WandaVision‘s aptly title final episode “The Series Finale” has been largely well-received by critics and fans alike. As was evident from the build-up of the previous episodes, the finale had some high voltage witchery and a battle of the Synthezoids, along with a few moments that had us reaching for the kleenex.
But there was a Doctor Strange cameo that fans were eagerly waiting to see, but didn’t get to. Between that and the mildly amusing “Fietro” reveal, there were definitely some downers. So, how does the finale set up the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022? And is there more than just a nod to Doctor Strange in WandaVision? Here’s all.
Not literally! – Wanda’s Astral projection
Fans of the Sorcerer Supreme were left high and dry when the credits started rolling without Doctor Strange making an appearance in WandaVision. But those that sat right through till the post-credit scenes, not just the mid-credit scene (yes, there were two), were given a sort of a consolation.
We see Wanda living in a remote area near the mountains after the heartbreaking events of Westview. The camera zooms in to her sitting outside her remote cabin somewhere near the mountains, her physical self pottering about. As it pans inward, we see Wanda’s astral projection levitating above the ground, leafing through the pages of the Darkhold, her legs crossed and hands weaving spells in the air, reminiscent of Doctor Strange’s own astral projection pose.
#WandaVisionFinale SPOILERS
.
.
.
.
.
Wanda’s Astral projection while using Darkhold >> Doctor Strange’s Astral Projection pic.twitter.com/tcmMmMm6Sj— Cinema Brainiac (@CinemaBrainiac) March 5, 2021
The cinematography of the WandaVision‘s closing moments, with the character living in isolation in a cabin performing dark magic, is quite an iconic horror genre sight, one that is redolent of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead movies.
Well, he just happens to be the director of the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel as well. So, although we don’t get Doctor Strange in WandaVision, we did just get a sense of what the movie might look and feel like. And the Darkhold could very well be at the center of it all.
The Darkhold – Doctor Strange 2 connection
After having constantly been reproved by Agatha for her limited understanding of her own powers, as well as her legend, we see that the Scarlet Witch has sought to address that side of her by reading through the Darkhold and learning on her own what the Elder God had scripted himself. The whole arc of WandaVision revolved around Wanda not being in complete control of her own powers, so it’s only understandable that she’d want to change that.
As mentioned, it was the Elder God Chthon that wrote the Darkhold to serve as a bridge for his possible return to Earth, but that is in the comics.
WANDAVISION finale confirms the DARKHOLD is in the MCU:https://t.co/u5yjAAC6Hh pic.twitter.com/oRHsrShUFK
— ComicBook NOW! (@ComicBookNOW) March 6, 2021
In previous MCU projects, the Darkhold has had different origins and was thought to be created from within the Dark Dimension. But it is still the same “book of the damned” as Agatha so aptly put, and if MCU sticks to this version of the Darkhold story, we might actually get to see a ton of monsters and supervillains emerging from that darkly demented realm, the likes of which may include Mephisto.
We are not shown what new tricks Wanda is learning through the book but we are sure to find that out soon enough next year, as she fights alongside Doctor Strange against whichever monstrosity that spawns through the Darkhold and the multiverse.
Source: Marvel
