You’re missing out big time if you haven’t watched Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Sam Raimi’s gothic, supernatural, introspective movie is stuff made of pure genius. So much so, that right as you dive into the movie you have a couple of big surprises waiting to be unpacked.
One of them was, who is Doctor Strange 2’s real villain?
Although the trailer had given us several hints, all but one turned out to be red herrings. If you haven’t watched the movie, stop right here. For those who’ve seen it and are looking for some more answers, proceed.
The real villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Wanda’s “alternate” self who has been corrupted by the Darkhold, the Scarlet Witch. The Illuminati and Strange Supreme also play minor antagonizing roles.
The last two we expected, but Wanda? Now that’s a punch to the gut. Let’s get into the details.
The Scarlet Witch
The movie wastes no time in showing us how they pulled the wool over our eyes. The first exposition is with America Chavez from another universe and a mysterious antagonist who wants to steal her dimension-opening powers.
Strange and Wong realize that the monster chasing America bears runes and head to Wanda to seek her help.
It takes just one word for Steven to register it was Wanda all along who was chasing America through the different universes. All of this happens in the first 20 minutes of the film, or less.
It really makes you look like a fool for not reading more into Wanda’s dialogue from the trailer, “You break the rules, and you become a hero. I do it and I become the enemy.”
So why is Wanda doing any of this? I think first it’s really important to understand that this isn’t entirely Wanda, and surely not the one who had made her peace with Vision and her kids being lost at the end of Wanda Vision.
This is Wanda that has been turned into the Scarlet Witch, a Wanda who has been corrupted by the Darkhold. The combination of this, along with her grief and lost desires has led her to believe the only way she can be happy is by “reuniting” with her kids from any other universe.
But this has also made her unreasonable (no matter how much she’d like to debate otherwise) and cruel, as she is willing to kill many including America for this one chance to be with her kids.
In the comics, Wanda has always straddled between being a hero and villain due to the losses she’s suffered. After Captain America: Civil War, this is perhaps the first time the MCU has pitted two major superheroes against each other, which has definitely paid off.
The Illuminati
The Illuminati are Earth-838’s Avengers, so they’re not in any way the bad guys. In their universe, their Strange had gone pretty awry. So it was only normal for them to be utterly cautious at the arrival of yet another Strange.
Still, their attitude towards MCU’s Strange renders them to be slightly antagonistic as they don’t help him against Wanda, and instead pose as yet another obstacle he must overcome.
Strange Supreme
Strange Supreme is the personification of “you’re your worst enemy.”
Much like What If…?’s Strange Supreme who dabbled in the dark arts to constantly get Christine back, here too he seems to have gone down the same path. The big difference is that one realizes his folly, while the other doesn’t.
Apparently this Strange Supreme has been going around killing other Stranges just so that no other version of him would get tempted by the Darkhold. Should we question if he does it out of spite, or pity for himself, or any other ugly feelings? Definitely.
For these multiple reasons he refuses to help Strange or hand over the Darkhold to stop Wanda. Instead he chooses to fight Strange. That’s a bad decision because it really doesn’t end well for him.
About Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the sequel to the 2016 movie Doctor Strange. The film is directed by Sam Raimi with a screenplay by Jade Bartlett and Michael Waldron.
It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Xochitl Gomez.
The sequel revolves around the dangerous consequences of Doctor Strange opening the multiverse.
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