How Did Wanda Get the Darkhold in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?
One of the central objects that contributed to the plot of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the Darkhold, which is the Book of the Damned and a book that holds immense dark power. The Darkhold had a long history in the MCU before it even made its way to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But how did Wanda Maximoff even get the Darkhold during the events of Multiverse of Madness?
Wanda got the Darkhold during the events of WandaVision when it was in possession of Agatha. Wanda defeated Agatha in a battle between witches. After defeating Agatha, Wanda took the Darkhold with her to study the contents of the book and got tempted and corrupted in the process.
Considering that Wanda acquired the Darkhold during the events of Westview in WandaVision, it follows that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is essentially her continuation story. With that said, let’s look at what we know about the Darkhold’s history in the MCU and how Wanda got hold of this incredibly powerful artifact.
What Is The Darkhold?
One of the things that people already know about the MCU is that this universe is full of different magical artifacts that have been around for as long as anyone can remember and are infinitely powerful. We have seen time and time again how powerful certain magical and cosmic objects are in the MCU, and this includes the Darkhold.
The Darkhold became quite prominent during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when it was a tool that both Wanda Maximoff and Doctor Strange used throughout the entire movie but for various reasons. As the Scarlet Witch, Wanda was corrupted by the Darkhold and was using all of the different spells in the book to try to acquire America Chavez. On the other hand, Strange used the book to combat Wanda during the film’s pivotal moments.
But what exactly is the Darkhold?
The Darkhold is also called by different names, such as the Book of the Damned and the book of Sins. It is essentially an ancient book that allows whoever uses it to obtain unspeakable dark magical powers. While its exact origins are unknown, it is made of dark matter from the Dark Dimension, which is the very same dimension that Dormammu rules over.
While the Darkhold did indeed have a much bigger spotlight during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it has been in the MCU for a while already, as its roots can be traced to the events of Agents of SHIELD. In Agents of SHIELD, it was mentioned that a lot of people have tried to acquire the Darkhold, including the likes of Red Skull and Nick Fury.
The Darkhold was used prominently in Agents of SHIELD for different purposes. It also found its way into the hands of Morgan le Fay during the events of Runaways as she attempted to bring the Dark Dimension to Earth.
Essentially, the book is immensely powerful and contains a lot of different spells that those who are well-versed in the art of magic can use at any given moment. That’s why only those who are supremely gifted in magic were able to properly use the Darkhold, as we saw the likes of Agatha Harkness, Wanda Maximoff, and even Doctor Strange using it masterfully.
During the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the book itself was destroyed by one of the masters of the mystic arts. However, Wong revealed that the book is only a transcription of its original form as the original Darkhold is not a book. Instead, the spells of the Darkhold were originally etched on the walls of a forbidden temple that Wanda described as a throne reserved for the Scarlet Witch. As such, even without the book, she was able to use the Darkhold’s powers by using the spells etched on the walls of that temple.
How Did Wanda Get The Darkhold?
As mentioned, the Darkhold has a long history in the MCU as it found itself in the hands of different characters in Agents of SHIELD and Runaways. But how exactly did Wanda get the Darkhold during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Well, it all goes back to the events of WandaVision.
In WandaVision, Wanda essentially enslaved an entire town called Westview when she altered reality using her powers and created a new reality where she was with Vision and the children she could’ve had with him. However, while we do know that Monica Rambeau was able to infiltrate Westview, there was another person who infiltrated the reality that Wanda created.
Agatha Harkness, a witch that lived through the Salem trials during the 17th century, acquired the Darkhold sometime in between Runaways and WandaVision. Using the power of the Darkhold, she infiltrated Wanda’s Westview so that she could manipulate her reality without being noticed. Her goal was to find out how Wanda was able to acquire such power to the point that she could manipulate reality. Throughout that time, she disguised herself as the nosey neighbor living next door.
Later in the series, Agatha revealed herself to Wanda while also telling her that she was the Scarlet Witch that the Darkhold has an entire chapter dedicated to. She wanted Wanda’s powers for herself, and that was what led to a battle between two of the strongest magic users in the entire MCU.
Wanda eventually defeated Agatha with the use of her fully awakened Scarlet Witch powers. She stripped her of her magical abilities and took the Darkhold as her own so that she could study it. Wanda heard the voices of her children from the book, and that was led her to get tempted by the powers of the Darkhold as she eventually went on a killing spree so that she could acquire the ability to travel through universes in the hopes of reuniting with the children that she created during the events of WandaVision.
After one of the masters of the mystic arts destroyed the Darkhold during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wong took Wanda to the original Darkhold, which is a massive temple that serves as a throne reserved for the Scarlet Witch. She eventually destroyed it at the end of the movie after realizing her mistakes. And by destroying the source of the power of all of the Darkholds in the multiverse, Wanda also erased all of its versions in the other universes.