Doctor Strange 2 splits opinion as some Marvel fans claim it ruined WandaVision

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By Amy West
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The superhero sequel has divided opinion with its approach to Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch

Wanda in Doctor Strange
(Image credit: Marvel)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been dividing Marvel fans across its opening weekend, as some suggest that the sequel ruins WandaVision, the Disney Plus series centered on Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff.

Following on from the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the movie sees Benedict Cumberbatch's titular sorcerer try to protect teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), as she's pursued by a relentless enemy who's keen to steal her dimension-hopping powers. It acts both as a follow-up to 2016's Doctor Strange and last year's WandaVision, which tracks the transformation of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) into the Scarlet Witch, following the death of Vision (Paul Bettany).  

As those who have watched it already know, the show ended with Wanda freeing those she'd trapped inside her fake life at Westview, and saying goodbye to her conjured-up versions of Vision, and their sons Billy and Tommy. Its post-credits scene, however, teased a less peaceful future for Wanda, as it caught up with her living in the middle of nowhere and poring over the Darkhold, a fabled collection of evil spells.

Doctor Strange 2 leans into that tease, as Wanda fully embraces her dark side. Some have described the film as an earned continuation, while others have been left disappointed by its approach to the character.

One viewer took to Twitter to describe it as a "slap in the face to WandaVision fans", as they claimed: "It's one thing for a movie to be boring, silly, whatever. This just kind of didn't make sense to me. It didn't feel believable and the story has huge consequences to her character."

"More like DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE COUPLE OF UNIVERSES OF MADNESS that actively ignore Wanda's arc in WANDAVISION," wrote another, as someone else claimed: "I've reflected on the new Doctor Strange movie overnight and...it's bad. And grossly sexist. And it ruins WandaVision. Two thumbs down."

"I'm gonna say it, I'm not ENTIRELY on board with where they took Wanda's character arc in MoM. Feels like they just kinda undid much of the growth she seemed to have gone through in WandaVision," argued a fourth.

On the flip side, another tweeted: "I was really worried that Multiverse Of Madness would not meet my expectation especially as a massive WandaVision fan but I'm so glad to say that the movie gave me everything I wanted from it aa a continuation of Wanda's story."

"I definitely have my criticisms of Doctor Strange 2's inconsistent logic & flawed narrative, but the criticism that Wanda's arc undoes everything she learned in WandaVision is not one of them," ScreenRant's Alisha Grauso chimed in. "Human growth is never a perfect hockey stick curve. Setbacks and plateaus are reality."

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in cinemas now. For more on the movie, check out some of our pieces below. Be warned if you've not seen it yet, though, some of them contain spoilers...

Amy West
Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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