Skip to main content

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have conflicting opinions over Wanda Maximoff’s role in Doctor Strange 2. Some thought her turn as a villain was a natural progression, while others found her killing spree hard to believe. Whatever the case may be, Elizabeth Olsen revealed that she, too, had trouble accepting her character’s evil tendencies.

Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda in 'Doctor Strange 2,' wears a green suit jacket.
Elizabeth Olsen | Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Wanda became a villain in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness quickly made it clear that the Scarlet Witch was the villain of the MCU movie. After opening the Darkhold at the end of WandaVision, the evil book of spells manipulated Wanda’s mind and preyed on her anger and grief. It also showed her that her twin boys, Billy and Tommy, still existed on Earth-838. So Wanda was determined to get them back.

She began by sending monsters after America Chavez because she wanted her ability to travel between universes. But to get America’s power, Wanda would have to kill her, which was a price she was willing to pay to get to her boys. America met up with Doctor Strange, who promised to protect her from the Scarlet Witch. So a chase throughout the multiverse ensued, and Wanda left many bodies in her wake.

At the end of Doctor Strange 2, Wanda finally recognized the error in her ways. She destroyed every copy of the Darkhold in the multiverse to ensure that no one would be tempted to open it again. But Wanda also brought down Mount Wundagore in the process, seemingly killing her.

Elizabeth Olsen opened up about Wanda’s actions in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

During an interview with Variety, Elizabeth Olsen revealed her reaction when she first discovered that Wanda would be the villain of Doctor Strange 2.

“I knew I was gonna be in Doctor Strange, but I thought I was gonna be, like, in an ensemble thing,” the actor said. “So, at first, I think I was nervous and conflicted, because I hadn’t finished WandaVision yet, but we were almost finished. And I was like, ‘Oh my god, how do I make this all work together?'”

She continued, “We got there; I got there. And it became an amazing opportunity to have people be won over by this woman in WandaVision and feel for her, and then, you know, manipulate them into this film, where they get to be on her side and then feel conflicted themselves. So I thought that was a great opportunity.”

Olsen also shared her initial thoughts about Wanda killing numerous people in Doctor Strange 2.

“I was also supposed to kill more,” Olsen shared. “I had a hard time with it, I was like, these are human beings, and Wanda is OK with ending their lives? But I just had to buckle down and think all these people are in her way, and she’s warned Doctor Strange not to get in her way. And he did. He didn’t listen. And so I just had to go from that point of view.”

Related

‘Doctor Strange 2’: Why Tom Cruise Didn’t Appear as Iron Man

Will the Scarlet Witch return in a future MCU project?

Even though Wanda seemingly died at the end of Doctor Strange 2, Elizabeth Olsen has hope for her future in the MCU.

“It’s weird that I’m expecting to return, but no one’s told me I’m doing anything!” the actor told Variety. “But in my mind, I’m just making the assumption that they’ll have me again. I don’t know to what capacity, but I hope I’m back. I hope there’s also more fun to be had in something different. Where do we go? I feel like we’ve done so much with her. It’s been really a wild couple years with her.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters.

Best in Entertainment