Will Wanda Be a Hero or Villain?

One of the biggest Doctor Strange 2 questions raised so far is regarding whether Wanda will be a villain or hero. It’s quite reasonable to ask this – it leaves me wondering, too! – so let’s list 5 reasons why the Scarlet Witch could side with the bad guys…and 5 ways she may actually choose to work with the protagonist Doctor Strange.

10. Hero: Doctor Strange Could Offer to Help Wanda Find Her Kids

Because she may currently be in a state of despair due to losing her husband and children in Westview, Doctor Strange approaching her for help could ultimately result in him offering his help instead. Seeing somebody caring about her grief and the family she had been forced to give up could convince Wanda to become a heroine instead of a terrifying villain. 

You remember you were an Avenger before, right, Wanda? 

9. Villain: Wanda Will Stop at Nothing to Find Her Kids

There’s also the downside of the situation. After hearing Billy and Tommy’s frantic calls for help (which Billy may be captured by Mordo for his sorcerer potential, more on that later), Wanda could be quick to jump to conclusions like she has many times before and easily assume Doctor Strange is the one holding the twins captive. Strange trying to get her to join his cause could be, in her mind, a hindrance to her primary goal of rescuing her sons. 

8. Hero: Wanda Has Always Wanted to Save the World

Wanda’s intentions have nearly always been to save the world from disaster; basically, that’s the concept of the Avengers. That’s why she joined the team in the first place! However, things will switch to a multiversal scale in Doctor Strange 2 (the part of the title saying “In the Multiverse of Madness” isn’t there for no reason) and Wanda may join the Sorcerer Supreme’s purpose of protecting all realities due to her desire to save the world – it just won’t be only our world she’s protecting this time.

7. Villain: Wanda May Be the One Causing Madness in the Multiverse

Like we said, the “in the Multiverse of Madness” part of the Doctor Strange 2 title isn’t there for nothing. But who’s been causing all of this chaos? It’s (possibly) been Wanda all along! After all, her powers are called “Chaos Magic,” which could be tied into the madness in the multiverse the movie’s title is referring to.

6. Hero: Wanda Remembers Doctor Strange from Endgame

Wanda and Doctor Strange are no *strange*rs to each other. In fact, they briefly worked together in Endgame to defeat Thanos! Unlike S.W.O.R.D., whom she had never met before, Wanda remembers Doctor Strange by his noticeable appearance, which could develop a sympathetic side of her and give her a bit more patience toward this “newcomer.”

5. Villain: Wanda Doesn’t Want Anybody Invading Her Privacy

Considering how she reacted when S.W.O.R.D. was the Hex in WandaVision and how Wanda is “quarantining” herself in the wilderness to control her powers, Doctor Strange suddenly appearing in her home could make her think, “Hey, this guy’s invading my privacy!” The strange Sorcerer Supreme interrupting Wanda’s quiet time is definitely not going to make her happy… and you know what happens when you give the Scarlet Witch a brand new load of grief.

4. Hero: Wanda’s Trying to Control Her Powers

Wanda knows that she has powerful, untamed magic at her fingertips and wants to control it…that’s why she went into hiding in the first place! Seeing what she had just done to Westview – imprisoning innocent residents inadvertently – she seriously doesn’t want any accidents like this one to reoccur in any way. But how can she prevent further damage? By learning how to control her powers, of course! Using the Darkhold as a guide (which is basically the worst book to study since it puts all readers under Chthon’s full control), Wanda struggles to stop any further outbursts of her Chaos Magic and probably hopes not to hurt Doctor Strange in any way.

3. Villain: Wanda Is Reading the Darkhold

What’s so horrible about this mystical book, you ask? A lot of things. The Darkhold was written by a dangerous elder named Chthon, a guy so powerful that he had to be trapped in another reality to stop the harm he was doing to the multiverse. However, his legacy wasn’t lost forever: to make sure he still had a firm grip on our dimension, he cursed a textbook that would put its readers under a inviolable control spell. Wanda learning from such a risky book isn’t really going to help her control her powers like she thinks it will – it’s actually making her worse every moment without her even knowing!

2. Hero: Wanda Was an Avenger

Wanda likes being a part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes This team was where she met the love of her life, Vision, gained a trustworthy friend in Captain America, and decided to finally forgive Tony Stark long after he bombed her house. Due to her Avenger roots, Wanda’s unlikely to abruptly change into a bad guy in Doctor Strange 2…after all, Strange was also a new member of the alliance, tying them closer together in a heroic duo.

1. Villain: Wanda’s Emotions Are Currently Incredibly Unstable

Feeling immense pressure, grief, and pain due to abandoning her perfect family life, Wanda’s on a mental rollercoaster wIth barely enough stability to look at the Westview residents (which is why she wore a hood when re-entering after the Hex was collapsed). That’s also why she’s living alone on the mountainside – there’s nobody near her to trigger her anger by mentioning something like Ultron – and Doctor Strange asking for her help unexpectedly isn’t looking good for him. Even the Darkhold prophesied that the Scarlet Witch’s power exceeds the Sorcerer Supreme’s!

Do you think Wanda will be a villain in Doctor Strange 2? Let me know by dropping a comment below!