‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ writer compares Wanda to a pro wrestling bad guy

wandavision scarlet witch multiverse of madness quiz
Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios.

Warning: the article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The writer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is breaking down the beats of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film in pro wrestling terms.

It turns out Michael Waldron, who penned the film and created the Disney Plus Marvel show Loki, is also a big fan of pro wrestling. Warning: spoilers to follow for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

When asked in an interview with IGN about Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maxmoff, AKA Scarlet Witch, making a turn into a “heel,” a pro wrestling term meaning a bad guy, Waldron was receptive to the comparison. In fact, when asked if the Illuminati were brought in to “get her over,” he agreed.

“It’s true. Well, look, I think nobody is as over as the Scarlet Witch, even before that moment. The challenge was, can we get her over even more? How big of a pop can we get? And it turns out a pretty big one.”

In addition to being a prolific MCU scribe, Waldron also created the wrestling series Heels, so it’s no wonder he’s familiar with the ins and outs of the terminology. For the uninitiated, the term “over” refers to a character fans care about and buy into.

While it was somewhat set up in WandaVision that the Scarlet Witch would perhaps take on an antagonist role in Multiverse of Madness, it was not specifically spelled out in the trailers leading up to the movie, making for a pleasant surprise just how dark the character got while facing off opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange. That includes horrifically murdering members of Earth-838’s Illuminati, such as John Krasinski’s Reed Richards, Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter, and Anson Mount’s Black Bolt.

Watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theaters now.

About the author

Danny Peterson

Danny Peterson

Danny Peterson covers entertainment news for WGTC and has previously enjoyed writing about housing, homelessness, the coronavirus pandemic, historic 2020 Oregon wildfires, and racial justice protests. Originally from Juneau, Alaska, Danny received his Bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Alaska Southeast and a Master's in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Oregon. He has written for The Portland Observer, worked as a digital enterprise reporter at KOIN 6 News, and is the co-producer of the award-winning documentary 'Escape from Eagle Creek.'