Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Is Great Except for A Pesky Detail

The problem with Wanda

*Warning: spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and other MCU movies*

I just watched Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and I loved it. Really.

It is gripping, with striking visuals — finally, some color in the MCU — and, as you have probably heard, it is a horror movie. In fact, at moments, there’s a 1980s vibe that blends perfectly with the film.

Yes, I truly liked it. However, there’s one tiny detail bothering me. No, it doesn’t ruin the film, but it does make me feel a slight level of annoyance.

The Problem With Wanda

The movie starts by introducing us to America Chavez, an interdimensional traveler who cannot control her powers. Basically, she has been jumping around the multiverse, with a new portal getting triggered whenever she gets too scared.

Now it seems creatures are trying to kidnap her, but luckily for her, Stephen Strange is there to help her, no matter in which universe this happens. As the movie shows, the results are mixed, for not all Stephens are made equal.

Add to that, it turns out the person behind the kidnapping attempts is no other than Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch herself, who craves America’s power so she can reunite with her long-lost children. She will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal, with no mercy whatsoever.

And therein lies the problem…

The Wanda Maximoff Storyline

Throughout the years, we have witnessed the enormous amount of pain Marvel has thrown at this woman.

First, when we met her, she was one of the bad guys, helping Ultron take over the world. However, once she learned what he truly intended, she helped the heroes fight him off, along with her brother. And then, even when she lost the only family she had left, she decided to join “the good guys.”

Later on, while protecting one of her fellow Avengers, she unintentionally killed a group of Wakandan diplomats. She felt tremendous guilt over this, and rightfully so. In fact, this prompted the conflict at the heart of Captain America: Civil War, namely, should there be limitations when it comes to what superheroes can and can’t do? She was captured but, eventually, escaped with the help of Captain America and was on the run.

Then, during Avengers: Infinity War, we witnessed how Wanda’s and Vision's romance came to fruition. However, their moment of happiness was cut short as Thanos’ henchmen tried to steal the Mind Stone. For the rest of the movie, our heroes tried to stop the Mad Titan, only to fail miserably.

Still, and even though pain is not a competition, Wanda certainly had it worse than most, for she had to kill Vision with her own hands to destroy the Mind Stone. Of course, it made no difference since Thanos brought him back only to kill him again.

Oh, boy!

Then, after spending five years turned into dust — along with half of the Universe — she returned to make sure Thanos got to know her. However, despite not getting a happy ending, at the end of Avengers: Endgame, she looks like someone who is trying to come to terms with her grief.

And then we got WandaVision, which was a very clever series. Nevertheless, I think its existence makes the Doctor Strange sequel’s plot feel kind of redundant.

Dealing With Profound Grief

WandaVision revolves around the idea of Wanda Maximoff drowning in sorrow after losing the man she loved in particularly cruel circumstances. Not only that, but she had to witness how almost everybody else in the universe got back their families.

She loses control of herself and ends up subjugating an entire town just so she can play house with Vision and, eventually, her two kids — by the way, I’m just going to go ahead and say it, but those two youngsters are kind of annoying.

However, in the end, she comes to terms with what she did. She sees the wrong in her actions, and although she can’t change the past, she stops the madness and, along the way, finds there’s even more to her power than she initially thought.

WandaVision is about Wanda becoming The Scarlet Witch, in all of her magnificence, that's true. However, it is also about Wanda dealing with her profound grief. And no, I’m not going to mention that quote; I think you already heard it enough.

And this is why I have kind of a problem with this Doctor Strange sequel. Not because I think it is a bad movie, but because I kept wondering, “Why is this woman dealing with this again?”

When will it be enough?

When it comes to this movie, can we praise how everybody feels comfortable in their roles? Mr. Cumberbatch easily jumps from one Doctor Strange to the other, and his interactions with all of the other characters (Wong, America Chavez, Baron Mordo, and his beloved Christine) are superb.

And let’s not forget the cameos we witnessed during the Illuminati sequence. By the way, for some reason, during my viewing, John Krasinski got more cheers than Patrick Stewart. What the hell? No, disrespect to Mr. Krasinski, but come on!

But what everybody keeps going back to is how, despite this being a Doctor Strange sequel, this is Scarlet Witch’s show. The audience was delighted with every single wicked thing she did. Add to that, Elizabeth Olsen’s performance is pure perfection, up to every single twitch in her face and, of course, a particular breaking-the-fourth-wall moment that is destined to become a classic.

The Scarlet Witch has been established as one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. The Most? Still, I wish Marvel knew what to do with her beyond making her miserable.

Time to do better?

So, Wanda is dealing with her pain…one more time. All of the growth we witnessed during Wanda Vision meant nothing. Here she is starting over from the same spot.

I get that the mother-in-pain trope is one of the most powerful ones in storytelling. It is easy to understand how Wanda would do anything she can to be with her children, even if that includes making terrible choices.

The problem is we have seen this character deal with this kind of issue over and over again. Heck, she had to say goodbye to her kids during the final episode of WandaVision, showing an outstanding level of emotional growth after so much hurt. Therefore, even though it’s true some characters get stuck in a vengeful mentality, Wanda has actually shown enormous growth. Recycling this “she-has-unprocessed-grief” storyline again does a disservice to the character.

I repeat: it does not ruin the film, but it does make me wish the story had taken a different path.

I hope we haven’t seen the last of Wanda. She is so cool. I wish for her to find her way back to us, now in full control of her heart and in complete possession of her power. If one character has earned it, it has got to be her.