Scarlet Witch Hulk Comments Reveal Doctor Strange 2's Biggest Problem

Michael Waldron's comparison between Scarlet Witch and Hulk Hogan's heel turns reflects why Wanda is so different from previous MCU appearances.

Scarlet Witch Hulk Comments Reveal Doctor Strange 2's Biggest Problem

This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron’s comments on Scarlet Witch’s turn to villainy in the sequel, which he compares to Hulk Hogan’s famous heel turn, reveal a problem with her MCU arc. Wanda Maximoff seems destined to suffer. She has experienced multiple tragedies that have led her to make questionable decisions with her reality-warping powers. But while Wanda’s transformation into Doctor Strange 2‘s villain the Scarlet Witch is a fitting outcome, it feels like her role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is missing a key component.

Wanda Maximoff’s violent demeanor in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in great part due to the corruption of the Darkhold. As the Scarlet Witch, Wanda does feel desperate due to the absence of her children and her grief at losing them, but the Darkhold’s dark magic is what pushes her over the edge. However, the demonic Scarlet Witch that murders the Illuminati and has no qualms about killing the young America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still a far cry from the misguided hero that made peace with her past in WandaVision.

In a recent interview for the movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron compares Scarlet Witch’s downfall to wrestling legend Hulk Hogan’s shocking betrayal of Randy Savage, saying, “Hogan, his heel turn was rooted in hubris and ego. Whereas Wanda, I think, it’s rooted in her story in WandaVision.” (via Inverse) While Waldron correctly identifies the different motivations behind both falls to the dark side, Scarlet Witch’s role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness doesn’t accurately reflect its foundations in WandaVision and previous movies. Hulk Hogan’s decision to join NWO is a highlight in wrestling history because of its sheer shock value, as there was no hint of such a twist ever happening. In contrast, Wanda’s definitive switch from hero to villain had been teased throughout several MCU installments. Yet, her point of no return happened suddenly offscreen between the end of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the only thing that makes her arc similar to Hulk Hogan’s, and that’s the problem.

Hulk Hogan and Scarlet Witch’s respective falls to the dark side are both shocking twists, but they’re wildly different at heart. Scarlet Witch’s downfall was the result of various traumatic events that led her to seek the happy ending she deserved, no matter the cost. After the death of her parents, the death of her brother, the Lagos incident that painted her as a war criminal, the death of Vision–technically three times, and the disappearance of her children, it was clear that WandaVision was only setting up the villain she was eventually destined to become. Then, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness skips the climactic moment when the Darkhold’s magic ultimately consumes her past the point of no return—arguably the most important moment in her MCU journey. To top it off, the movie quickly sees this corruption being undone when Wanda regrets her decisions at the end of the movie.

By 1996, Hulk Hogan was still at the height of his heroic image, but the world of wrestling was drifting away from his colorful ’80s persona. So, in a gamble for freshness, Hogan switched sides. While the gamble paid off, it wasn’t based on anything other than a need for innovation. It was a gimmick. As Michael Waldron says, it was about ego, not a natural progression of the narrative. Similarly, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems to lose the nuance in Wanda’s WandaVision arc for the sake of awe. Doctor Strange 2 and its cameos don’t pay off any multiversal setups from Loki or Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Waldron’s comparison of Scarlet Witch and Hulk Hogan is just an innocuous comment. However, it’s telling that Scarlet Witch’s dark turn in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is similar to Hulk Hogan’s famous NWO heel turn. Scarlet Witch still has plenty of potential stories in the future, but now that she already touched rock bottom, it will be more difficult for future MCU installments to tell a nuanced story.