WandaVision director Matt Shakman shares some thoughts about Wanda Maximoff’s treatment in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Even those of us who liked Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have to agree: the movie did Wanda dirty. After being relegated to a background character since her introduction in the post-credit sequence of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) finally got her place in the spotlight with WandaVision. In addition to breaking the formal boundaries of the MCU with a series that mirrored new sitcom styles with every episode, WandaVision also reimagined Wanda as a tragic hero, a woman who desperately clings to fantasy as an escape from her merciless reality.
So it was a bit of a surprise when, after Maria Rambeau convinced her to turn against the manipulations of Agatha Harkness and SWORD, Wanda took on the name Scarlet Witch and began studying the cursed Darkhold. And an even bigger surprise when she just started killing folks in Multiverse of Madness. Despite Olsen giving it her all as a delicious villain in the vein of director Sam Raimi’s greatest monsters, the evil Scarlet Witch disappointed fans who hoped the movie would continue the character development started in WandaVision.
Many have wondered what WandaVision‘s creators thought of how director Sam Raimi and writer Michael Waldron treated Wanda after she entered their care. And we finally have an answer… sort of.
Speaking with Comicbook.com, Matt Shakman revealed that he was “aware of, certainly, the conversation on the internet about Wanda and her character.” However, he also stated that there was “a lot of synergy” between WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness. “I talked a lot to Michael Waldron and I talked to Sam Raimi and we also shared lots of the art department as we were creating the Darkhold and her costume and other things that would continue on,” he explained.
However, observers may notice that Shakman does not really praise or critique Multiverse of Madness. Instead, he focuses his attention on his own project. “I’m so proud of everything we did on WandaVision,” he enthused. “That show is really special, working with Lizzie, and telling that story was so unique and fun.” When speaking about Wanda’s continued story, Shakman remains pragmatic. “When you’re in this universe, you have to pass the baton,” he declared. “That’s part of the joy of being in the MCU, you run as hard and as fast as you can when it’s your section of the race and then you pass the baton and it’s on to others to tell that story. I think they made decisions they needed to make to make that story work and I thought it was a super entertaining movie.”
Whatever the director really thinks, he’ll get a chance to pick up that baton again for Multiverse of Madness. Shakman has returned to the MCU to helm Fantastic Four, telling the story of Reed Richards, who met a grisly end in Sam Raimi’s movie. Will his version of Reed get revenge on Waldron’s version of Wanda? That would be a surprise, but it would also be fair.
