Warning: This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
After years of teasing timeline trickery, it's over to Sam Raimi to explore the Marvel Multiverse for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Adapting comic book arcs that included everything from Age of Ultron to House of M, the film is a breakneck tour of Marvel Comics and beyond that sows the seeds of the likes of Fantastic Four, X-Men, Young Avengers, and more. But it all raises the question of what’s next for the MCU… and the multiverse.
Multiverse of Madness ends as a heroic Wanda brings down the Scarlet Witch’s temple onto herself. Eagle-eyed fans noticed a red flash, and that combined with the fact that we didn’t see a body has folks speculating about Wanda Maximoff’s survival. Similar to how Hulk won’t let Bruce Banner die and the Phoenix Force protects Jean Grey from harm, Wanda’s Scarlet Witch persona is unlikely to go down without a fight. Thankfully, the comics could hold the key to how Wanda fits into the future of the world’s highest-grossing franchise.
The Children’s Crusade comic neatly sets up the Young Avengers and Wanda's arc as the strongest Avenger (sorry Thor).
Released between 2010 and 2012, Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung’s Avengers: The Children’s Crusade focuses on Wanda’s children, Billy and Tommy. Here, Wiccan (Billy) comes to terms with his powers and the fears of the other Avengers that he’ll become the next Scarlet Witch. The Young Avengers work with Magneto to track down Billy and Tommy’s mother (Magneto actually being their grandfather in the comics at the time, of course). Finding a decoy version of her at Mount Wundagore, it’s revealed Doctor Doom had whisked the real Wanda away and she is now living in Latveria, where she has no recollection of what happened during House of M and is happily betrothed to Doom.
When the Avengers storm Doctor Doom’s castle, Wanda and the Young Avengers are teleported into the past by Iron Lad and Wanda learns about her history. Eventually, a fight breaks out between the various teams and Doom. Despite growing to love Wanda, Doom wanted to steal her reality-warping powers for himself, but is stopped in his tracks. The arc ends with Captain America offering Wanda a place back on the Avengers, but she declines and goes back into solitude.
Multiverse of Madness only just hinted at the Fantastic Four, so it seems the MCU’s take on Doctor Doom is still a way off. The same goes for major Children’s Crusade players like Magneto, though with Patrick Stewart returning briefly as Professor Xavier in Multiverse, perhaps we could see the return of Ian McKellen or Michael Fassbender.
Instead of Doctor Doom being Wanda’s armour-clad companion, Kang could easily fit the bill.
However, Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror is tipped to be the franchise’s new big bad, ala Thanos. So instead of Doctor Doom being Wanda’s armour-clad companion, Kang could easily fit the bill. The West Coast Avengers comics did reveal that Wanda’s original breakdown was due to the time-travelling villain called Immortus, and it just so happens Immortus is a future version of Kang (who is also Nathaniel Richards - a distant relative of Mister Fantastic). If that wasn’t enough, Iron Lad is another of Kang’s personas. While Kang is destined to be the villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, his potential extends far beyond that film. Given Kang’s presumed knowledge of the multiverse that was queued up in the Loki Season 1 finale (where Majors first appeared in the MCU), he’s likely on the hunt for Nexus Beings like Wanda.
There’s also a chance we could see the MCU pick up on beats from the Vision Quest comics series that famously included White Vision. The character’s lack of inclusion was a big question hanging over Multiverse of Madness, and although Paul Bettany claims he doesn’t know if he’ll be back, White Vision is sure to return alongside Wanda at some point. The final issue of Vision Quest unfolded in 1989’s West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) #45 with the debut of White Vis. Much like in WandaVision, the original Vision has been dismantled and put back together, but things are off.
Looking to the future of the character in the MCU, the issue deals with this cold and calculating Vision who turns his back on Wanda. It’s also here that Wonder Man (Simon Williams) refuses to provide his brain patterns to help restore Vision to his former self. Wonder Man blames this on the idea of Vision being the next Ultron, but he also hides his own feelings for Wanda. Even if Wonder Man seems like an out-there inclusion for the MCU right now, remember that Nathan Fillion appeared as Williams in faux movie posters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Vision and Wanda have both had romances in their time away from each other, so Wonder Man would be a possible suitor.
And stepping away from romantic entanglements, there’s also the potential of the West Coast Avengers forming whenever Vision returns. A lineup similar to the original comic book group could include Vision, War Machine, and OG team leader Hawkeye. Other players in the comics like Wasp, Mockingbird, Wanda, and even the Fantastic Four’s Thing either exist in the MCU now or are closer than ever.
Olsen herself has said she’d love to say the legendary “no more mutants” line in the MCU, which is a nod to House of M’s catastrophic events. Even though a lot of that 2005 arc has been adapted across WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness, the depowering of mutantkind that occurs as a result of that line seems like too popular a storyline for the movies to not cover in some form eventually. In terms of dealing with Wanda’s family troubles, House of M is also a way to (re-)introduce major characters including Magneto and Quicksilver into the MCU. Avengers Disassembled ends with a catatonic Wanda being taken to Genosha under the care of Professor X and Magneto, while House of M picks up with the latter warning that her reality-warping powers need to be stopped with a permanent solution.
It’s unclear what state Wanda will be in after Multiverse of Madness, but similar to Doom’s rescue in The Children’s Crusade, Xavier and Magneto could be part of her return in a future MCU installment. In House of M, Wanda creates a world where everyone’s dreams come true thanks to inadvertent meddling from Quicksilver. Aside from Captain America being an aged veteran (hello again Chris Evans), Peter Parker marries the previously deceased Gwen Stacy. Importantly, Magneto gets his long-wished-for mutant supremacy and rules as the head of the House of M alongside Quicksilver, Wanda, and Polaris as his children, with Billy and Tommy as his grandchildren. The story reaches its climax when Magneto pummels Quicksilver to death, Wanda realises she’s been a pawn in her father’s quest for power, and she utters “no more mutants” - that leads to the mutant population dropping from millions to just a few hundred. As a spin on the source material, the MCU could potentially do a reverse of “no more mutants” and have Wanda’s powers be the way Charles Xavier’s gifted youngsters are finally brought into main MCU canon.
One thing is clear: We’re far from finished with Wanda and her potential as the Scarlet Witch. Alongside those continued rumors of a Young Avengers project and a Scarlet Witch standalone, there’s also the Kathryn Hahn-led Agatha: House of Darkness spin-off in the works. WandaVision ended with Maximoff saying she’d know where to find Agatha if she ever needed her, and a role for Olsen or her onscreen sons in that series could neatly queue a riff on The Children’s Crusade. Going with the tried and true trope of “if you don’t see a body,” someone is sure to be digging Wanda out of the Mount Wundagore rubble. It doesn’t take the brainpower of Professor Xavier to figure out the MCU isn’t done with Ms. Maximoff just yet.
Continue reading...
After years of teasing timeline trickery, it's over to Sam Raimi to explore the Marvel Multiverse for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Adapting comic book arcs that included everything from Age of Ultron to House of M, the film is a breakneck tour of Marvel Comics and beyond that sows the seeds of the likes of Fantastic Four, X-Men, Young Avengers, and more. But it all raises the question of what’s next for the MCU… and the multiverse.
Multiverse of Madness ends as a heroic Wanda brings down the Scarlet Witch’s temple onto herself. Eagle-eyed fans noticed a red flash, and that combined with the fact that we didn’t see a body has folks speculating about Wanda Maximoff’s survival. Similar to how Hulk won’t let Bruce Banner die and the Phoenix Force protects Jean Grey from harm, Wanda’s Scarlet Witch persona is unlikely to go down without a fight. Thankfully, the comics could hold the key to how Wanda fits into the future of the world’s highest-grossing franchise.
The Children’s Crusade
The Children’s Crusade comic neatly sets up the Young Avengers and Wanda's arc as the strongest Avenger (sorry Thor).
Released between 2010 and 2012, Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung’s Avengers: The Children’s Crusade focuses on Wanda’s children, Billy and Tommy. Here, Wiccan (Billy) comes to terms with his powers and the fears of the other Avengers that he’ll become the next Scarlet Witch. The Young Avengers work with Magneto to track down Billy and Tommy’s mother (Magneto actually being their grandfather in the comics at the time, of course). Finding a decoy version of her at Mount Wundagore, it’s revealed Doctor Doom had whisked the real Wanda away and she is now living in Latveria, where she has no recollection of what happened during House of M and is happily betrothed to Doom.
When the Avengers storm Doctor Doom’s castle, Wanda and the Young Avengers are teleported into the past by Iron Lad and Wanda learns about her history. Eventually, a fight breaks out between the various teams and Doom. Despite growing to love Wanda, Doom wanted to steal her reality-warping powers for himself, but is stopped in his tracks. The arc ends with Captain America offering Wanda a place back on the Avengers, but she declines and goes back into solitude.
Multiverse of Madness only just hinted at the Fantastic Four, so it seems the MCU’s take on Doctor Doom is still a way off. The same goes for major Children’s Crusade players like Magneto, though with Patrick Stewart returning briefly as Professor Xavier in Multiverse, perhaps we could see the return of Ian McKellen or Michael Fassbender.
Instead of Doctor Doom being Wanda’s armour-clad companion, Kang could easily fit the bill.
However, Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror is tipped to be the franchise’s new big bad, ala Thanos. So instead of Doctor Doom being Wanda’s armour-clad companion, Kang could easily fit the bill. The West Coast Avengers comics did reveal that Wanda’s original breakdown was due to the time-travelling villain called Immortus, and it just so happens Immortus is a future version of Kang (who is also Nathaniel Richards - a distant relative of Mister Fantastic). If that wasn’t enough, Iron Lad is another of Kang’s personas. While Kang is destined to be the villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, his potential extends far beyond that film. Given Kang’s presumed knowledge of the multiverse that was queued up in the Loki Season 1 finale (where Majors first appeared in the MCU), he’s likely on the hunt for Nexus Beings like Wanda.
Vision Quest
There’s also a chance we could see the MCU pick up on beats from the Vision Quest comics series that famously included White Vision. The character’s lack of inclusion was a big question hanging over Multiverse of Madness, and although Paul Bettany claims he doesn’t know if he’ll be back, White Vision is sure to return alongside Wanda at some point. The final issue of Vision Quest unfolded in 1989’s West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) #45 with the debut of White Vis. Much like in WandaVision, the original Vision has been dismantled and put back together, but things are off.
Looking to the future of the character in the MCU, the issue deals with this cold and calculating Vision who turns his back on Wanda. It’s also here that Wonder Man (Simon Williams) refuses to provide his brain patterns to help restore Vision to his former self. Wonder Man blames this on the idea of Vision being the next Ultron, but he also hides his own feelings for Wanda. Even if Wonder Man seems like an out-there inclusion for the MCU right now, remember that Nathan Fillion appeared as Williams in faux movie posters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Vision and Wanda have both had romances in their time away from each other, so Wonder Man would be a possible suitor.
And stepping away from romantic entanglements, there’s also the potential of the West Coast Avengers forming whenever Vision returns. A lineup similar to the original comic book group could include Vision, War Machine, and OG team leader Hawkeye. Other players in the comics like Wasp, Mockingbird, Wanda, and even the Fantastic Four’s Thing either exist in the MCU now or are closer than ever.
House of M
Olsen herself has said she’d love to say the legendary “no more mutants” line in the MCU, which is a nod to House of M’s catastrophic events. Even though a lot of that 2005 arc has been adapted across WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness, the depowering of mutantkind that occurs as a result of that line seems like too popular a storyline for the movies to not cover in some form eventually. In terms of dealing with Wanda’s family troubles, House of M is also a way to (re-)introduce major characters including Magneto and Quicksilver into the MCU. Avengers Disassembled ends with a catatonic Wanda being taken to Genosha under the care of Professor X and Magneto, while House of M picks up with the latter warning that her reality-warping powers need to be stopped with a permanent solution.
It’s unclear what state Wanda will be in after Multiverse of Madness, but similar to Doom’s rescue in The Children’s Crusade, Xavier and Magneto could be part of her return in a future MCU installment. In House of M, Wanda creates a world where everyone’s dreams come true thanks to inadvertent meddling from Quicksilver. Aside from Captain America being an aged veteran (hello again Chris Evans), Peter Parker marries the previously deceased Gwen Stacy. Importantly, Magneto gets his long-wished-for mutant supremacy and rules as the head of the House of M alongside Quicksilver, Wanda, and Polaris as his children, with Billy and Tommy as his grandchildren. The story reaches its climax when Magneto pummels Quicksilver to death, Wanda realises she’s been a pawn in her father’s quest for power, and she utters “no more mutants” - that leads to the mutant population dropping from millions to just a few hundred. As a spin on the source material, the MCU could potentially do a reverse of “no more mutants” and have Wanda’s powers be the way Charles Xavier’s gifted youngsters are finally brought into main MCU canon.
One thing is clear: We’re far from finished with Wanda and her potential as the Scarlet Witch. Alongside those continued rumors of a Young Avengers project and a Scarlet Witch standalone, there’s also the Kathryn Hahn-led Agatha: House of Darkness spin-off in the works. WandaVision ended with Maximoff saying she’d know where to find Agatha if she ever needed her, and a role for Olsen or her onscreen sons in that series could neatly queue a riff on The Children’s Crusade. Going with the tried and true trope of “if you don’t see a body,” someone is sure to be digging Wanda out of the Mount Wundagore rubble. It doesn’t take the brainpower of Professor Xavier to figure out the MCU isn’t done with Ms. Maximoff just yet.
Continue reading...