Marvel"s Newest Scarlet Witch Story Is A Brutal Reminder Of What The MCU Missed Out On

:0:1

Scarlet Witch has been an important character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe beginning in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but a new story gives a harsh reminder that the hero could have been used so much differently in the universe. Scarlet Witch's death in the main MCU timeline caused considerable outrage, especially as it seemed the character was just finally about to reach her potential. Relegated to a background position in the universe, Wanda Maximoff was criminally underused for most of her time in the MCU.
Following the massive success of WandaVision, audiences genuinely fell in love with Elizabeth Olsen's turn as Wanda Maximoff. Immediately killing her off in her next appearance was devastating, to the point where theories about Scarlet Witch's death continue to circulate. Simply, audiences are not yet ready to let go of the character. While she may be gone in the MCU's existing universe, the Multiverse makes opportunities to keep using the character still possible. There is some hope that some of these possibilities may be explored in the MCU eventually.
Marvel's What If? Scarlet Witch Story Makes Wanda & Peter Parker Siblings The Novel By Seanan McGuire Was Released In August 2024 Close A new novel from Marvel written by Seanan McGuire and entitled What If… Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings?: A Scarlet Witch & Spider-Man Story was just released, telling the story of the two iconic heroes growing up together. The novel sees Wanda taken in to Queens after the death of her parents, and she grows up beside Peter Parker. While a brother and sister dynamic was explored through Wanda's eyes in Avengers: Age of Ultron with Pietro, her brother dies in that film. This novel instead allows Wanda to navigate her grief with a family and support system.
Both Peter Parker and Wanda Maximoff's stories are marked by loss. Each has lost their parents and other important people in their lives. Allowing the two to develop a deep bond as siblings is an effective way to explore the humanity of both characters. In addition, this novel allows each of them to grow into themselves in more healthy and stable ways. This delicate path to healing is shown to benefit them both significantly in meaningful ways.
How Marvel's What If? Story Changes Scarlet Witch's Arc The Hero Descended Into Villainy In The MCU Close Much of Wanda's story in the MCU has been a painful one, culminating in Scarlet Witch's confirmed death. This was acknowledged well in WandaVision, where her grief manifests through her powers to transform an entire town and use it to process her emotion. Seeing this character given a proper support network and giving her close friends and family who are not immediately taken away from her makes for an effective and hopeful story for the hero. This also, however, underlines how brutal her MCU story has been.

Related I'm Now Even More Convinced Scarlet Witch Will Be Resurrected In The MCU This Year Scarlet Witch may have died in the Multiverse of Madness, but there are already signs that the character could be revived in 2024 on Disney+.
1 Wanda's sibling dynamic in the MCU was limited, with Pietro dying in his first appearance. This grief is highlighted with his suggested return in WandaVision. However, giving Wanda the consistent support of Peter Parker would make an enormous difference. Rather than suffering through grief on her own, her sibling dynamic would allow her to work through things with people who cared about her and loved her. Her villainous turn in Multiverse of Madness was only after losing everything and would never have occurred if she had still had a family.
Marvel's What If Story Makes Me Wish For An MCU Scarlet Witch Return Even More Scarlet Witch Could Still Return In Future Marvel Projects

Scarlet Witch Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Scarlet Witch debuted, along with her twin brother, Quicksilver in X-Men #4 (March 1964). Also known as Wanda Maximoff, she first appears as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, before she eventually became a member of the Avengers. In the comics, she is a mutant who uses chaos magic to alter reality.

Scarlet Witch is played by Elizabeth Olsen in the MCU, having debuted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Created By Stan Lee , Jack Kirby Cast Elizabeth Olsen RELATIONSHIPS Vision (Lover), Quicksilver (Brother) Movies Captain America: The Winter Soldier , Avengers: Age of Ultron , Captain America: Civil War , Avengers: Infinity War , Avengers: Endgame , Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness TV Shows WandaVision POWERS Chaos magic, reality manipulation Status Deceased Expand Scarlet Witch was unfortunately underused through much of the MCU. Rather than being able to explore her character and motivations, the hero was instead shaped by pain and grief. Following the loss of her parents and brother, she clung to the love that she found with Vision. When that was taken away as well, she held tight to the idea of her children. This led her down a villainous path due to the hurt that had been inflicted on her so routinely.WandaVision began to humanize the character, but it was not enough.
Seeing Scarlet Witch interact with heroes like Spider-Man on a more human level is immensely satisfying. Allowing the character to walk a hopeful path marked with great character moments is extremely effective. Instead of being shaped by pain, allowing Wanda to develop her character through positive relationships is missing from the MCU. Wanda interacted with the other heroes in The Avengers very little onscreen other than Vision, and seeing those dynamics explored in hopeful and real ways would be immensely satisfying. There is some hope that the character will appear in Agatha All Along, although this is not confirmed.

Related Is Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch in Agatha All Along? Scarlet Witch's MCU death is confirmed in Agatha All Along, with the series following Kathryn Hahn's witch as she assembles a coven to help her restore her powers after Wanda Maximoff trapped her in Westview at the end of WandaVision. It is heavily rumored that Joe Locke is playing Billy Kaplan, one of the Scarlet Witch's reincarnated sons. Based on how Wanda's presence is felt throughout the series, there is a chance the Scarlet Witch herself will make an appearance. However, I believe Wanda's resurrection will be saved for a film, perhaps the long-requested Scarlet Witch movie.
It is sad that Wanda has died in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but books like this make that path so much more difficult to accept. The character was such an essential part of the universe's stories, and she seemed prime for more hopeful opportunities in its future. While death is not the end for many Marvel characters, Scarlet Witch has died in the universe and is unfortunately not likely to reappear in any projects in the MCU soon. Luckily, books like this one exist to help her remain in audiences' hearts.
Upcoming MCU Movies