Spoiler alert: Wanda Maximoff is dead. Though her death wasn’t seen onscreen in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, it was pretty much confirmed by Kevin Feige that the character met her doom in the Doctor Strange sequel. Now the character in that film received some backlash following the tremendous work that Marvel did in WandaVision. That series explored the personal trauma and grief that the famed heroine was dealing with.
Though the resolution wasn’t particularly a happy one, it was still some strong character growth from Wanda as she overcame her demons. However, Multiverse of Madness killed any of that growth as it was clear that the creatives behind the film didn’t pay attention to WandaVision first. The character was an outright villain trying to fight to see her children once again. The thing is, making Wanda Maximoff a villain was a good idea, but she should’ve been the big bad following Phase Three, not Kang the Conqueror.
WandaVision Did Something Remarkable
Disney Plus’s first television series was simply incredible. It didn’t feel like a traditional superhero show (except for the final episode) as it focused on an intimate story that truly impacted one of the most notable heroes of the MCU. WandaVision had its negatives (the Ralph Bohner cameo was extremely disappointing), but the ending was perfect overall. Wanda finally saw the era of her ways and removed the spell that had the entire town under lock and key.
Though some of her MCU peers forgave her, that town wasn’t too thrilled about what she did. Kevin Feige could’ve easily followed up by rightfully punishing the character for such a heinous crime. Or, the creators could taken the Batman vs. Superman route by having another hero deem Wanda Maximoff as too dangerous to live in today’s society and try to take her out.
It Was A Huge Mistake To Bring Wanda Back As A Stone Cold Villain In Multiverse of Madness
It was a mistake to immediately thrust Wanda back into the villain role of Multiverse of Madness. Wanda felt remorse for her actions, but she shouldn’t have escaped the consequences. That could’ve meant going to prison for her crimes. Or even shunned by society for her despicable actions. The right course should’ve been Wanda desperately trying to prove that she is a GOOD person. Wanda could’ve still been in Multiverse of Madness, but fighting alongside Doctor Strange.
Their relationship could’ve been tested with Strange not trusting Wanda because of that tragic event. There’s so much story that Kevin Feige could’ve gotten after the ending of WandaVision that it’s stunning the series became a forgotten entry. Multiverse of Madness pretty much erased all of the good the show did for her character.
The build to her becoming a big bad should’ve been based on Wanda’s building frustration over the way society views her as a criminal, despite all of the good deeds she’s done before and after the incident. We’re passed the stage of Wanda grieving for her kids, so that angle should’ve never come up following her transformation in Multiverse of Madness.
Wanda Being The Big Bad Would’ve Been A Nice Deviation From Thanos
A hero going bad is always a fascinating story. The live-action DCEU attempted this with Henry Cavill‘s Superman, but the story never got out of first gear. Wanda is an extremely powerful character; she can alter universes and manipulate energy. She would’ve been a perfect foil for the Avengers because she’s a credible threat. Plus, there’s the heroism angle, meaning that this could’ve been another Civil War element when some heroes could’ve sided with Wanda because they understand that she’s a good person deep down inside.
Given the differences between Multiverse of Madness and WandaVision, it’s clear that Kevin Feige and Marvel didn’t have a plan mapped out for the entire universe. If they did, then they would’ve seen the obvious big bad for the multiverse saga. It’s a shame that Wanda was killed off so soon because the live-action MCU barely scratched the surface of the character itself. In addition, we won’t get a satisfying update on Wanda following the events of Multiverse of Madness. They wasted such a powerful character in a film that ultimately meant nothing.
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