Phase Four of the WandaVision in retrospect.
These include anywhere from subtle nods to the costume and environment design of WandaVision to continuity details like Wanda’s transformation into the Scarlet Witch persona. Since a lot of these factors are likely to come into play beyond Doctor Strange 2, it’s best to take note of them to understand how they bring the story together.
Scarlet Witch's Creation Of Her Family
This was a reference that needed to be said in order to make clear to WandaVision viewers that Scarlet Witch’s children were never really there. In Doctor Strange 2, she argued that she was going through her rampage through the multiverse to reunite with her children, which the titular protagonist and Wong rejected.
The duo made reference to WandaVision’s events, pointing out that the children she was after were never real and that the boys she hoped to claim were someone else’s. It served as a reminder of the episode of WandaVision where Wanda’s creation of the children was depicted.
Reference To Events In Westview
Prior to the Doctor Strange 2 of Scarlet Witch’s pursuit of America’s powers, she and Strange had a conversation about Wanda’s current ongoings. She assumed he was there to confront her over the magic she used in Westview, making a direct reference to WandaVision.
She acknowledged that people were hurt due to her mistakes, which alluded to the time when she lost control of her powers to place everyone around her under her mind control. It served as a bridge between WandaVision and Doctor Strange 2 in order to establish the threat Scarlet Witch was about to become.
Scarlet Witch's Role As An Ancient And Powerful Being
There were quite a few Doctor Strange 2, one of them being the reveal that the Masters of the Mystic Arts were aware all along about who Scarlet Witch was. While preparing his forces for battle, Wong announced that the Scarlet Witch entity was a legendary and powerful figure.
This was a callback to WandaVision, where Agatha Harkness revealed the same fact that Wanda was unaware of. She had embraced the Scarlet Witch identity during her battle with Agatha, which is the same persona that was seen in Doctor Strange 2 that was corrupted by the Darkhold.
Billy And Tommy's Bedroom Design
Eagle-eyed viewers would have noticed that the Earth-838 Wanda’s house had a notable similarity to MCU Wanda’s place in Westview. Billy and Tommy’s room was strikingly similar to their MCU counterparts, which was a clever bit of direction from Sam Raimi.
The main reason for the similarity was to make viewers believe that the scene with Wanda and her children was a flashback to WandaVision when it was actually an event happening in the Earth-838 reality. The design of the room was so much alike to the one in WandaVision that many didn’t catch on to this detail.
Scarlet Witch's Costume And Appearance
One of the ways sets up the MCU’s future is by leaving it ambiguous regarding whether Scarlet Witch will return as a villain or not. However, in the movie itself, she continues to wear the costumed appearance that she gained in WandaVision, which would have made fans think she was going to be a protagonist.
There were a few subtle changes, with the costume taking on a more charred look and edgy design to subtly hint at the Darkhold’s corruption of Wanda. On the surface, though, most would be inclined to think this was a continuation of the Scarlet Witch persona’s activation as seen in the finale of WandaVision.
The Identity Of Billy And Tommy
The Earth-838 Scarlet Witch’s children were identified as Billy and Tommy, which was one of the reasons why the MCU Wanda targeted them. The boys had the same names in WandaVision, making it another point that connected Doctor Strange 2 with the Disney+ series.
Moreover, the boys were of the same age as their final forms in WandaVision, where they had earlier been seen as babies and toddlers. Finally, it was the boys’ calling out to their mother in the Earth-838 reality that attracted MCU Wanda to their location, which was a continuation of WandaVision’s finale where she was shown hearing their voices.
Scarlet Witch's Ability To Perceive Beyond The Multiverse
Scarlet Witch very notably killed most of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2 even though she was technically not even in the Earth-838 universe. Her ability to perceive beyond her own universe was teased right at the end of WandaVision, where she heard Billy and Tommy’s voices.
WandaVision didn’t spell it out to viewers, but this was a hint toward Scarlet Witch’s studies of the Darkhold so she could gain the ability to dream-walk. Doctor Strange 2 brought this in full effect, with Scarlet Witch now capable of accessing the multiverse through the minds of her variants.
Scarlet Witch's Use Of The Darkhold
The Darkhold is the biggest connection between Doctor Strange 2 and WandaVision. Wanda acquired the book from Agatha Harkness and began to study it in hopes of being able to control her powers - the last shot of WandaVision was of Wanda using the Darkhold.
Doctor Strange 2 featured the book in a big way, as it turned out the Darkhold had ended up corrupting Scarlet Witch to fulfill the legend of the persona as a dangerous force. The book was also at the center of the story, as Doctor Strange eventually accessed it to stop Scarlet Witch before it was finally destroyed by the latter.
