Fans have known for a long time now that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will connect to the events of WandaVision. Despite that, Marvel has done a good job of keeping Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) role in Multiverse of Madness shrouded in mystery. Past trailers for the film have only alluded to Wanda’s part in the story, and it remains to be seen where her allegiances actually lie.
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Now, with just a few more weeks to go until Multiverse of Madness hits theaters, Marvel has revealed a major connection that the film shares with WandaVision.
A Dream — Marvel’s new Multiverse of Madness teaser features plenty of striking images, including one shot of a zombified Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) looking into the camera. That said, there’s no moment as unexpected as the brief shot that comes around the 0:15 mark, which shows Wanda being welcomed home by her sons, Billy (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne).
It’s the most explicit WandaVision connection that Marvel fans have been shown in any Multiverse of Madness teaser to date. Not only does the scene reveal that both Billy and Tommy will appear in the upcoming film, but it may also confirm what many fans have long suspected about how Multiverse of Madness will pick up where WandaVision’s post-credits scene left off.
A Nightmare — At the end of WandaVision, it’s revealed that Wanda has begun studying the Darkhold. The series’ post-credits scene shows Wanda’s astral form floating in the air while flipping through the Darkhold’s pages, only for her to become distracted by the distant cries of Billy and Tommy, two characters who no longer exist in her universe.
While the scene itself is open to interpretation, many MCU fans have come to believe that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will, among other things, follow Wanda as she sets out to find her sons somewhere in the multiverse. That remains just a theory for now, but this teaser does suggest that Wanda will, at the very least, be haunted by the possibility of reuniting with her sons.
Beyond just the emotional implications of their return, Billy and Tommy’s inclusion in Multiverse of Madness also opens the door for them to play major roles in the MCU moving forward. Notably, both characters have been members of the Young Avengers in the comics, a team that fans believe will assemble in the MCU in either Avengers 5 or a future crossover project of some kind.
Following their “deaths” in WandaVision, Billy and Tommy’s chances of being included in the MCU’s version of the Young Avengers seemed slim. But now that we know they’re returning in Multiverse of Madness, that possibility suddenly seems a whole lot more likely.
The Inverse Analysis — Billy and Tommy’s shadows were always going to loom large over Wanda Maximoff’s story in Multiverse of Madness. But by going so far as to actually bring them back, Marvel has ensured that Wanda’s grief should be palpable for anyone who either didn’t watch WandaVision or has forgotten about its specific plot details over the course of the past year and a half.
The fact that their return also gives Marvel the chance to establish them as possible members of the MCU’s Young Avengers is just the icing on the cake.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022.
