Why Doctor Strange Wasn’t In WandaVision As Reported
Fans had expected a Doctor Strange WandaVision cameo for the first season finale. But it didn't end up coming to fruition. We know why.
This article is more than 2 years old
The Doctor Strange WandaVision cameo that was supposed to happen in the show’s season finale simply didn’t take place. This lack of a reveal around the popular Marvel character had fans more than a little confused. It was because there was considerable buzz around the Sorcerer making a much-anticipated appearance before the season closed out. But the WandaVision finale came and went with nary a sighting of the good doctor. Well, insider Daniel Richtman has an explanation of why this rumored cameo seemed pretty reliable, but just didn’t happen by the time the credits rolled and the show signed off. Richtman explains it this way:
“So I know there were a lot of people reporting Doctor Strange will have a cameo in WandaVision. I know the source is VERY reliable and was right on many other things like Peters and plot details. I hear that there was a cameo with Strange that was shot. It looks like this cameo was cut and moved from WandaVision to Doctor Strange 2.”
As far as rumors go, this explanation does feel plausible. It goes so far as to detail why folks would have thought the Doctor Strange WandaVision cameo was going to be featured at some point in the episode and why, in the end, he wasn’t. Richtman does go on to explain that because of the timings of Marvel Phase Four movies, things changed. Originally, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness was supposed to come out almost immediately following WandaVision. But that plan flipped and instead Spider-Man 3 will be the next film up meaning they held the Doctor Strange scene for much later. Most likely it will just end up in The Multiverse of Madness.
Look, when you deal with this many story arcs and subplots things are going to be in a constant state of flux. Marvel has often been good about teasing new characters or relationships in a way that keeps viewers wanting more without giving away too much. The use of mid and end credits appearances along the way have always felt like low-stakes ways to make sure fans know that certain characters are still hanging around, out there in the universe. Such was the purported case of the Doctor Strange WandaVision piece. But things change and it doesn’t affect the final product all that much anyway.
Though the Doctor Strange WandaVision reveal never came to fruition, that didn’t stop viewers from tuning into the show’s finale. Apparently, so many users logged into Disney+ to check out the series finale aptly titled “The Series Finale” on Friday that the streaming service had moments of reported downtime. Some even got an error message when trying to tune in.
Sometimes the Hollywood rumor mill can be a fickle beast. Sometimes the scoops out there are right on the money and go down exactly as reported. Sometimes they are just head fakes or trial balloons to rile fans up. This Doctor Strange WandaVision pump fake seems to fall more into the former category in that it almost certainly was true and part of the plan, until things just had to change to fit the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Four timing.
In the end, WandaVision closed out an incredibly successful first season, setting the stage for much more to come in this Marvel phase. It laid the groundwork for more stories, began bringing new characters into the fold, and set Wanda Maximoff on an interesting future path. The Doctor Strange WandaVision piece wasn’t meant to be, but these two characters are bound to meet again soon enough on screen. And it might not be under the friendliest of circumstances.
