The next MCU offering is Disney Plus’ WandaVision, which – as well as ending our long Marvel drought – is a much-anticipated entry in the franchise as it looks set to tee up the expansion of the multiverse in coming movies and TV shows. We know that Elizabeth Olsen will return as Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will share a few plot threads with the series, and while that’s about all that’s been confirmed right now, we can likely expect a lot of drama, high stakes and even some scares to come.
Spider-Man and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi is behind the camera this time, and no doubt he’ll bring his expertise in the superhero and horror genres to the table. This moody fan poster teases just that, in fact, with digital artist Valentin Romero’s artwork focusing on Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme and Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff. The choice to split their faces down the middle, surrounded by darkness and mystical lighting, gives off the feeling that the pair won’t be allies in the sequel, but enemies.
A new synopsis for Doctor Strange 2 materialized online this week and it may hint at just this outcome, too. The description refers to an “old-friend-turned-enemy” who causes a deadly evil to be unleashed. This evil is presumably Nightmare, who was set to be the villain back when Scott Derrickson was still at the helm. As for the friend-turned-foe, that could be either Baron Mordo or perhaps Wanda, which would fit in with the common fan theory that she’ll lose her mind following WV and Strange will have to rein her in.
While we’ll next see Scarlet Witch in WandaVision, which is either coming in December or January, Stephen Strange will turn up in Spider-Man 3, serving as Peter Parker’s latest superhero mentor as he battles Jamie Foxx’s Electro. So, expect that movie to tie in to this multi-part story arc that seems to be stretching out across Phase 4.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is due to hit theaters on March 25th, 2022.
