You can bet that losing your brother, the person you love the most, and your made-up kids who somehow feel real for good measure is enough to drive anyone over the edge. But as far as Elizabeth Olsen is concerned, Wanda is a very relatable character, even if she makes mistakes like Westview in WandaVision and whatever she may be up to in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The movie is opening in theaters in four days, which is why the cast has been discussing their work almost non-stop. In a recent chat with Digital Spy, Olsen detailed the Scarlet Witch’s mindset in the second Doctor Strange installment, explaining how she’ll deal with reality itself literally breaking apart as a result of Stephen Strange dropping the ball in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Any time I play a character, I think I’m their attorney. And so I would never call someone — I would never pass judgment on them, so I don’t see her as crazy. I see her as… maybe she in the past has struggled with certain processing of changes. And now she’s in a space of clarity. I think she feels very confident in what she believes and why. I think she’s coming in from a space of competence and clarity, when it comes to Doctor Strange, even if it’s different from what people believe if she makes mistakes or does something that people think is morally incorrect.”
“Any time I play a character, I think I’m their attorney. And so I would never call someone — I would never pass judgment on them, so I don’t see her as crazy. I see her as… maybe she in the past has struggled with certain processing of changes. And now she’s in a space of clarity. I think she feels very confident in what she believes and why. I think she’s coming in from a space of competence and clarity, when it comes to Doctor Strange, even if it’s different from what people believe if she makes mistakes or does something that people think is morally incorrect.”
At the end of the day, portraying a relatable character who makes mistakes, regardless of the sort of idealism society expects from superheroes, is the point of doing this job for Olsen.
“I think we all at least understand why she makes those decisions. To me, that’s the point. For my job, if you can have empathy for someone who you think is doing something wrong, then I feel good about that.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is premiering in theaters on May 6, but be wary of spoilers as the preview screenings have already revealed many important plot details from the Sam Raimi-directed sequel.