it’s quite possible that she is the villain of Doctor Strange 2.

Scarlet Witch And Her Reality Bending Powers

Scarlet Witch’s powers are connected to the nature of reality itself. At the most basic, she has the ability to generate so-called “Hex Magic” that alters probabilities within an area. For example, she can make it more probable that a gun will misfire or that lightning will strike a specific point.

Over the years this power has begun to expand and Wanda learned that she can tap into something called “Chaos Magic.” Using Chaos Magic, she could make entirely impossible events happen. Like she could freeze the air in a given area or cause spontaneous combustion. Now, it should also be noted that the upper limits of Scarlet Witch’s powers have never been charted. In 2005’s “House of M” event. She was literally able to restructure reality itself. As such she created an alternate timeline where she granted everyone their heart’s desires.

Such huge powers of the Scarlet Witch came at a terrible cost. Doctor Strange noted in Avengers #503, Wanda possessed abilities that she neither earned not understood. He said:

“Can you understand the delicate mindset of a woman, a person, who has control over reality. It means reality controls her. Imagination becomes the enemy. Structure disappears.”

Loss Of Vision And A Life With Him

But slowly Wanda’s grip on reality began to slip away. At the most dramatic this manifested in Wanda’s desire to have children. The Avengers were quite surprised when Scarlet Witch became pregnant with twins because the father, Vision was an Android who was theoretically incapable of reproduction. Wanda then give birth but came to understand that the two infants never existed at all. They were all illusions, created by Wanda’s fragmenting mind. The Avengers then erased all memory of the babies and hoped that would allow her to recover.

But the inevitable happened anyway, all it took was an unwary comment from Wasp to bring all the hidden memories to the surface. She remembered her children and suffered a complete nervous breakdown. This led to the shocking events of “Avengers Disassembled” where reality itself became the Avengers’ greatest enemy. Elizabeth Olsen has herself said that this arc, which led to the “House of M” story, is one she’s love to see on the big screen. Could it finally happen in Doctor Strange 2?

It’s not that difficult to imagine MCU’s Scarlet Witch suffering from some kind of nervous breakdown and as a result unlocking thedepths of a power which she had no idea how to wield properly. The MCU has always stressed that there’s a connection between Wanda’s powers and her mental state. When Quicksilver died in Avengers: Age of Ultron, she let out all the rage and grief in a burst of telekinetic force. She also took on Thanos single handedly when the grief from Vision’s death was still fresh on her mind. Over the course of Phase 2 and 3, Wanda Maximoff has lost everything she loves. As such it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her mind begin to crumble.

To know more about Scarlet Witch and her Chaos Magic powers, click on the video below:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K4LWmHy8e14