Ever since WandaVision concluded and we learned that Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch would have a substantial role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there's been speculation that Wanda Maximoff will "break bad" and emerge as the true villain of the piece.
The trailers do appear to back this up, but if comments from Sam Raimi are any indication, things won't be quite so black and white in the upcoming sequel.
Some may feel the following is a little spoilery!
When asked by Fandango who he considers to be the villain of Multiverse of Madness ("is it Wanda? Is it Mordo? Is it Strange himself? Is it the multiverse? Is it all of the above?"), the legendary Evil Dead director gave a somewhat broad, but telling response.
"Well, there's iterations of our characters throughout the multiverse. So, if I were to say Strange ... I'm not really supposed to answer this question, but I might be saying altered Strange. Same with Wanda and Mordo. But I would say, at different times, all of the above."
In the same interview, Raimi confirmed that we'll see an "altered version" of the Scarlet Witch, so it sounds like the evil Wanda we meet in the film is most likely going to be a Variant, and not the established MCU hero we know and love.
This does contradict some of what we've been led to believe from the various leaks that have found their way online, but it does make more sense than Marvel Studios turning a beloved character into a ruthless villain! Would it be a bit of a cop-out, though? Be sure to share your thoughts in the usual spot.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stühlbarg, and Rachel McAdams. The film is directed by Sam Raimi, and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Eric Hauserman Carroll and Jamie Christopher serve as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Michael Waldron.
The Doctor Strange sequel releases in U.S. theaters on May 6, 2022.