The heart-wrenching, bittersweet tale of WandaVision may have come to end, but that doesn’t mean that the series will be keeping its current state till the end of time.
In a sneaky move by the Marvel team, the final scene of the show has been retroactively edited on Disney+ to include updated visual effects, as well as a glimpse of Michael Giacchino’s Doctor Strange theme. As seen from the parts circled in green, the altered version sees more trees in the mountains, which is where Wanda (aka Scarlet Witch) retreats to after releasing the (imprisoned) citizens of Westview. The red circle, however, highlights more subtle differences, showing a flicker of sorts that have led fans to theorise the possibility of a Doctor Strange cameo.
The speculation isn’t too far off from the team’s initial plans. At some point on WandaVision, the superhero was supposed to make his presence known with actor Benedict Cumberbatch having signed on the project, but the idea eventually never came to pass. While it’d have been a good chance to set up Wanda’s role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige explained that rationale behind removing Doctor Strange’s intended appearance –
Some people might say, ‘Oh, it would’ve been so cool to see Doctor Strange.’ But It would have taken away from Wanda. We didn’t want the end of the show to be commoditised to go to the next movie – here’s the white guy, ‘Let me show you how power works.'”
The change was later debunked by eagle-eyed fans who attributed it to a visual lighting effect that subsequently got fixed in the shot. Not all hope is lost, though, with enthusiasts still being able to enjoy the Doctor Strange theme in the post-credit scene.
Now that a chapter of Wanda’s story has been closed, what awaits fans is her journey in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness come 25 March 2022.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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