Anyone who has been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe will have noticed an interesting trend popping up throughout Phase 4. There are obvious ones like the emphasis on the multiverse, an emphasis on cult heroes created in the 1970s, or newer heroes created in the 2010s to reflect a change in cultural diversity, another one gone under the radar until recently: there are a lot of references to The Wizard of Oz.

Based on the 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz was a 1939 MGM musical that, while a box office disappointment at the time of its release, became an instant classic through subsequent releases and the rise in television. It is today regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made and one of the most iconic films in history. Its characters and quotes are iconic and known the world over. It makes sense there would be references to one of the most famous movies of all time, but it has now become a recurring trend among new MCU projects. What are all the references? What could it mean? Take a look and see how and why the MCU has been referring to The Wizard of Oz so much lately.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania
Marvel Studios
Disney

The latest Wizard of Oz references came in the first trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The trailer is set to the Elton John song "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" title is a reference that the iconic landmark in The Wizard of Oz as a metaphor for fame and fortune and the singer wanting to go back to a simpler life.

Related: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Trailer Breakdown: Into the Quantum Realm We Go

Both the song, and Dorthy's quest in The Wizard of Oz are about going back home and the trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania suggests the main plot of the film will involve Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Cassie Lang, Hank Pym, and Janet Van Dyne on a quest to get back home from the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm in the film is designed like a science fiction version of Oz ruled over by a Wizard/Wicked Witch-like figure in the form of Kang the Conqueror.

Loki

Loki, Sylvie, He Who Remains
Disney Platform Distribution 

Loki was the first MCU project to introduce the concept of Kang the Conqueror with his variant, He Who Remains. This version of the character is very much designed like a Wizard of Oz-type figure, controlling the Time Variance Authority from behind the scenes. He uses animatronics and trickery to run everything behind the scenes, the same way the Wizard did in Oz. He Who Remains was the man behind the curtain of the TVA and running the sacred timeline, making a thematic Wizard of Oz link with Kang's upcoming appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Werewolf by Night

werewolf by night disney+ marvel
Disney Platform Distribution

One month before the release of the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer, Werewolf by Night premiered on Disney+. The Halloween special ended with a surprising MCU needle drop: Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow," the signature song of The Wizard of Oz. In terms of use in Werewolf by Night, the song marks the moment when the special shifts from black and white to color, building off the rainbow lyric of the song and the color shift in The Wizard of Oz.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law She-Hulk
Marvel 

Less an overt reference but more playing off the convention, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law season finale ends with Jennifer Walters breaking the fourth wall and appearing in the real world to confront the head of Marvel Studios regarding how her series is going. She comes face to face with a giant A.I. named K.E.V.I.N. (Knowledge Enhanced Visual Interconnectivity Nexus). This is another man behind the curtain angle seen in Loki, drawing from the moment in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy confronts the Wizard after finding out who he really is.

WandaVision

A scene from Wandavision (2021)
Disney+

WandaVision's introduction of witches and witchcraft in the MCU is likely going to draw parallels to The Wizard of Oz, notably when Agnes is dressed up as a witch (a hint of her true identity) and her cackling like the Wicked Witch of the West. There is also the notable aspect that Vision is very much a Tin Man-like figure.

Related: WandaVision: Every TV Show That Inspired the Disney+ SeriesWorth noting though is the town movie theater while under Wanda's control is playing 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful. Not only is it a prequel to the classic Wizard of Oz story, but it is a Disney movie and also was directed by Sam Raimi who by the time the episode of WandaVision aired was directing the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Agatha Harkness: Coven of Chaos

Kathryn Hahn in Agatha House of Harkness
Marvel Studios
Disney

Agatha Harkness: Coven of Chaos has yet to be released, but "My Pretty" is the working title for the series, a clear reference to the Wicked Witch of the West's signature line from 1939's The Wizard of Oz. While little is currently known about Agatha Harkness: Coven of Chaos, it is likely the series in its exploration of Agatha Harkness will shine a new light on this wicked witch similar to how the popular novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West gave audiences a new perspective on the iconic children's villain.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Marvel Studios
Disney

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the most interesting in terms of its relation to The Wizard of Oz. As mentioned previously, director Sam Raimi also directed the 2013 film Oz: The Great and Powerful, and the director really embraces the witch aspect of the Scarlet Witch and models her after The Wicked Witch of the West. Like the Wicked Witch, Wanda is also a terrifying magical user who is chasing after a small child. The Wicked Witch parallel was originally made more clear as it was planned for when Wanda meets her parallel universe children, they would be terrified of her because of her monstrous appearance.

There are even more references to The Wizard of Oz in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. When Doctor Strange and America Chavez are on Earth 838, they are notably walking down a road with yellow bricks. The city is covered in greenery, giving off the impression of the Emerald City. America Chavez's power of being able to jump between universes very much puts as a Dorthy figure, who just wants to go home and find her family.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness establishes that dreams in the MCU are peeks into other universes, and The Wizard of Oz ends with Dorothy waking up leaving the question if she did travel to a magical world or if it was all a dream. Oz is very much another plain of reality, and with so much of Phase 4 about setting up the multiverse, it makes sense that the franchise would be drawing from that classic story.