After spending the vast majority of her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a supporting character that’s been given very little to do, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is poised to become one of the most important parts of the franchise’s Phase Four. After all, Kevin Feige is hardly going to change his mind and say Wanda Maximoff has usurped Captain Marvel as the most powerful superhero in the shared universe without having plans in place to back it up.
As well as co-headlining Disney Plus exclusive WandaVision, Scarlet Witch is also set to take second billing behind Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the two projects will be directly connected to each other. The first trailer for WandaVision promised an entirely different look at the MCU compared to anything we’ve seen before, and a new theory now claims that Wanda could ultimately be revealed as the villain of the piece.
You see, with the heroine having created an alternate reality using her powers that imagines her and Vision leading a life of domesticated bliss despite the obvious hurdle that he’s dead, the hints in the footage that Vision doesn’t understand his surroundings and how he fits in could establish that Wanda has him trapped there against his will, especially when we’ve yet to find out how the Mind Stone factors into all of this.
As ScreenRant explains:
By keeping him in the dark, Scarlet Witch can avoid any questions regarding their actions. Vision is worthy of wielding and Mjölnir and is perceived to be always rational. Between him and Wanda, he’s the more mature one, seeing things with an objective perspective, while she tends to be more erratic and emotional. If Vision learns of what Scarlet Witch has done, he might ultimately convince her to stop warping reality and cope with the fact that he is dead.
In the meantime, Wanda is trying to keep things the way she wants them to be. As she says in the trailer, she wants them to “fit in” as she reminds Vision to stay in his human form to keep up with the appearances. Unfortunately, there will eventually be cracks in this fantasy world she created. Vision’s encounter with Kathryn Hahn’s mysterious character where she straightforwardly tells him that he’s dead could lead to him slowly realizing what’s really happening in their perfect little world.
Kathryn Hahn’s mystery character seems to be the only other person aware of what’s happening, and she could be there on behalf of S.W.O.R.D. to make sure Wanda keeps her powers in check. Scarlet Witch has already been rumored as the villain in the Doctor Strange sequel, and if she loses control of either her abilities or her false realities, it could lead directly to Stephen Strange stepping in to try and put a stop to it. Especially if WandaVision ends with Wanda losing her grip on reality and wreaking havoc across the MCU’s multiverse.