So here are some comics you can look at to keep riding that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness wave. And that’s without even factoring in the strong influence of the most famous X-Men story of all, The Dark Phoenix Sagain to the equation, which definitely has echoes of Wanda’s fall from grace in this film.
Rise of the Darkhold
Like Moon Knight, the Darkhold was introduced in a story about Werewolf by Night. While a powerful maguffin, the Darkhold has rarely been interesting enough to carry its own story. Instead, it has been instrumental in various minor Marvel stories involving the likes of Strange, the Avengers, and Thor.
Instead of getting the Infinity Gauntlet treatment where there’s a huge event surrounding its threat, the Darkhold instead has a single volume that collects various classic stories that tie into its existence. From the wizard Mordred using it to corrupt the Scarlet Witch to Doctor Strange fighting Dracula, these tales go all over the place.
Darker Than Scarlet
While not the first time Wanda let the darker elements of her personality take hold, this West Coast Avengers story is perhaps the most infamous. As we’ve seen elsewhere, this was the first instance where Wanda was faced with the reality that her children weren’t real, and thus proceeded to make life a living hell for everyone around her. This is a particularly icky version of the story, though, so feel free to skip this one.
Avengers Disassembled
The 2004 story Avengers Disassembled by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch kicked off the lengthy string of major events overtaking the Marvel Universe when Bendis was writing various Avengers comics as the backbone of the company. This story told the tale of how the classic iteration of the Avengers came to an end, due to a shattered team and wounded reputation.
What threat is the team up against? I’m not even sure where to start! Over the course of hours, the Avengers appear to be hounded from unexplained, overwhelming, and even random situations. Sudden Kree invasions, Ultron attacks, She-Hulk losing her mind and going on a violent rampage, Tony Stark going on a drunken rant at the United Nations despite years of sobriety, and so on.
