The days for the latest movie to be released Marvel Studios, Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madnessthey can already be counted on the fingers of one hand, and we even have fingers left over, since the next Thursday May 5 The long-awaited film by former Sorcerer Supreme and his friends trying to fix a multiverse that seems to be going against him.
And it is that, if we take a closer look at some of the many highlights in its trailers, many important clues have been revealed, but, even among a large number of captivating scenes, one in particular perhaps resonates the most; as it could be the case of the moment in which the Scarlet Witchinterpreted by elizabeth olsenLook at the Doctor Strange (benedict cumberbatch) and tells: “If you break the rules, you become the hero. I do it and I become the enemy. It doesn’t seem fair.”
And being objective, Wanda Maximoff, has a certain degree of right, given that she is in a moment of vulnerability, but also one in which she acts as a voice watching from afar, since to be fair, what she is saying is true. Well, even though stranger has repeatedly had a reckless use of magic, a breaking of the “rules” doesn’t seem to tarnish the way his peers perceive him, but instead, to Wandawho has been fighting a battle for some time as if going uphill, is constantly reproached for the opinions about her moral compass, and not only recently, but it is something that she has been carrying for several years.
Since, we could say that this was long before the incidents in Westviewas his mistakes or lack of training were held against him in a way that Doctor Strange it just isn’t; She is constantly painted as the villainesswhen if we analyze it more thoroughly, it is not like that, since although the Scarlet Witch has made mistakes, caused a lot of damage and even showed contempt for the consequences, the actions of Wandato date, do not make her a villain.
But instead, he is just a person with flaws and immense power, who if given the right guidance and support, could do better, since the Scarlet Witch she is not a villain, because if cataloging her that way is the point, several things must be taken into consideration, such as the real definition of what a villain is; and if we remember, the intention of Wanda when it comes to his most egregious actions, his history of trauma, the possibility of double standards or gender-based bias, and even the possibility that larger forces are at play for some of his particularly heinous acts.
This is where we dive into theory and speculation a bit, because by observing, we won’t necessarily absolve Wanda of her actions, but we will see her in a perhaps more accurate light, not as a villain, but as a character who is somewhere in between a hero and a villain; by a villain is typically defined as “malicious”an “scoundrel” and a “agent of evil”.
Wanda does not fit into any of those definitions, because it is not cruelly malicious, nor is it dedicated to evil or crime, nor is it part of a “evil agency” plot-wise, and we’d hardly describe her as a scoundrel. Of course, we must recognize that Wanda if you have participated in criminal acts, but technically so have the entire list of avengersand even in that, the acts of Wanda they were never deliberately malicious.
It could be said that even what he did in Westview, although selfish, he had no intention of causing harm to others, he was only trying to alleviate his own suffering and he had the means to be able to do so, and it is precisely in this thought that he raises an important point: the intention; for when it comes to true villainy, intent matters, and the actions of Wanda in Westview were not a matter of “I make a point of hurting other people because it benefits me.”
It could probably be argued that Wanda she was so blinded by her own suffering that she wasn’t fully aware of how much she was hurting those caught in her spell, something we get a glimpse of at the end of the series when she frees everyone. Now, taking things further back, what happened in Lagos in Captain America: Civil Warshould also not be seen as an act of villainy, since the efforts of Wanda there they were meant to save lives, not cost them, and though that went terribly wrong, she tried to do something good.
We have also seen Wanda change the intent of his actions and alliances when he realizes what is at stake, as was the case in Avengers: Age of Ultronwhen he realized that the purpose of Ultron was to inflict massive destruction. Intention aside, it is important to consider the experiences of Wanda in assessing her actions as she comes from a very traumatic background her home country was devastated by war courtesy of the United States and specifically the weaponry of Stark Industrieswith which her parents literally died in front of her when her house was bombed when she was just a child.
This experience, as expected, would impact anyone, especially a child, adding to this, adverse childhood experiences, or EIAs, which have a tremendous impact on a person’s future, so in many ways if we talk about their physical and mental health, to the likelihood of future victimization and trauma, although of course, it is impossible to know exactly what life experiences he endured Wanda after the death of her parents, it is possible that because she was orphaned at a young age and also ended up with HYDRAthe EIAs of Wanda They include physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and domestic dysfunction giving you an approximate test score of around 5.
And said score has a serious impact on future behavior and health, so none of that is to say that the trauma of Wanda may be an excuse for your behavior, but it is certainly a factor, one that explains why your rational thinking skills may differ from those of others, why your response to loss may be more extreme than someone else’s, and why he may not have the best understanding of his own powers.
What, in turn, we must also consider from the words of Wanda regarding their own actions, as indeed, there is a bit of a double standard when it comes to the perception of selfish or reckless behavior and the gender of the person carrying out said behaviour. What could put in greater judgment to Doctor Strange and his decision to cast a spell on Spider-Man: No Way Home, that I knew from the beginning that it was dangerous and that it could go terribly wrong, a bending of the rules, but that’s not the only example either, because if we check Tony Stark What steve rogersThey have made some selfish decisions that were overlooked simply because of who they are.
How to talk about the time Tony he created a mess when he insisted that the reverse snap be carried out in a way that would bring everyone back but not interfere with his own happiness. While steve rogersin theory, violated the rules of time travel and the use of Time Gem by deciding to stay in the past with Peggy Carter and, although the world probably did not part with it, it was still a gamble and no one calls it; so that was why, so much Steve What Tony they acted specifically to avoid pain or relieve it themselves and none of them gave much thought to the impact on others, which doesn’t make them all that different from Wandabut we never call them villains, not even jokingly.
And I know, the above points deserve some consideration, reflection and debate, but there could also be a real historically based reason why Wandato simply say that she’s not a villain, like a fan theory that quietly gained quite a bit of attention before she Doc Strange 2 was around, about Wanda not having full control of her actions in Westview.
Some have suggested that it is possible Wanda have already been under the influence of dark holdwhich caused the hex in the first place, and how Wanda I was already grieving the loss of Viewthe only person in the world who cared about her, would be extremely vulnerable to that kind of manipulation, well that makes sense to me and some of the fans, but enough, let’s put aside the speculation that there is a force more biggest and darkest at stake, even though all those theories could lead to Mephisto.
And this fact would put Wanda Maximoff not as a villain, but more as a victim of manipulation. So, whether by definition, intention, experience, manipulation, the Scarlet Witchnamely Wanda Maximoffone of the most powerful characters within Marvelshe couldn’t be called a villain, even though she’s certainly done things with terrible results, and of course, no one here is saying her actions should be without consequence, but to say she’s a villain is an exaggeration.
Wandashe’s a character who’s still on a growth journey, one where she’s working on not only defining who she really is, but also becoming the best version of herself, and sure, she’s flawed, but she’s ultimately leans toward doing the right thing as he grows not only in his power, but also in his place in the multiverse within Marvel.