This post contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Avengers: Endgame. Following Thanos, audiences were left wondering who would become the next main threat to the Avengers in of power level, and Wanda Maximoff may provide the answer.
With Doctor Strange 2, then, Marvel Studios may have provided the answer in Wanda Maximoff. While Wanda, now the Scarlet Witch after the events of WandaVision, isn't necessarily gearing up to be the next main villain in the MCU, she is certainly the main antagonist of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In the film, Wanda comes to blows with Stephen Strange, Wong, and their allies when she attempts to steal America Chavez's power to travel the multiverse.
Wanda, still reeling from the loss of her children and Vision at the end of WandaVision, attempts to capture Chavez so that she can travel the multiverse to be reunited with her children. Strange, however, decides to protect Chavez, putting him at odds with the Scarlet Witch. It is across the course of Doctor Strange 2 that Wanda truly comes into her own as a villain, becoming a much more terrifying version of the Mad Titan himself.
Scarlet Witch Becomes More Like Thanos In Doctor Strange 2
In Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Thanos' motivations for his actions are presented extremely clearly. Thanos truly believes himself as the hero of his own story, convinced that the ends justify the means. For Thanos, the end goal is halving all life in the universe to save it from overpopulation and prevent the same from happening to every planet that happened to his. This goal, however, involved Thanos collecting all six Infinity Stones, and committing mass genocide against the people of the MCU. It is in the way both Thanos and Wanda view themselves then, that the similarities between the two begin to show.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda, like Thanos, views her own actions as justified in order to achieve the goal of reuniting with her children. In searching for her children, Scarlet Witch and Thanos view themselves as justified and are vehemently committed to their end goals, no matter the cost or loss of life.
Is Scarlet Witch More Powerful Than Thanos Now?
Scarlet Witch becoming the villain, as well as her and Thanos's brief fight in Avengers: Endgame, begs the question: who is more powerful? It was shown during the fight between the two that Scarlet Witch almost bested Thanos. During their fight, Wanda looked to be triumphing over Thanos, until the latter called for an airstrike at the cost of his own army in order to save his own life. Just from this alone, it is safe to assume the Scarlet Witch is more powerful.
However, Doctor Strange 2 only provides more evidence of this. The film continues from where WandaVision left off, showcasing Wanda's powers in a way never before seen in the MCU, including her reality-altering powers. At multiple points throughout Doctor Strange 2, Scarlet Witch is shown to be incredibly powerful in her chaos magic capabilities. Not only does she eliminate the Illuminati with comical ease, but she is shown to be much more powerful than even Doctor Strange himself, as stated in the Darkhold. Wanda's power base is shown to be much more vast than Thanos's, at least without the Infinity Stones. For example, the Scarlet Witch's power to rewrite reality alone would be difficult for Thanos to handle. From the convincing illusion of Wanda's idyllic countryside life that she conjures to trick Strange, or her removing Black Bolt's mouth before killing him, Wanda's reality-warping powers have increased tenfold. This, combined with her telepathic abilities and her rivaled ability of Doctor Strange's magic, only goes to show that the Scarlet Witch may just be more powerful than Thanos himself.
Scarlet Witch's Villain Story Is More Horrifying Than Thanos'
While Scarlet Witch becomes more like horror work of Sam Raimi in Doctor Strange 2.
Outside of Raimi's influences, Wanda's story in the MCU up to this point makes her villainous turn all the more horrifying than Thanos's. Up until this point, Wanda was mainly shown as a hero in the MCU. While she and Pietro started off as antagonists in Agatha Harkness was in WandaVision. With Doctor Strange 2 then, it is made all the more terrifying seeing someone that has, up to this point, been heroic in the MCU go to these murderous lengths. Also, given the emotional weight WandaVision provided for Scarlet Witch's character as a whole, it is horrifying to see her go down such a dark path. While Infinity War did go to some lengths to present Thanos's motivations in a sympathetic light, it was always easy to see him as simply the Mad Titan that wanted to commit genocide over an uncertain future. However, understanding Wanda's humanity on such a deep level, mainly due to WandaVision, makes her villainous actions unendingly horrifying.
Does Doctor Strange 2's Ending Redeem Scarlet Witch Enough?
Towards the end of Doctor Strange 2, Scarlet Witch gets her wish and reunites with her children, destroying the Darkhold isn't enough the wipe clean her slate. Should Scarlet Witch be revealed to have survived the collapse of Mount Wundagor, she will have to continue making up for her actions in this Doctor Strange 2, especially given the number of lives she took.
While Wanda's villainous actions in this movie make her a more horrifying version of Thanos, it is safe to assume Scarlet Witch won't become the next major MCU villain given this film's conclusion. Given the MCU's gradual build-up to Kang the Conqueror as well, Wanda is saved from becoming the next Thanos, despite this film portraying her as worse in a lot of ways. Although, as many of Scarlet Witch's best storylines from the comics come from her villainous stretches, such as House of M (a possibility in the MCU), it is possible she returns in the future after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Whether the all-powerful Scarlet Witch returns as friend or foe though, remains to be seen in the future of the MCU.
