Doctor Strange 2: The Villain We Never Got and Why It Was a Huge Missed Opportunity
Remember the excitement leading up to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? The hype was through the roof! We were promised a mind-bending trip through infinite worlds, directed by the legendary horror master Sam Raimi. And while the movie delivered some wild moments, for many fans, it just didn’t quite stick the landing.
The film holds a pretty divisive spot among Marvel fans. A lot of the criticism points to two main things: the surprisingly small number of universes we actually got to see and, more importantly, the controversial decision to make Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, the main villain.
But what if I told you that wasn’t the original plan? What if the villain was supposed to be someone else entirely—a classic Doctor Strange foe who would have made so much more sense?
The Scarlet Witch Problem
Let’s be honest, Wanda’s turn to the dark side felt… abrupt. We had just spent an entire season of WandaVision watching her process immense grief. We saw her as a deeply sympathetic character who, in the end, made a heroic sacrifice. To see her flip into a full-blown, remorseless villain so quickly in Doctor Strange 2 gave a lot of viewers emotional whiplash.
It felt like her nuanced character development from the show was pushed aside to make her a straightforward monster. While Elizabeth Olsen’s performance was incredible, the story sidelined her journey in a way that left a bad taste for many who had followed her story so closely.
Meet Nightmare: The Villain We Almost Had
So, who was supposed to be the big bad? All signs point to Nightmare.
If you’re not a big comic book reader, you might be asking, “Who?” Think of Nightmare as Marvel’s version of Freddy Krueger. He is the demonic ruler of the Dream Dimension, a powerful being who feeds on the fear and psychic energy of sleeping mortals. He can trap people in their own minds, twisting their dreams into terrifying realities.
Sound like a perfect fit for a Sam Raimi horror movie? We think so too.
Why Nightmare Would Have Been a Better Fit
Switching the villain from Scarlet Witch to Nightmare wouldn’t just be a simple character swap. It would have fundamentally improved the entire film. Here’s why:
- A Truly “Mad” Multiverse: A villain who controls dreams could have given us the truly bizarre, surreal, and terrifying worlds we were all hoping for. Instead of just visiting a world where the traffic lights are different, imagine Strange and America Chavez hopping through Dali-esque landscapes born from someone’s worst fears. The potential for creative, mind-bending visuals would have been limitless.
- A Better Story for Wanda: With Nightmare as the main villain, Wanda wouldn’t have to be the bad guy. Instead, she could have been his primary victim. Nightmare could have been preying on her grief, using the Darkhold to corrupt her from within the Dream Dimension and promising her a fake reality with her children. This would have made her a tragic, manipulated figure we could root for, preserving her powerful arc from WandaVision.
- A Classic Doctor Strange Story: At its heart, this was supposed to be a Doctor Strange movie. Nightmare is one of Strange’s oldest and most personal villains from the comics. Pitting them against each other on the big screen would have centered the story squarely on Stephen Strange, testing his skills as the Sorcerer Supreme in a battle of minds and magic.
A Glimpse of What Could Have Been
While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still an entertaining ride, it’s hard not to wonder about the movie we almost got. A story with Nightmare could have offered a more creative exploration of the multiverse, a more satisfying journey for Wanda Maximoff, and a truer sequel for Doctor Strange himself. It feels like a massive missed opportunity for the MCU.
What do you think? Would you have preferred to see Doctor Strange face off against Nightmare, or were you happy with the Scarlet Witch as the villain?