Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi opened up about Wanda Maximoff's role in the Marvel Studios movie, confirming fans can expect to see variants of the Scarlet Witch.
"[Multiverse of Madness] 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," Raimi told Fandango. "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." Tying into Raimi's words, a new trailer for the film showcased zombie versions of Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange.
Raimi also rehashed a previous debate about whether Doctor Strange was more powerful than Scarlet Witch, or vice versa. "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," he said. "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." The idea of Scarlet Witch being more powerful than the Master of the Mystic Arts was suggested in the series finale of Disney+'s WandaVision, though Multiverse of Madness co-producer Richie Palmer recently stated that the movie would settle this debate. With the film poised to bring the Illuminati to the MCU, it's unclear if the elite team of superheroes will be present for this decision.
Palmer also touched upon the meaning of the Multiverse of Madness part of the film's title earlier this year, commenting that the cast and crew honor "each definition of the word 'madness' in this movie. For example, it's not just the craziness of what an alternate universe might look like, feel like, or sound like. When you see that there are infinite versions of yourself across infinite universes and you're a different person in them different facets of you rise to the top."
Elizabeth Olsen previously brought up Multiverse of Madness' relationship to WandaVision, remarking, "Without WandaVision, Doctor Strange wouldn't make sense. I do feel like it fully leads into where we find [Wanda]. It feels totally connected to the series." However, Marvel Studios President/Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige said otherwise, recalling that there were conversations with those involved with Multiverse of Madness which said that the project "needs to work for people who watched WandaVision but, more importantly, needs to work for people who didn't."
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives in theaters on May 6.
Source: Fandango