Aside from how it impacts Peter Parker’s arc, Doctor Strange‘s memory spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home makes Scarlet Witch’s villainous turn so much worse. When Doctor Strange was introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017, he existed in his own mystical pocket. Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange origins film was largely separated from everything else that was happening in the franchise. However, his appearance in Avengers: Infinity War effectively made it clear that he would be one of the most important players in the MCU, not just in the Avengers’ intense fight to save the universe against Thanos, but beyond the Infinity Saga.

Marvel Studios leaned on Doctor Strange’s popularity after Avengers: Endgame. The powerful sorcerer appeared in two big projects in Phase 4 — Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In both movies, he had to deal with the burgeoning MCU multiverse, which made sense considering that he was one of the first heroes in the franchise to dabble with the concept. That being said, considering his harrowing experience to contain the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home after his memory spell backfired, Doctor Strange could have prevented his primary issue in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange Has The Power To Alter Memories

Spider-Man’s biggest challenge in the MCU thus far takes place after the death of Iron Man, leaving him in such a vulnerable position. With no one else to turn to on the heels of Mysterio exposing his secret identity, the young hero reached out to Doctor Strange for help. Despite only working once in the franchise before, the sorcerer was compelled to help, but it didn’t exactly turn out the way that both of them hoped for. Despite the unexpected opening of the multiverse due to Doctor Strange’s botched memory spell, Peter was still able to get what he wanted — for the world to forget that he is Spider-Man.

It was difficult to fully appreciate Doctor Strange’s powers in his own film. It wasn’t until Avengers: Infinity War that it became increasingly clear that he is positioned to be one of the most unique players in the franchise because of his magical abilities. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, it was on full display. Had Peter been clear about what he truly wanted, it’s likely that Doctor Strange’s memory spell wouldn’t have had issues. If anything, the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home proved that Spider-Man’s initial wish could have been achieved in a simpler manner.

Related: 10 Steps To Saving The MCU’s Multiverse Saga Before It’s Too Late

Doctor Strange Could Have Used His Memory Spell To Save People In Multiverse Of Madness

It’s worth noting that in Marvel Studios’ original Phase 4 schedule, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was supposed to be released before Spider-Man: No Way Home. Had it stayed that way, the sorcerer could have gotten away with not using the memory spell on Wanda since he may not know it yet. It’s the same explanation for why he didn’t just erase Thanos’ memory in Avengers: Infinity War. Due to the scheduling change, however, Doctor Strange’s awareness of this ability reinforces the idea that he could have used the incantation in his own film to prevent the catastrophe and deaths in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange could have simply wiped off Wanda Maximoff’s memory of the events of WandaVision, including the time she spent with her sons, Tommy and Billy; they weren’t real anyway. This would have stopped her multiverse-hopping in the hopes of claiming the life that she wanted. Doctor Strange could have also had Wanda forget about America, which would have ended her crusade to capture her. Finally, the sorcerer could have removed the Darkhold from Wanda’s memory, which would be a long-term solution to her villainy. Any of these three options would have not only saved Wanda’s life, it would have also prevented many other deaths, including Earth 838’s Illuminati.

Related: 10 MCU Plans & Schemes That Totally Backfired

Why Doctor Strange’s Spell May Not Have Worked On Wanda

Admittedly, Doctor Strange’s ability to erase memories could easily be cited as the easy fix to almost every upcoming crisis in the MCU. Doctor Strange could simply drop in and wipe a villain’s memory, effectively stopping them from their nefarious plans. That being said, there’s one theory that could explain why this cannot be done. A hypothesis posits that Doctor Strange’s spell will only work if it has the consent of the person who will be erased from people’s memory. Since it was Peter’s idea to do this in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the sorcerer was able to do this in the film.

Things were different with Wanda in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. No amount of reasoning was going to work on her, considering that she was fueled by grief and corrupted by the Darkhold. In fact, she didn’t change her mind until she realized how much she terrorized Earth-838 Tommy and Billy. Given this, there would have been very little to no chance that Doctor Strange would have been able to convince Wanda to wipe off her memory.