This article contains major spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness throughout
‘Since when has Wanda had kids, what happened in Westview, and what’s this “Darkhold” that everyone keeps yapping about?’
If you found yourself pondering any of the above while sitting in the theater watching Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness last night, it’s a telltale sign that you, and no doubt many, many other cinema-goers have yet to watch Marvel’s inaugural Disney Plus offering, WandaVision.
The series, which deals with Wanda Maximoff conjuring make-believe versions of Vision and her two children to cope with the loss of the former during Avengers: Infinity War, is referenced heavily during Doctor Strange 2’s runtime, to the extent that anyone who skipped the series could be forgiven for questioning Scarlet Witch’s good vs. evil dichotomy switch.
Credit where it’s due, Sam Raimi does a commendable job of cluing audiences in with several lengthy scenes of exposition, but they don’t quite make for a perfect summary. Lots of fine details are excluded for the sake of brevity.
Only by watching WandaVision will all the necessary context take shape and, without it, Wanda’s descent to the dark side can feel forced.
Chances are, any Marvel fan will have brushed up on their MCU knowledge by eagerly devouring any Disney Plus content that comes their way, but this is the first time it and the cinematic universe have been intertwined in such an intricate manner.
Will this always be the case going forward? Who knows, though it’s fair to assume that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will end up being a must-watch primer ahead of Captain America 4‘s release.
