You may recall that, way back in 2021, rumours started circulating about a secret tenth episode of WandaVision. There was nothing to those claims in the end, and fans were left to wait until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to see how the Scarlet Witch's story would continue.
That sequel didn't sit well with the majority, largely because it portrayed Wanda Maximoff as a villain before ultimately killing her off (though we don't expect that to stick).
Had WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer been involved with the Doctor Strange sequel, we'd have probably got a much stronger story arc for the Avenger. Now, she's confirmed that Marvel Studios did indeed scrap plans for a tenth episode of the Disney+ series.
"'WandaVision' was originally 10 [episodes], then, for logistical, budget, and creative reasons, we combined two episodes," Schaeffer revealed. Later returning to the MCU for Agatha All Along, the writer and director explained, "Then moving into [Agatha] I wanted it to have the same surface area and real estate as 'WandaVision,' so yeah it was always nine."
It's unclear what form WandaVision's additional episode would have taken, though Schaeffer's comments echo what director Matt Shakman said three years ago.
"Well, yeah, things were constantly changing and getting rebroken," The Fantastic Four: First Steps director said at the time. "The story was changing, especially a lot of the real-world stuff and the finale. There was a lot of experimentation going on and sort of trying different things out."
"We also at one point had 10 episodes planned and we ended up collapsing a couple, you know just to make the rhythm feel a little bit better."
In another recent interview, Schaeffer revealed that they had to cut Doctor Strange from WandaVision's post-credits scene, likely as a result of restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Initially, Doctor Strange was going to appear in the tag for 'WandaVision.' It’s Wanda sitting on the porch of that cabin, and she’s rocking peacefully. And you know how Strange can do those circles around someone, and make them go somewhere? The circle starts around her, like she’s going to be teleported somewhere, and she stops it, so Strange has to show up in person."
"I just loved that so much, that Wanda would be like, 'No, I’m not going to go where you want to teleport me. You’re going to have to come to my door,'" the creative continued. "It was a good one, but another tag took its place."
You can check out the full interview with Schaeffer in the player below.