Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness producer Richie Palmer has strongly suggested that Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) can be seen as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most important characters as Phase Four carries on and the post-Infinity Saga era continues to take shape.
Marvel Studios president and Marvel Entertainment chief creative officer Kevin Feige previously described Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange as "the anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe." Palmer elaborated on this in Multiverse of Madness' audio commentary. "If Doctor Strange is the anchor of the MCU of Phase 4, then Wanda Maximoff is the jewel in the crown," he said.
"It's crazy to see Wanda act like this for the first time, it's so exciting," Palmer explained. "And for fans of the comics, we were so excited to bring this to screen and finally deliver on the promise. Once you introduce the character of the Scarlet Witch, even before she was the Scarlet Witch, we introduced her in Age of Ultron, there was always the hope that we can bring her to this place of her doing things like [infiltrating Kamar Taj]. And it's really exciting, and she is the best."
That being said, Multiverse of Madness ultimately leaves Wanda's fate up in the air. In the film's final act, Wanda, stricken with remorse for her evil deeds, seemingly sacrifices herself to bring down Mount Wundagore, thus destroying the last vestiges of the Darkhold. However, given Wanda's immense power and her major place in the MCU, it certainly seems more likely than not that audiences will see Olsen return to the role at some point in the future.
Meanwhile, the film's closing moments make it abundantly clear that Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange isn't going anywhere for the time being. The on-screen text literally says "Doctor Strange will return," after all. But beyond that, the film ends with Strange -- now sporting a third eye -- being approached by Clea (Charlize Theron), who fans of Marvel Comics will know as the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension.
Furthermore, Cumberbatch himself seems game to continue playing Master of the Mystic Arts for the foreseeable future. "Yeah! Absolutely. Absolutely," the actor said when asked if he could see himself playing Doctor Strange for the next decade. "If they keep me, and it, interesting and keep him evolving and try to exercise his full potential as a character, I think there’s a lot of places for him to explore. So yeah, bring it on."
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Audio Commentary, via The Direct