Elizabeth Olsen: Scarlet Witch Unleashes New Power in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

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elizabeth olsen as wanda maximoff aka scarlet witch (right) and benedict cumberbatch as doctor strange (right)

Credit: Marvel Studios

WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen has revealed Scarlet Witch is set to unleash game-changing multiverse powers that have so far only been alluded to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Wanda Maximoff said to have a huge role in Marvel’s Doctor Strange 2, Olsen’s confirmation of a leveled-up Scarlet Witch has compelling implications for Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

wandavision episode 6 powers
Credit: Marvel Studios

Elizabeth Olsen confirms new super power for MCU Scarlet Witch

WandaVision lead Elizabeth Olsen has been flexing her Omega level star-power all year. With WandaVision‘s success among Marvel fans and critics alike, Elizabeth Olsen recently racked up loads of recognition at the MTV Movie Awards.

WandaVision and Elizabeth Olsen — along with her fellow cast including Paul Bettany (Vision) and Kathryn Hahn (Agatha Harkness) — are considered among the front-runners at this year’s Emmy Awards. With all of the focus on WandaVision this awards season, Elizabeth Olsen has done a slew of press, and as interest in Marvel’s Phase 4 slate grows, Olsen has been revealing more juicy details on Doctor Strange 2 starring Benedict Cumberbatch, due out March 25, 2022.

Vision, Wiccan, Speed, and Scarlet Witch
Credit: Marvel Studios

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Olsen offhandedly dropped a bomb that will send shockwaves throughout Marvel’s multiverse. Speaking of the power set of Wanda Maximoff following the events of WandaVision, Olsen revealed that Scarlet Witch is upgrading her chaos magic, saying her character “[…] has a few fun powers. You know, telekinesis, she can travel between universes…”

While Olsen didn’t embellish on Wanda’s MCU abilities in the Doctor Strange sequel, this is the first time anyone from the Marvel Studios camp has confirmed that Scarlet Witch does in fact possess the ability to travel the multiverse — a massive power only hinted at previously.

Will Marvel fans see Wanda use these powers to search the multiverse for her children, Billy & Tommy? Her deep connection to her beloved family she was able to conjure in WandaVision is likely to continue to push Wanda’s desire to grow her powers and abilities in Doctor Strange 2.

Scarlet Witch in WandaVision's finale
Credit: Marvel Studios

Impact on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Marvel Studios confirmed back in 2019 that Olsen’s Scarlet Witch would be heavily involved in the storyline for the Doctor Strange (2016) sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Marvel fans hoped that Benedict Cumberbatch would cameo in WandaVision as Dr. Stephen Strange as a lead-in to Doctor Strange 2. Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed that a WandaVision Doctor Strange appearance was in the works — there was even a deal in place with Benedict Cumberbatch — before ultimately being scrapped by Feige and his producing team.

So, for now, it looks like the first meeting between the powerful Scarlet Witch and the Sorcerer Supreme will take place in cinemas rather than on Disney+.

wandavison nexus commercial
Credit: Marvel Studios

While WandaVision never explicitly confirms that Wanda Maximoff’s growing powers include the ability to travel the multiverse, a key hint is dropped during one of the series’ unique commercial breaks.  Fans of Marvel Comics will recognize the term Nexus, as in “Nexus Being.” In the pages of Marvel Comics, Scarlet Witch is considered to be the Nexus Being of Earth-616, or powerful anchor of reality for the realm occupied by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In an interview with Rolling Stone (via MovieWeb), Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained that the commercials were initially intended as subtle messages from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) attempting to break through the “Hex” of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). This furthers the notion that Strange will be relying on Wanda’s formidable multiverse traveling abilities in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange 2.

Scarlet Witch’s powers and abilities

Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) has seen her power increase with each outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a mid-credits scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Wanda and her brother Pietro Maximoff are revealed to be HYDRA experiments with infinity gem, the Mind Stone – explaining Wanda’s telekinesis abilities and Pietro’s super speed.

Prior to the WandaVision finale however, it’s revealed by Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) that Wanda had an innate ability to manipulate chaos magic even as a young child — proving that the Mind Stone may have fortified her powers but is not the source.

wanda
Credit: Marvel Studios

In addition to her telekinesis, Wanda also demonstrated capacity for telepathy in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). As her powers continued to grow in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) Wanda exhibited the ability to take apart, on the molecular level, Vision’s (Paul Bettany) Mind Stone, and even take on Thanos one-on-one with greatly expanded mastery over her abilities.

WandaVision was the first Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance of Wanda’s reality-warping ability with chaos magic.

kathryn hahn as agnes (left) and elizabeth olsen as wanda (right) in wandavision
Credit: Marvel Studios

In the comics, Scarlet Witch is an extremely powerful mutant, with far-ranging abilities to travel inter-dimensionally and to alter the fabric of reality itself. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe reportedly set to introduce the mutants of X-Men, it’s likely we’ll see an extremely powerful Scarlet Witch in the MCU, similar to her counterpart in Marvel Comics.

The Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier teased Marvel fans with some of the first references to X-Men comics in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Disney acquired Fox Studios and the X-Men franchise mutant characters. Utilizing Madripoor, favorite haunt of iconic X-Men member Wolverine, as a key setting and also introducing a Selby character, referencing comics member of the Mutant Liberation front.

WandaVision teased the retcon of the origin of Pietro (Evan Peters) and Wanda Maximoff as mutants rather than HYDRA Mind Stone experiments, but that ultimately did not happen — despite the many fan theories that wished it to be true.

Marvel boss Kevin Feige has confirmed that that the MCU is building towards introducing the X-Men Universe, in an upcoming film rumored to be titled The Mutants, possibly due out in 2025.

Joining Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) is the expected returning cast of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer.

Does Wanda Maximoff have the coolest powers in the multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Are you excited for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?Let us know what you think in the comments!

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