Doctor Strange 2 Confirms the MCU Has a Nasty Double Standard

The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now in theaters.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness turned out to be just as much a Scarlet Witch story as it was a Doctor Strange one. It capped Wanda Maximoff's story of grief, from losing her brother, Pietro, in Avengers: Age of Ultron to WandaVision, where she lost her kids and Vision for the second time. Unfortunately, Wanda became a villain, hellbent on reuniting with her kids even if it meant breaking various realities.

It's why, as much as the heroes went to war with her, Strange and Wong felt an air of sympathy. They knew all Wanda wanted was a happy home, but still, given her bloody warpath, she was now an enemy they'd have to stop by any means necessary. However, while Scarlet Witch broke bad, not caring who she had to slaughter to find her paradise, she did confirm the Marvel Cinematic Universe's nasty double standard.

Wanda pointed it out when Strange came to her farm to ask for help with America Chavez at the beginning of Multiverse of Madness. He mentioned how some demonic entity -- not knowing it was Wanda herself -- was hunting the girl across various Earths to harness her multiversal powers. His request alarmed Wanda because she thought the Avengers wanted nothing to do with her. Wanda confessed she hid out because she knew Earth's Mightiest Heroes considered her a danger, although there was a double standard there.

When she messed with space and time in WandaVision by creating her fake utopia with Vision and their sons, Billy and Tommy, she was deemed a tyrant. However, when the Avengers messed with the fabric of reality, Wanda stated how they were dubbed heroes. Granted, she was revived because of it, but she was likely referring to the Avengers' time heist, which saw them tamper with reality to get the Infinity Stones back to stop Thanos in Endgame and bring back those gone from The Snap.

She has a point in that they did something unnatural, which could have had dark repercussions had it gone wrong. Still, they didn't care and pushed on with the plan, with Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man and all the senior members being cool with playing god. The principle was the same, though -- it was a selfish act to defy nature and bring back loved ones.

This is what Wanda was trying to do in both WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness, yet she was vilified. While she didn't call Strange out specifically, he did the same with the Time Stone in his first movie after Kaecilius demolished New York and the Sanctum Sanctorum. Whether it was reversing time or undoing The Snap, the heroes bent the rules and perverted reality.

Thus, Wanda didn't think her actions were that different, which is why she felt compelled to keep using the Darkholdin Multiverse of Madness. It may have corrupted her to become a killer, but the MCU's finest didn't care for rules when it came to attaining a happy ending. As such, Wanda held herself to their loose standards and flexible moral compass.

See Wanda point out the MCU's hypocrisy in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now in theaters.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
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