Marvel Just Confirmed Its Most Highly-Rated Disney+ Series Is Essential Viewing Ahead of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Published Aug 17, 2026, 8:52 PM EDT Michael Hein has been covering entertainment, fandom news, and trending topics since 2016 on outlets including Rogues Portal, PopCulture.com, and ComicBook.com. He has provided live coverage of red carpet premieres, conventions, and up-fronts, and has interviewed major stars including Charles Dance, Patrick Stewart, and Chloe Sevigny. An avid fiction reader and writer, Michael has been diving deep into all the biggest book-to-screen adaptations of the last decade, from Game of Thrones to Foundation. The past few weeks have been a barrage of trailers and announcements from Marvel Studios throughout San Diego Comic-Con and D23, but the biggest news may have come from new merchandise. A new Doctor Doom figure by Hot Toys features the tech wiz-turned-sorcerer holding a book that looks a bit like the Darkhold — the magical book from Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) destroyed. On top of that, Marvel's official booth featured several movie costumes on display, including the mysterious "Latverian Witch" that works with Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) This is all fuel for the theory that Wanda Maximoff is alive and working with Doom, making WandaVision essential viewing before Avengers: Doomsday premieres on December 18. WandaVision might be the most beloved entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the Multiverse Saga began, and it makes sense that the studio would want it to tie into the big finale. However, Wanda appeared to die in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so the MCU will need to either explain her return or replace her with a multiverse variant. Fans have long theorized that some version of Wanda will be working with Doom in Doomsday, and the evidence is stacking up. One way or another, Marvel is definitely trying to draw our attention back to Wanda's story, as the new trailer for VisionQuest calls it "the final vision of a groundbreaking trilogy." 'Avengers: Doomsday' Needs Wanda Maximoff Image via Marvel Studios The Multiverse Saga has been a bumpier ride than the Infinity Saga was for Marvel Studios, and it makes sense that the franchise would try to capitalize on its biggest successes. WandaVision was the first release of the new saga, the first title in Phase Four, and the first streaming series made for Disney+. It was a massive success, breaking the formula and drawing in new viewers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. It even inspired a sequel series, Agatha All Along, and Marvel is now calling this a TV trilogy concluding with VisionQuest. Establishing that continuity just before Doomsday debuts is a strong sign it's important to the crossover. The Multiverse Saga is littered with dropped plot lines, so the ones Marvel calls attention to now are likely to be the most important ones. Wanda's story never really crossed over with the saga's original Kang the Conqueror arc, so it doesn't require a major pivot the way that others will. In fact, Wanda may be the key to smoothing the transition and making it feel like Doom was the plan all along. Fans have theorized that Wanda will appear alongside Doom for years now, so it's nice to see the evidence pointing in the same direction. Marvel loves to keep secrets and surprise its fans, but above all the studio needs to tell compelling, satisfying stories. Predictability is not always a bad thing in movies, an Marvel seems to understand that here. The new figure of Doom holding a book of magic naturally evokes theories about the Scarlet Witch, and Marvel Comics provide plenty of explanations for how this grimoire may be linked to the Darkhold. Meanwhile, the Latverian Witch costumes displayed at Marvel's booth could be our first look at Wanda in disguise. Fans suspect that Doom may have found a way to rescue or resurrect Wanda, and that he has either persuaded or coerced her into working alongside him in Doomsday. The Scarlet Witch did get a peak into Doom's universe, Earth-838, and we've seen how open she can be to extreme measures. This is definitely still just a theory, but one that Marvel is not trying to dissuade fans from. 'VisionQuest' Should Give Us Clues About 'Doomsday' Image via Marvel Studios Whatever cataclysm is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, VisionQuest will be the studio's last big chance to share clues with us. The streaming series premieres on October 14, and it's the last and only release left between now and Avengers: Doomsday. That timing doesn't seem like an accident — VisionQuest has been in the works for years now, and other productions have turned around much faster. Marvel may have been saving this show for a reason — even if only to re-center the WandaVision storyline at the last moment. There's a lot of room for thematic symmetry here as well — Doom combines his scientific genius with his ancestral tradition of magic, leading to a unique fusion of technology and mysticism. There's something similar at play in the MCU's version of Wanda, whose magic was harnessed and enhanced by experimental exposure to the Tesseract. Vision (Paul Bettany) is similar — a bio-synthetic body combined with an advanced artificial intelligence and awakened by a magical blow from Thor's hammer. Wanda and Vision embody this duality as a couple as well since her powers are magical while his are technological. Wanda and Vision seem like Marvel's best chance at making this brand new villain feel relevant to the stories they've been telling, an that means their trilogy of shows are likely central to Avengers: Doomsday. WandaVision and Agatha All Along are streaming now on Disney+, while VisionQuest premieres there on October 14. Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18. Release Date October 14, 2026 Network Disney+ Showrunner Terry Matalas