WandaVision director explains why the Darkhold looks different to the Agents of SHIELD version

Scarlet Witch in WandaVision
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

WandaVision episode 9 ended with Wanda, now the Scarlet Witch, obtaining the Darkhold, an ancient book of magic. With it, Wanda has everything she needs to become even more powerful, and we last see her studying its pages.

However, the Darkhold of WandaVision looks significantly different to the Darkhold seen before in Marvel TV shows Agents of SHIELD and Runaways – which led to speculation over whether these two series are still considered MCU canon.

WandaVision director Matt Shakman has cleared up some of the confusion, though. "Yes, we designed it anew," he told Screen Rant. "We didn't look at the other Darkholds that had been designed. It is part of the Marvel Universe though, so I would imagine it's the same book. I don't know exactly how it was used in those other shows, because I wasn't a regular viewer, but the Darkhold has a comics origin. Its mythology will continue to be developed."

The Darkhold of the comics is formed from the writings of an Elder God named Chthon, also known as the Archdemon of Chaos. The book has links to Mephisto, Baron Zemo, and Doctor Doom, too – so how its comics origin plays into the story going forward is anyone's guess.

Wanda is next set to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where she'll likely be learning more about her reality-twisting powers from Stephen Strange. Whether the Darkhold will have a major part to play in this film or not remains to be seen, but from Shakman's comments, there's a good chance it will pop up again. 

WandaVision may have wrapped up, but the MCU is back on our screens in a matter of days with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which premieres this March 19. Until then, check out everything we know about Marvel Phase 4 so far.

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Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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