The idea behind this article, and maybe future ones, is to look at potential plot holes in movies and see if we can come up with a reason to explain them. I'm not saying it will explain or fix a movie, but I just like the idea of exploring them and problem solving.
First up, in Multiverse of Madness Wanda is searching for her children. When she finds a reality where they exist, she attempts to replace their real mother.
So, the obvious question that comes up is: Why didn't Wanda find a reality where their Wanda was dead and step in as their mother?
It is a valid question and while the possible theories I state below might work as a possible reason, it wasn't mentioned in the movie so I am not trying to shut down discussion on the subject, but instead use the potential plot hole to explore Wanda's thoughts and motivations.
Possible Theory 1: Wanda couldn't replace a dead version of herself as her kids would know she wasn't their mother.
Ok, so this is potentially my favourite reason for Wanda not searching for a reality where she was already dead. Essentially, and as we see in the movie, the last thing Wanda would want is to be rejected by the children. So, like the body accepting a new organ, it had to be a like for like swap.
Had Wanda jumped to a reality where the children's mother was already dead, Wanda may have assume the children would never see her as their true mother, which is bad enough, but worse the may reject her completely. Any differences between the two Wandas would only further push the children away.
So, Wanda maybe working from the assumption that to be accepted by the children as their mother she has to be as close a match to their original mother to avoid being rejected.
Theory Two: These children were alternate versions, but duplicates.
In this theory the reason why Wanda hunts for the children in this reality is because these aren't alternate versions of the children she had in WandaVision, but are duplicates.
What I mean by this is when Wanda created her children in WandaVision she didn't create them completely out of thin air. The fact that they exist in another universe seems to sugest that perhaps she tapped into the multiverse or had a dream about them.
This fits with the movie that dreaming is tapping into and seeing alternate realities.
So Wanda unconsciously, based on her dream created her children by coping, duplicating these two specific children she had seen in her dream. Thus, the hunts these two in this reality because, as far as Wanda sees it, these are her children. They aren't alternates with possible slight variations, but like for like copies. The templates she based her children on.
I liken it to having an original piece of art, you can photocopy, which will give you a perfect copy or you can attempt to reproduce, which will result in small to large variations. You are happy with the photocopy as you cannot tell the difference, but the reproduced version, you notice the details that giveaway this isn't real.
For Wanda, she had the photocopy, happy to live not being about to see the difference. Once she lost them, she perhaps searched other realities, only finding reproductions with their differences breaking the illusion they were her kids. Then one day she found the original, the same in everyway, that's when she started the hunt.
Theory Three: She couldn't see into a reality where she was dead.
I haven't seen the movie since its release, but one reason she may not have been able to find a reality where she was dead and jump into that reality is that she couldn't see it.
I'm not sure if it is stated in the film, but I would assume you can't dream about another universe if they are dead. If you can't see it you can't know it is there. I know Strange takes over the body of a dead person, but the person was already in our reality and he was aware the body was there.
So, this might be the weakest theory, as it doesn't explain why Wanda hunts this reality, but might help explain why she couldn't find out where she was dead or doesn't exist.
Theory Four: Blinded by jealousy
In this possible explanation, Wanda did search and debate going to a universe where she was already dead, but in her search came across, what she perceived, as the perfect version of her fantasy. For the first time she perhaps saw that she could have the life she always wanted without a catch.
The fantasy she let go off in WandaVision, believing it was only ever going to be a fantasy, does exist. Now she has lost it. She sees that in the multiverse she has got the bad end of the stick. She becomes enraged, blinded by grief and jealousy, she could have it all, her fantasy life exists. She does not have to settle for the fantasy, it can be a reality.
So, she hunts this Wanda, because in this reality, this is dream life and not some fantasy made of pain. She wants it so she can escape the misery and pain her current universe has put her through.
I like this possible theory as well as you could argue that she was drawing from this one to create her perfect life in WandaVision so would make sense if this is the one she was basing her reality on, even unconsciously, she'd want to live in this one.
One last caveat, while some of my theories explain why Wanda got fixated on one universe where the multiverse is infinite, I think in terms of movies we have to let them off somewhat when doing Multiverse stories as we'd end up in universes that are identical, but 2000 years ago a speck of dust landed slightly to the left and not the right. Thus I think it wouldn't be fair to say 'Why doesn't Wanda go to a reality where it is the same, but the carpet is blue'. We just have to accept for movies to be dramatic, to provide contrast that have to create the differences in reality.
Overall, none of these were used in the movie or any other reason, but like I say, certain story holes allow for an opportunity to speculate and think of character reasons behind decisions. Even if they aren't true, if you are into movies I think it is a good exercise as helps create motivations, understand a persons actions and what can make people act irrationally.
Don't also think of this as a defence, just something fun I like to do.
Anyways, what do people think? What are your possible reasons?