WandaVision writers reveal how Doctor Strange was going to fit into the story

It’s true. WandaVision is over. While we’re not holding out for season two, there’s still plenty of die-hard fans (including us here at GamesRadar+) eager to hear more about Marvel’s streaming gem. Arguably the best Marvel TV show to hit Disney Plus, Wandavision kept fans coming back week after week. The internet was abuzz with rumours and theories on what might take place in the Westview world. Well, more importantly, who might show up. 

One such character was Doctor Strange. Folks were a little disappointed when the Master of the Mystic Arts didn’t make an appearance, after the rumors heavily implied that he’d drop in for at least a cameo. As it turns out, that’s exactly what creators had in mind.

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told Rolling Stone about a deal with Benedict Cumberbatch to appear in Wandavision. “Because we knew we wanted to connect them [Wanda appears in the next Doctor Strange movie], and wouldn’t it be great. But as we worked on the show, and on the movie, we realized there was no reason to really do that.”

WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer adds details of an alternate ending that would have seen the duo teaming up: "The plan when I came on board was that there would, at the end of the series, be a handoff and that Dr. Strange’s participation would amount to essentially a short cameo," she confirmed. "So early outlines had varying versions of the two of them [Wanda and Dr. Strange] kind of riding off into the sunset together. And it didn’t feel quite right."

What exactly might this cameo have been like? According to Schaeffer, the show’s commercials would’ve shown Dr. Strange trying to connect with Wanda, the big "twist" being that he was behind the commercials.

"One of my favorite ideas was that in the Nexus commercial [in Episode Seven], it would kind of be a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, a quick image of Dr. Strange as the pharmacist in the background," Schaeffer explains. "I was very inspired by Fight Club, when Brad Pitt’s character is on the TV in the hotel — like, if you’re looking closely you’d see it for just a second."

In the end, it turns out the powers that be decided to leave the Sorcerer Supreme out of it, to allow for Wanda to hold focus: "Some people might say, ‘It would’ve been so cool to see Dr. Strange,’ but it would have taken away from Wanda, which is what we didn’t want to do," adds Kevin Feige. "And now we have a better ending on WandaVision than we initially thought of, and a better storyline in Dr. Strange."

Granted, seeing Doctor Strange in WandaVision would have been a neat tie-in, prepping us for the third installment in the cosmic corner of the MCU. As it looks like there isn’t going to be a WandaVision season 2, we’re excited to see Wanda in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to arrive in theaters March 25, 2022.