Reports suggest that Doctor Strange absence in WandaVision may not be entirely true.
Doctor Strange was supposed to be in WandaVision; At least that was the rumour making rounds before the release and during the show too. However, he wasn’t. But now, new reports say that he was there all the while with his eyes on Scarlet Witch without revealing himself.
Watch: All WandaVision Commercials
Marvel on Strange and Chaos Magic
According to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Benedict Cumberbatch did sign a deal with Marvel to appear in the last episode of WandaVision. And this would lead on to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But the role was struck off later in the process. Writer Jac Schaeffer also mentions that at one point, the commercials were going to be messages from Strange to Wanda. Strange was also supposed to appear in one of the ads.
“Commercials was an early idea for that…if this is the very first Marvel, MCU thing you’re watching, it’s just a strange version of a 50s commercial or 60s commercial. If you have been watching all those movies, you might be able to start connecting what all those things mean from the past.”
Marvel President Kevin Feige during a press event
Here, Feige might have used the word “strange” purposefully. It is a strong hint that these messages are from Doctor Stephen Strange. Now that this revelation has come to us, new things may have come to light. If we consider the commercials to be messages from Stephen Strange, it changes the way we understand WandaVision.
The WandaVision Commercials
Here are the commercials in the episodic format:
Episode 1: Stark Industries ToastMate 2000
The beeping of the Stark toaster was Wanda’s subconscious reminding her of the stark bomb that fell on her home in Sokovia, the one that didn’t detonate.
Episode 2: Strucker Watch
Thw watch reminds Wanda of the experiments done by the Hydra on her and brother Pietro.
Episode 3: Hydra Soak bath soap
Strucker watch and hydra soak represents her time with Baron Strucker and the experiment on her in the hydra lab.
Episode 5: Lagos paper towels
Lagos paper towels represent the explosion in Lagos, Nigeria, and her guilt.
Episode 6: Yo-Magic yogurt
Episode 7: Nexus antidepressants
Yo-Magic yogurt and nexus depressants were tough for interpretations but we could make out that they were reflections of Wanda’s powers and that she is a nexus being but that was all.
Wanda’s Hex and Other Sorcerers
That Agatha was able to meddle using her powers, along with the recent reveal of Doctor Strange, proves that other sorcerers could use their sorcery within the hex too.
While Agatha tried to steal Wanda’s powers, it seems that Doctor Strange too tried to meddle. And this help came in the form of the commercials. Due to the warping nature of Wanda’s magic, Strange’s messages took the form of these commercials to fit Westview’s aesthetic. This seems the reason why, in episode 9, Agatha Harkness tells Wanda that “your power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme.”
Doctor Strange wanted to bring back Wanda to the real world by sending her messages at key moments of realization or vulnerability.
WandaVision Commercials are Doctor Strange’s Messages
Episode 1
The confused phone call between Wanda and Vision leads to the event of Vision’s boss arriving for dinner at their residence. Immediately after this comes the commercial where Strange reminds Wanda of her Sokovian origin. Thus Wanda brings it up later during dinner.
Episode 2
When Dotty (Juana) broke her glass, it shook Wanda and broke Juana’s reality for a split second. And Strange took the opportunity to remind Wanda of her time in Strucker’s lab through the Strucker Watch commercial.
Episode 3
Strange tries the same in episode 3 when Vision’s words lead to a jump cut followed by Wanda’s water breaking. But this time with the Hydra Soak bath soap.
Episode 5
In this one, Strange sends the message in the form of the Lagos paper towels commercial. This commercial comes right after Wanda threatens Hayward, Monica, and the other SWORD agents. Strange uses the commercial to remind Wanda of the last time she used her chaos magic in Lagos that resulted in so many deaths.
Episode 6
The commercial occurs at a moment right before which Wanda doubts Pietro as a bad influence on her children (when they are outdoors on Halloween eve). The ad shows a “bro” shark (predator) who seemingly wants to help the “little dude” who is stranded on the island. The kid dies in the commercial. Interestingly, Pietro also addresses Tommy as a “little dude.” This may be Strange’s way of saying that Wanda needs to use her magic and save her children from Pietro and thus Agatha.
Scarlet Witch Is a Nexus being
Episode 7
immediately after Agatha reveals herself to be sitting behind the camera and the director of the whole sitcom, Strange sends in his final message. The Nexus antidepressant is proof that Wanda AKA Scarlet Witch is a Nexus being. However, the depressant comes with a warning which says, “you should not take nexus unless your doctor has cleared you to move on with your life.” And the words by Kevin Feige seem to prove that this doctor is but Doctor Strange. And the message for Wanda was to reach out to him and discover her true potential as the Scarlet Witch.
All these attempts to contact Wanda have a chance of exploration in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And we already know that Scarlet Witch will have her presence in the film and we might see her as a true antagonist.
