Does Wanda die in ‘Doctor Strange 2’?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness certainly isn’t the best film in the MCU lineup, but time may serve the 2022 film well. The Sam Raimi-directed release stars a talented lineup of actors, including Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular Doctor Stephen Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, and newcomer Xochitl Gomez as multiversal traveler America Chavez.

Each character in the film boasts incredible — and, in some cases, world-ending — power, but none quite match up to the might of the Scarlet Witch. Wanda has always been powerful, but she leveled up massively in Multiverse of Madness, and in the process became one of the MCU’s most tragic villains.

It’s rare that an MCU villain manages to survive a run-in with the franchise’s heroes, but surely the big-wigs at Marvel Studios wouldn’t kill off such a popular character. Right? Right?

Does Wanda Maximoff die in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?

Wanda displays incredible power over the course of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but much of it is channeled through the Darkhold. The malicious grimoire is a singularly powerful object, but it twists its owners with each fresh use. By the time the events of Multiverse of Madness come to a head, Wanda is a shadow of the character we know and love. She’s formidable, sure, but she’s become the same kind of monster she used to fight against.

The final moments of the film see Wanda, finally accepting the pain she’s caused, working to right the wrongs she’s committed. It’s not enough to fix everything she’s broken, of course, but Wanda vows that “no one will ever be tempted by the Darkhold again.” We’ll see if that’s true once Agatha: Darkhold Diaries hits Disney Plus, but — as of the conclusion of Multiverse of Madness, both the Darkhold and Wanda Maximoff are gone forever.

Wanda’s demise, in the collapse of that ancient temple, was confirmed by The MCU: An Official Timeline when it released in 2023. The book leaves no room for argument that the Earth-616 version of Wanda is deceased when it notes that she “destroys Wundagore — and collapses it upon herself — ending two great threats to all of the multiverse.”

There are a few caveats to consider, however. Multiverse of Madness, on top of killing off Wanda, also confirmed the canon existence of mutants in the MCU. It even featured a cameo from Professor X, leading many to believe that it will eventually link to the long-awaited introduction of the X-Men. With that in mind, there’s still a chance Wanda could return to the MCU. She’s a mutant of singular power, after all, and in Marvel Comics canon, she’s more than capable of returning from the dead — or creating a new reality, akin to the Westview hex, but on a worldwide scale.

This scenario would be similar to her actions in the comic book House of M, which was written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by Olivier Coipel. In the MCU’s altered scenario, however, it seems likely Wanda would introduce mutants and, in the process, the Fantastic Four to the world rather than eliminating the majority of mutants, as she does in the comics.

It’s by no means certain, but the possibility remains. Heroes in comics rarely remain dead, even if they are definitively killed off, so it’s fair to assume that the MCU may also have some death-resistant characters in its lineup. Wanda may be among them, but there’s no guarantee. In fact, it seems Elizabeth Olsen — the actress behind all of Wanda’s MCU appearances — might be moving on from her superhero days. She’s noted, as far back as June of 2023, that she’s not holding her breath for a big MCU return. Should Feige get her on the phone, she might make a comeback, but she’s not planning her schedule around Wanda Maximoff, these days.