Sam Raimi confirms ‘Doctor Strange 2’ has multiple Wanda variants

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director, Sam Raimi, has confirmed that we will be seeing more than just one version of Wanda in the upcoming film. As soon as it was confirmed that Doctor Strange 2 would be based in the multiverse, Marvel fans knew that the chances of seeing alternates of our favorite characters were pretty high, and have been scouring every teaser, trailer, and promotional image to see if they can spot who it may be.

Raimi confirmed in an interview with Fandango that we will indeed be seeing alternates of the Scarlet Witch, saying,

“The movie is a journey into the multiverse, so you do see different iterations of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, and even Lizzie Olsen’s character of Wanda Maximoff. So, the actors have to play that. It’s a great challenge for them and great fun to direct them playing these altered versions of themselves.”

Fans have already seen an alternate version of Wanda in the Marvel Disney+ series What If…? and it was terrifying, to say the least, but what versions will Raimi offer us in this film? The director is bound by the Marvel code of silence, of course, but whilst discussing who could be stronger, Wanda or Strange, Raimi cryptically responded,

“If you were to pit them against each other, different altered versions of themselves … there could be a Doctor Strange out there that’s more powerful than our Wanda. Or there could be a Wanda out there who is more powerful than our Wanda here. So, because of these altered versions, it’s all a mixed bag of possibilities.”

Raimi further hinted at what we might expect to see whilst discussing what it was like to work with the actors as they created their alternate selves. He gave the impression that we might expect to see a darker Scarlet Witch in the upcoming movie.

“I really like them interacting with each other very much. I think that was the most interesting thing — to see Benedict Cumberbatch bring out a part of his personality that was slightly unique to create one of his altered selves. Or to watch Lizzie maybe bring a darker part of herself out to create an altered version of herself. The slightest tweaks they could come up with made it very interesting for me.”

We may have seen this dark variant in the trailer without even knowing it —it’s hard to tell, obviously, when they are versions of one character — but the tone of the Wanda we see in the orchard, as she discusses the multiverse with Strange, is very different to that of the Scarlet Witch who questions how society views her in comparison. We can only wait and see — a phrase repeated by anyone theorizing when it comes to Marvel films — as to which variants will make an appearance.

Tickets are on sale from today, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released in theatres on May 6.