Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actor Elizabeth Olsen revealed that she finds Wanda Maximoff a more interesting character to portray than some other Marvel superheroes, thanks to her moral ambiguity.
As reported by The Direct, Olsen shared at the official press release for the upcoming Doctor Strange film that she has really enjoyed playing a morally gray hero. “It’s not the most fun, in my mind, to always play the hero of a story where they do no wrong,” she said. “I don’t find that interesting. I think the reason why I really enjoyed Wanda from the beginning is that she’s very clear in her beliefs. They just don’t align with others, and that’s okay. She’ll have her own realizations and admit when she makes mistakes.”
Olsen is likely referring to the events of last year’s Disney+ series, WandaVision, where Wanda took over the entire town of Westview with her magic in order to live out her fantasy of a life with fellow Avenger Vision, who had been killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. While the series ended with the newly named “Scarlet Witch” freeing the residents of Westview from her spell, the final shot of the series showed Wanda attempting to master the Darkhold, a book of dark magic, presumably to try and bring her family back.
Wanda is not the only Avenger who will be on a journey of self-discovery, however. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange, also stated that his character will confront versions of himself across the multiverse and learn more about himself in the process. “Strange sees, through his experience in the Multiverse and the various versions of him in the Multiverse, how much of a pattern of behavior he carries,” Cumberbatch explained. “It’s a kind of imprint, an identification of who Doctor Stephen Strange is in any universe and what the dangers of that character are. Is he going to be the hero to his enemy or the enemy to his hero? Who is our Doctor Strange in the Multiverse? He’s literally coming up against versions of himself to figure that out.” Strange will also seemingly face the judgment of the MCU’s Illuminati in at least one scene.
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes place a few months after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Dr. Stephen Strange and his team venturing into the multiverse to face a new enemy who threatens to tear the fabric of their world wide open. Alongside Cumberbatch and Olsen, the film also features Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams.