Elizabeth Olsen Says Doctor Strange 2 Honors WandaVision's Story

It's been nearly a week since the final episode of Marvel Studios' WandaVision debuted on Disney+, and the MCU fandom is still talking about everything that went down in the most action-packed episode of the franchise's first Disney+ series. Wanda and Vision's battles against Agatha Harkness, White Vision, SWORD, and the effects of the Hex were all scintillating as the unusual couple fought for their world and their lives.

Marvel Studios took their first step into the new era of the MCU, in which the projects exclusively streaming on Disney+ will interconnect directly with the feature-length movies that will (eventually) come to theaters. Direct references were made to the larger world throughout WandaVision, particularly in "Episode 9" when Wanda was described as being potentially more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme.

This was a telling statement, considering Wanda's story from WandaVision will tie directly into 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In that light, two of the biggest names behind WandaVision recently gave fans a peak at how that journey will continue next year.

ELIZABETH OLSEN WANDA'S PHASE 4 STORY

In a new interview with Variety, MCU star Elizabeth Olsen and WandaVision creator Jac Schaeffer teased how Wanda Maximoff's individual storyline will move from her solo series into 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Schaeffer shed some light on the production timeline for both projects, revealing that the team behind WandaVision was "very much underway before they were entirely underway." Describing it as "a lovely way to do a handoff," Schaeffer appears happy with the way her project sets the stage for Wanda's next big-screen appearance.

"Truthfully, the connection between 'WandaVision' and where we leave Wanda and 'Doctor Strange 2,' it was sort of fluid for a time, because we were very much under way before they were entirely underway. So it was a conversation. From where I’m sitting, it’s been very organic. The acceptance arc was was the point of 'WandaVision,' but the falling action evolved. It’s a lovely way to do a handoff, and I’ve been over here wishing them well in Los Angeles, as they’re in the U.K."

Olsen goes into her specific work for the Doctor Strange sequel, commenting on how most of WandaVision had already been filmed before she knew much about Multiverse of Madness. In the end, for Olsen, she's really trying to make sure that the situation is "almost less so to have it affect WandaVision as have WandaVision affect it.":

"I didn’t know my part in 'Doctor Strange' until right before we got back to filming during the pandemic. We had two months left, and we’d filmed the majority of our show already. Really, I kew nothing until that moment when they pitched [“Doctor Strange 2”] to me verbally. So I tried, as much as I could, almost less so to have it affect 'WandaVision' as have 'WandaVision' affect it. I think that’s really been where the connection is. It’s almost like we’re trying to make sure that everything is honoring what we did [on the show]."

WANDA MAXIMOFF WILL RETURN IN MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

Long before Phase 4 began, Marvel CCO Kevin Feige and his team were adamant that this new venture into Disney+ would produce stories that would be firmly interwoven with the MCU's next round of theatrical releases. With so many delays to the movies, this hasn't been seen in theaters yet, but the foundation is already being laid after Phase 4's debut entry.

While it's still a mystery exactly what will become of Wanda upon her arrival in the magical 2022 sequel, WandaVision set her on an exciting path as she finally made her full transformation into the Scarlet Witch. "Episode 9" alone had a couple of key moments that helped push this plot point along more firmly.

Agatha read a passage about the Scarlet Witch from the Darkhold describing how "(her) power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme," the title that Doctor Stephen Strange is well on his way to obtaining. Additionally, the post-credits scene from the finale showed Wanda displaying powers never seen before in the MCU, with her physical body making tea as her astral form read through the Darkhold in her full superhero outfit.

Plot details are largely being kept under wraps for Benedict Cumberbatch's next solo adventure, but it's abundantly clear that it will feature two of the most powerful Avengers in the MCU. After Wanda's solo journey through Westview, her team-up with the MCU's premiere wizard will truly be something to behold.

All nine episodes of WandaVision are now available to stream on Disney+. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently filming and will release in theaters on March 25, 2022.