Though she apparently died in Multiverse of Madness, Wanda Maximoff may still have a future in the MCU. A new theory uses the TVA to do it.
The Secret Wars are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the foundations laid soon after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The creation of the Multiverse at the end of Loki Season 1, Episode 6, “For All Time. Always.” foreshadows it, as does the rise of villains like Kang the Conqueror. The massive franchise is priming itself for a version of the vaunted comic-book storyline, presumably to form the plot of the announced Avengers: Secret Wars movie coming in 2026.
It may involve a surprising figure. Wanda Maximoff was presumed dead after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But as a new theory on Reddit from poster Its_Like_A_Dream attests, her role in the MCU may be far from over. Secret Wars may present a chance to put the Scarlet Witch in charge of the Time Variance Authority.
Secret Wars Could Give the Scarlet Witch a New Role
That catalyst for the theory is the prophecy revealed during the events of WandaVision: the Scarlet Witch is destined to either rule the world or destroy it. She came close during her attempt to restore her children in Multiverse of Madness but sacrificed herself to destroy all the copies of the Darkhold and bring down Mount Wundagore. Her actions saved the Multiverse but also left the prophecy unfulfilled.
Death is rarely the end in superhero stories, however, and even if the Prime MCU Wanda is gone, the Multiverse still contains infinite variants that can take her place. That’s where the fan theory picks up the thread. It posits that the prophecy will come true in one form or another, then speculates on a “safe” way that could happen. After Avengers: Secret Wars, Wanda — or a variant of her — could take control of the TVA.
There’s an undeniable elegance to the equation. It allows Wanda to effectively “rule” reality without turning the whole of the Multiverse into a benighted hellscape. With the TVA as a check on multiversal threats, she could set a path for multiple realities while preventing the rise of threats such as Kang or the variant Ultron from What If…? Season 1, Episode 8, “What If… Ultron Won?” That would fulfill the terms of the prophecy while still allowing for a rich and diverse Multiverse for the MCU to continue to tell stories in.
Can Wanda Maximoff Be Trusted to Rule the Multiverse?
The question, of course, is whether Wanda is up for the responsibility. With a variant version, all bets are off. The Scarlet Witch has shown herself to be both supremely self-sacrificing (as she was at the end of Multiverse of Madness) and callously selfish (as she was throughout most of Multiverse of Madness and much of WandaVision as well), which could send her in either direction. However, her experiences may have also given her the wisdom to handle the job, knowing the pitfalls of trying to play God and acting judiciously rather than wantonly. That could readily translate to a steady hand at the tiller and turn the TVA into a far more benevolent organization than it currently is.
Regardless, the theory is a terrific solution to the dilemma created by the prophecy. If it holds true, then the MCU needs to find some way for Wanda to rule without becoming a tyrant: seizing her destiny while permitting the Multiverse to exist more or less as it is. The TVA provides an existing means for both sides of that equation, giving Wanda the fate she may truly deserve.
