Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marks the end of Wanda Maximoff's journey in the MCU. Wanda is a unique character in the MCU because she is flawed, inexperienced, highly traumatized, and holding far more power than anyone should. Wanda grew and evolved over the course of seven years, falling in love against all odds and becoming her own hero, only to lose the love of her life and the reputation she worked so hard to earn.
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Wanda had more trauma, pain, loss, and damage than any other character. It's not clear why the writers put her through hell and back, but she was strong enough to take it. She wasn't. The MCU gave Wanda things they would eventually take away, and then raised its voice at her for complaining. One Jasmine Francis once said, "There is only so many traumas a person can endure until they take to the streets and start screaming."
After seeing her contained for so long, the MCU started to unleash her power in the most recent years, starting with her memorable roles inInfinity War andEndgame. Can anyone blame her for letting loose with so much power and pain? She tells Strange that she becomes the hero when she breaks the rules in Multiverse of Madness.
For a long time, the MCU didn't know what to do with Wanda. How to treat her when the source material was conflicting with her characterization? The Wanda from the comics is full of surprises, not necessarily of the good kind. Her flexibility makes her something of a deus ex-machina, a way for writers to retcon any given situation without putting too much thought into it. Wanda's erratic behavior is never fully explained; sometimes it is the Darkhold, sometimes chaos magic, other times grief, and often just her inherent mental instability.
Most of Wanda's most memorable moments from the comics have a negative connotation. Wanda's presence often means trouble ahead, whether it's stealing Doctor Doom's powers, investing the moralities of heroes and villains, or killing Scott Lang. Wanda's most defining moment is the creation of a new reality by uttering the now-iconic words, "No more mutants." Like the gods, she is selfish, self-serving, empathizing and sympathetic but never innocent or tame.
Wanda was seen as a villain when she arrived. Wanda from the comics would do a full 180 on the third act when she realized how wrong she had been, because she was playing mind games with the group only to realize how wrong she was. Her path to villainy was set up by her death. It was the way of saying, "We know you want her crazy, so here's the way to do it."
Wanda appearances kept the trend going. She blew up a building in the Civil War, killing several people, and then killed her lover, Vision, only to have him come back to life and kill her again. She isn't. She has never been, according to the MCU.
WandaVision is a colorful, playful, and highly experimental entry in the MCU. After years of being treated like second-fiddle by the show, Wanda and Vision were elevated into the upper-tier of MCU characters by allowing them something few others in the expansive cinematic universe have: depth. WandaVision gave Wanda a heart and Vision a soul.
WandaVision was one of the best Disney+ shows. Wanda and Vision's roles in the MCU machine were advanced when they were confirmed as the Scarlet Witch and brought back to life. It gave a deeper look into Wanda, explaining who she was, where she came from, and what she wanted. WandaVision is an intricate and highly affecting character study, and it didn't quite stick the landing. Wanda's story of grief and denial ended on a hopeful note. With her journey at a turning point, fans knew it was time for the MCU to decide who its version of Wanda would be. Is it a hero, villain, or something in the middle?
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has no answer. Wanda is the story's main villain, away from the sense of control she once had and giving in to her darkest desires. Wanda is ruthless and undeterred in the pursuit of her goals under the direction of Sam Raimi and the unforgiving pen of Michael Waldron. The jump from her place of resignation to her state of absolute desire at the end of WandaVision is a bit abrupt and rushed, but a never- better Elizabeth Olsen.
The film does a disservice to Wanda. Multiverse of Madness tries to have its cake and eat it too by having her act like a full-blown villain only to cop out with a cheap act of redemption. Fans are used to this, after all, it's what the comics have done for decades, but it doesn't make it any less unfair. If the idea is to keep her amoral but not entirely villainous, then the second season of WandaVision might have allowed for a smooth transition.
Wanda's reputation is so fixated on people's minds that it's hard to argue with this ever-changing attitude. Wanda is the ultimate antihero, a character whose morality goes from questionable to non-existent, often on the same page, in the same comic book panel. The fascination with Wanda comes from an inherently problematic quality about her character, a duality of purpose and allegiance that makes her one of the biggest question marks. The comic books get a free pass because of their natural chaos, but what works on the page doesn't translate well to the screen, and under these circumstances, the Scarlet Witch.
Where does that leave Wanda? If a character is popular with the fans, the MCU is known for rejecting villainy. Was Multiverse of Madness just a way to make Wanda happy? It was a scratch if it was. Was it just a taste of what Wanda's powers can do, a warning of sorts to this and every universe?
Wanda Maximoff is too complicated to define after the events of Multiverse of Madness. People will argue about Wanda's actions and whether or not fans can forgive her. When some of its most famous characters crossed ethical lines, the issue never looked the other way. Professor X, Jean Grey, and everything in between are just a few of the positive spin on a blood-drenched past that Marvel has. It must be said, that the MCU itself happily ignored the multiple war crimes of Loki and his friends, and all it took was a smile from Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth.
It's not like audiences don't want an evil Wanda; on the contrary, many would be happy to see such an enemy threatening the new class. Why is Wanda different from the new Thanos? Antiheroism doesn't exist in the MCU and many people don't think of it. The answer is that Wanda will fall back to the hero side of the MCU in order to show her destructive side. With the Darkhold gone and Wanda on good terms with her kids, she will be on a path of redemption and away from the chaos that powers her abilities the next time audiences see her.
That is where the MCU is wrong. Multiverse of Madness gave us the Wanda we needed. Wanda's journey has always led to an explosion of power and pain, and there is a certain catharsis in finally seeing her unbound. Wanda is not a hero or a villain. She is away from the moral strictures of the MCU. She is compelling because she isn't one-dimensional. Like most people, Wanda is always changing. Wanda is chaos personified. Let her rule.
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