A couple of Marvel Studios’ streaming series, likeLokiandWhat If…?, were conceived with multiple seasons in mind. But the majority of them, starting withWandaVision, were conceived as limited series that would only last for one season. Still, just because these shows have wrapped up their storylines in the finale, it doesn’t mean they can never return. The door is always open for Marvel to revisit a show likeHawkeyeorMoon Knightwith a second run of episodes later down the line.
When Wanda Maximoff’s sitcom fantasyland came crumbling down in theWandaVisionfinale, it seemed unlikely that the show would return for season 2. And that was a real shame, because the series was a breath of fresh air that captured fans’ imaginations. Jac Schaeffer and her team of writers turned one of the most underutilized Avengers into one of the most emotionally compelling characters in the MCU. Elizabeth Olsen’s astounding turn inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessbolstered fears thatWandaVisionseason 2 would never happen withthe apparent demise of the Earth-616 variantof the character.
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TheDoctor Strangesequel was controversial for turning one of the most sympathetic Avengers into a remorseless monster. The antiheroine ofWandaVisionachieved redemption, but the show’s post-credits scene showed her reading from the Darkhold, taking in its malicious teachings. InMultiverse of Madness, under the spell of the cursed book, Wanda becomes a mass murderer. Fans ofWandaVisionfelt betrayed by this turn, because Wanda previously avoided corruption and did the right thing in the series.Multiverse of Madnessmay haveundermined the first season ofWandaVisionwith its Scarlet Witch storyline, but it also introduced a new variant of Wanda that fans can still root for.
After going full Scarlet Witch to snatch a pair of sons from a happier version of herself, Wanda realized the error of her ways and sacrificed herself to destroy the Darkhold in every reality and prevent a similar cosmic upset in the future. This seemed to mark the tragic end of the Wanda that fans know and love from the Infinity Saga. But she’s not the only Wanda in the movie. On top of playing the Wanda of Earth-616 asa diabolical horror villainwith a corrupted soul, Olsen also played the Wanda of Earth-838 as a loving mother.
Despite a title that suggested chaotic verse-jumping,Multiverse of Madnessspends the majority of its lean two-hour runtime switching between two universes: Earth-616, the familiar world of the MCU, and Earth-838, a slightly different version with pizza-balls, more plant life, an Illuminati, and a real-life Billy and Tommy Maximoff. After burning Kamar-Taj to the ground, the Darkhold-corrupted Wanda of Earth-616 “dream-walks” into the body of her Earth-838 self to watch her sons sing a song about ice cream. The crux of the movie is Wanda-616’s obsession with obtainingAmerica Chavez’s powersso she can raise Wanda-838’s sons as her own.
In the final battle, after America sends Wanda-616 to Earth-838 to see her downfall reflected in the fear in Billy and Tommy’s eyes, Wanda-838 doesn’t respond with anger; she responds with compassion. She tells her other self, “Know that they’ll be loved.” This could be the beginning of a beautiful character arc. After the events ofMultiverse of Madness, Wanda Maximoff will be public enemy number one in the 838 universe. Whether she was the Wanda in control of her body at the time or not, the world will see its Wanda Maximoff as the evil witch who massacred Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. A second season ofWandaVisioncould focus on Earth-838’s Wanda trying to keep her sons safe while dealing with the fallout ofher evil 616 selfdream-walking into her body and slaughtering the Illuminati. Not only would Wanda be thrust into the spotlight as a villain; she’s now living in a world that’s bereft of its most valuable protectors.
Multiverse of Madnesssets up future adventures for just about every major character: a now-three-eyed Strange isteaming up with Cleato prevent an incursion and America is harnessing her powers in the hopes of one day being reunited with her mothers. Wanda is one of the only characters to get a definitive ending, making the ultimate sacrifice to save the universe from the mystical evil that she unleashed. But the MCU’s interdimensional narrative experiments are just getting started, and a Wanda-838 solo series would explore a new kind of multiversal storytelling while bringing back a more sympathetic Wanda Maximoff.
Earth-838 is a great breeding ground for alternate Marvel characters.Multiverse of Madnessalready introduced Lashana Lynch’s Maria Rambeau as Captain Marvel-838 and John Krasinski as Reed Richards-838 – the sky’s the limit. A Wanda-838 standalone series could introduce Tom Cruise as Superior Iron Man or Wesley Snipes as Black Panther. Now that Vision is out of the picture, Wanda has let go of her magical projection of him, andthe reincarnated “White Vision”is still nowhere to be seen, Marvel would have to change the title ofWandaVisionin season 2. If the next iteration of Wanda’s “Twin PeaksmeetsThe Incredibles” solo adventure takes place on Earth-838 with an innocent mother coming under fire for the multiversal actions of an evil variant of herself, then it could simply go by the titleWanda-838.
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