Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the VisionQuest finale and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Wanda’s fate has been one of the great mysteries of the MCU for a long time. Her sacrifice in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was pretty clearly a death. She’s now back as the Scarlet Witch and the way she’s returning may be even more disturbing than her original disappearance.
The VisionQuest finale throws a massive curveball in terms of Wanda’s future. The series has been all about Vision’s search for his identity and his family, but the post-credits scene completely shifts the focus to a much bigger threat.
Doctor Doom has located Wanda.
It’s not a simple reunion though. Doom doesn’t come to her as a saviour and his words make it very clear what he’s up to.
He orders the Scarlet Witch to wake up and states her power will be his.
This points to the possibility that in Avengers: Doomsday Wanda comes back not as a standalone hero, but as a key component of Doctor Doom’s plan.
There’s a huge difference between bringing someone back and giving them a reason to live.
What Happened to Wanda Maximoff in the VisionQuest post-credits scene?
The post-credits scene takes us back to the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Wanda was seen at the bottom of the structure at Mount Wundagore, having seemingly sacrificed herself after blowing up the Darkhold’s base.
For a long time her fate was left open.
VisionQuest now has a key piece. The scene cuts back to the rubble around Wanda and shows what happened after the destruction.
Doctor Doom comes along, clears the wreckage around her body and then turns straight to the Scarlet Witch and orders her to wake up. He then states his intention to have her power.
Wanda opens her eyes.
Though it’s a very short sequence it has implications which go well beyond a simple character return. Marvel explicitly connect Wanda’s return to Doom’s greater threat.
Importantly the scene doesn’t show Wanda agreeing to work with Doom. There’s no dialogue, no explanation, no indication that she in any way understands why she’s been brought back.
That distinction matters.
Her return is in no doubt, just her allegiance, her memories and her intentions are still very much in question.
Why does Doctor Doom want the Scarlet Witch’s powers?
This is probably the most interesting question emerging from VisionQuest.
Doctor Doom is by no means a normal villain looking for another big time ally. His ambition, his intellect and his sheer desire to control everything makes him a very dangerous foe.
Wanda has abilities which would vastly extend his power.
Her chaos magic has been shown to alter reality, to manipulate minds and to affect the boundaries between universes. In WandaVision her grief took the form of a very real reality which trapped a whole town. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness she went after America Chavez because she wanted access to the multiverse and the chance to get her kids back.
Doom would have seen that as a huge opportunity.
Three key possibilities emerge.
1. Doom Could Be Planning to Use Chaos Magic to Control Reality
The prevailing theory is that Doom wants Wanda’s powers in order to reconfigure reality on a grander scale.
The multiverse is now absolutely central to Marvel. The whole business of multiple universes, incursions and alternate characters has created a landscape in which even the most powerful sorcerer can be at a loss.
Wanda’s powers could give Doom a means of manipulating this inherently unstable environment.
This is particularly pertinent to the wider Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars storylines.
In Marvel Comics, Doctor Doom is inextricably linked with the creation and control of Battleworld, a world made up of the pieces of destroyed realities.
That doesn’t mean the MCU will go exactly down the comic book line. The idea of Doom using Wanda’s magic on a multiversal scale is entirely plausible within the context of the films.
2. Wanda Could Become Doom’s Most Dangerous Weapon
Another option is that Doom intends to use Wanda against the heroes who might stand in his way.
Consider the emotional consequences.
The Avengers have faced Wanda before and they know she’s not just a villain. Her history with Vision, her links to the Avengers and her status as a mother all make her one of the most complicated characters in the MCU. She’s been a weapon against her former allies.
This would be a more personal conflict than a standard hero versus villain battle.
Imagine Doctor Strange facing Wanda again, knowing full well that Doom is the one responsible for her return. Or Vision realising that the woman he’d been looking for has come back under Doom’s influence.
These scenarios would give the conflict an emotional dimension beyond the visual spectacle. The green glow and Doom’s statement suggest a very threatening dynamic, but the actual scale of his influence is still unknown.
3. Doom May Know Something About Wanda That Others Don’t
Another possibility is worth looking at.
What if Doom actually understands Wanda’s powers better than anyone else?
Wanda has been struggling to get her head around just how powerful she really is. Agatha Harkness revealed herself to be the Scarlet Witch and the Darkhold has given her exposure to a whole host of more dangerous magic. Her connection to chaos magic has never really been fully explored.
Doom may think Wanda is more than just a powerful witch. Her powers could be linked in some way to the architecture of the multiverse in a manner that even Doctor Strange hasn’t yet worked out.
If that’s the case then Doom may not just want to control Wanda.
He may need her to do something he simply can’t do himself.
While it’s speculative, that gives Marvel the opportunity to explore Wanda’s mythos in a way that isn’t just the simple ‘villain’ route.
The Connection to Marvel Comics: Is The Children’s Crusade important?
A rather significant comic book link makes this all the more interesting.
In Marvel Comics’ The Children’s Crusade, Wanda is at the heart of a mystery concerning her past, her powers and her family.
Doctor Doom also plays a big role in that story and that creates a link between the two characters which has obviously been a big deal with MCU fans.
The story is about Billy and Tommy going looking for their mum and trying to work out what’s happened to her. Doom’s involvement of course makes it all the more complicated.
This is very much in keeping with what we saw at VisionQuest which served to bring Vision and his sons even closer together. It’s important to stress though that this is not in any way a direct adaptation of The Children’s Crusade. The MCU has its own continuity and Wanda’s return is very much different in the film.
Still the parallels are quite striking.
Marvel have now got a family story with Wanda, Vision, Billy and Tommy, and at the same time have established Doom as the one who brought Wanda back.
This enables Marvel to weave in elements of the comic book story into the MCU in a new way.
Why Wanda’s Return Could Be More Important to Vision and Her Sons
A major element of VisionQuest is that Wanda’s return is the culmination of a story that’s been about Vision rediscovering who he is and his family.
Throughout the series Vision is constantly asking himself whether he can be the same person after having lost his memories.
His bond with Tommy adds another emotional dimension to that journey. The prospect of reuniting with his family gives Vision something to fight for. Billy and Tommy have also become more important to the wider MCU story.
Now consider the effect of Wanda’s return on them.
Their sons have had a most extraordinary journey of identity shifts, reincarnations and separations, spending many years trying to work out where they came from and how they were related to their parents.
Now their mother has apparently come back, brought back by Doctor Doom.
This is the setup for a potentially very nasty family row.
Wanda may get the chance to re-unite with Vision and her kids, only to find the world she comes back to is completely different.
She could in fact become an obstacle to the very family she is looking for.
This is where Marvel can actually make Wanda’s return meaningful. It’s not just about her powers. It’s about whether she can get the family back, get the identity back.
Will Wanda fight alongside Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday?
At this stage Wanda’s loyalty is still unconfirmed.
The VisionQuest post-credit scene confirms that Doom has found and brought her back. His comments about ‘claiming’ her power suggest he has some other agenda. That doesn’t necessarily mean Wanda will go along with it though. There are a number of routes Marvel could take.
Wanda could be under Doom’s influence in the first instance with her memories or understanding of what’s going on compromised. She could be working with him, thinking that he can give her what she wants. Or he could be using her in some way without her having any control over what happens next.
The most interesting possibility is that Wanda eventually turns on him. Her overriding motivation throughout all of this has been her family. If Doom’s plans are going to put Vision, Billy or Tommy in any kind of danger then that could well be the catalyst for her to go rogue.
This would be a huge contrast to her previous MCU appearances where Wanda was the one trying to have control over a life that was constantly stripping her of everything.
Now she could be up against a villain who’s determined to control her.
What Wanda’s Return Means for Avengers: Doomsday
VisionQuest has moved Wanda’s future from an open question to the central question that will be the focus of Avengers: Doomsday.
Doctor Doom is already a massive threat, but his link to the Scarlet Witch gives his plans a whole other dimension.
If he gets his hands on Wanda’s chaos magic the repercussions could be far wider than just a run-in with the Avengers.
This could also bring together a number of existing storylines: Vision’s quest for identity, Billy and Tommy’s link to their mother, Doctor Strange’s understanding of magic and the wider multiverse conflict.
However there is one thing Marvel should be careful about.
Wanda’s return should be more than just another big player added to Doom’s army. Her story needs a proper emotional ending that acknowledges her losses, her mistakes and the very real possibility of redemption.
It started with grief, became an obsession with getting her family back and ended with what appeared to be the ultimate sacrifice.
Her return should challenge that history rather than erase it.
Doctor Doom May Have Made His Biggest Mistake
Doctor Doom thinks he’s found a way to get Wanda’s power. There’s one thing he may not have thought about though. What if Wanda Maximoff regains control?
Doom may well understand magic, science and the multiverse, but controlling someone as powerful and emotionally complex as that?
Her return could be a defining development in Avengers: Doomsday, especially if her connection to Vision and her sons shapes her decisions.
The most compelling outcome may not be Wanda fighting alongside the Avengers from the start, but rather her discovering Doom’s actions, understanding his motives, and deciding whether to remain his weapon.
After everything Wanda has endured, perhaps the biggest question is no longer whether the Scarlet Witch is powerful enough to challenge Doctor Doom. It is whether Doctor Doom understands just how dangerous Wanda becomes when someone tries to control her.
That could be the one mistake that changes everything.
