The Big Wanda Twist In Doctor Strange 2 No One Saw Coming
The following article contains spoilers for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
Prior to its release, there was a good deal of speculation as to what exactly Wanda's (Elizabeth Olsen) role would be in "Doctor Strange 2." She's gone through quite the journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe already, beginning "Avengers: Age of Ultron" as an antagonist until she joins up with the good guys by the end of that film. She remains a force for good throughout the rest of her cinematic appearances until she seemingly breaks bad with "WandaVision." She enslaves an entire town to do her sitcom-oriented bidding, and by the end of the series, she's acquired the Darkhold and becomes capable of performing the darkest magic possible.
As such, it was understandable fans were uneasy about where Wanda's allegiances would lie before "Multiverse of Madness" made its way into theaters. Would she be on the side of good with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez)? Or would she join the bad guys with the various demons featured throughout the trailers? Now that the film is out in theaters for all to see, we know she falls into the latter camp. While her motivation for traveling to a dimension where she can be with her children is understandable, she sinks to some truly villainous means to make those ends possible.
Her descent into complete madness is a shocking twist, especially when the audience finally learns what her plan all along throughout the movie entails.
Wanda's plan involves stealing America's powers for her own use
It doesn't take Wanda long to reveal her grand plan to Doctor Strange. She's been chasing after America Chavez for so long because she wishes to harness her multiverse-hopping abilities for her own use. You see, Wanda's been having dreams (and in the MCU, dreams are windows into other realities), and she knows there are universes out there where different versions of her get to live sweet, domestic lives with her children. She wishes to travel into one of these other dimensions so that she can take another Wanda's place and raise her kids in peace. Such an action could lead to dire consequences, but Wanda doesn't care. She just wants her children back.
This sets off the driving force behind the superhero epic. Wanda tracks America through the multiverse so that she can drain her of her powers to use them for her own gain. Such a process will kill America, but Wanda doesn't care. She's made a major heel turn from the last time we've seen her, and it all appears to be a result of the Darkhold corrupting her. After all, it's not like Wanda's always been this way.
One could look at her character arc in "Captain America: Civil War" as evidence of this. In that film, she accidentally kills some people attempting to stop the bad guys' master plan. And she feels terrible about it. In that instance, she obviously knows the ends don't justify the means, and it kickstarts the entire conflict of the film. She's come a long way for the worse, but it's nothing new for her if you're familiar with her arcs in the comics.
Wanda's always occupied a morally grey area
Wanda's started as a villain in the MCU only to turn into an Avenger. And now, in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," she's back to being the bad guy, and she does some truly horrific things. From slaughtering sorcerers at Kamar-Taj to killing the Illuminati, she doesn't allow anyone to get in her path to capturing America. It can naturally make the audience conflicted about how to feel about her, and that's precisely the case with her status in the Marvel comics.
She's done plenty of good throughout her comic book run, helping the Avengers and the X-Men numerous times. However, she's also caused her fair share of problems, particularly when she becomes overly emotional. This is precisely what occurred during the infamous "House of M" storyline, where she created an alternate reality that eliminated 98% of the world's mutants. There's also the "Avengers: Disassembled" arc where she orchestrated events to disband the Avengers. She did so because she learned her children never actually existed (sound familiar?), and in a state of chaos, she wanted the Avengers to know precisely how she felt.
Wanda's neither fully a hero nor villain. She pretty much does what she wants, and her allegiances lay with whoever can help her attain those goals. "Doctor Strange 2" presents a more vicious Wanda than anything we've seen before in a live-action setting, and it's bound to unsettle audiences.