After Infinity War, Elizabeth Olsen had the option of leaving the MCU. Thankfully, she chose to stay, and the MCU is all the better for it.
The Scarlet Witch almost didn’t return to the MCU that followed Avengers: Infinity War, which would have robbed the public of her powerful character arc. Wanda Maximoff was first introduced in 2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron, and quickly became popular thanks to her powers and a strong performance from Elizabeth Olsen. Wanda eventually fell in love with Vision, a synthezoid played by Paul Bettany who was introduced in the same film. After Infinite WarOlsen had fulfilled her original MCU contract and had the option to walk away or continue playing the character. Luckily she chose to stay and returned in Avengers: Endgame and the Scarlet Witch nearly took down Thanos with her overwhelming strength.
When she was brought back to life in EndgameWanda was driven by the rage of losing her lover to Thanos. She helped wage war against him and showed how terrifying the Scarlet Witch can be. Although she didn’t get much further development in Endgame, the loss she suffered would change her character forever. Olsen chose to continue playing the character after Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige pitched her the concept for WandaVision. The show had an extremely heavy focus on loss and the grieving process, which would never have come to fruition had Olsen walked out of the MCU and the Scarlet Witch remained dead after Infinite War.
Why MCU Phase 4 Needed Scarlet Witch (& WandaVision)
The MCU Phase 4 has explored a wider range of tones, themes, and characters than ever before. WandaVision was the perfect start to this, exploring a much more emotional storyline, introducing a new generation of heroes, and presenting the history of popular TV from 1950-2021. The show was extremely weird compared to the rest of the MCU, and a sign of things to come for Marvel, especially on Disney+. The Scarlet Witch was the perfect character to try out all of these concepts, with her setup after losing Vision. The show’s success also proved that Marvel was on the right track by moving away from mostly action-oriented content, which helped encourage other experimental Phase 4 projects.
By introducing her twins Billy and Tommy in WandaVision, the MCU has opened the door to the Young Avengers. This team hasn’t been introduced to the MCU yet, but getting Wanda’s kids to display superpowers could make it soon, especially with several other Phase 4 projects introducing younger heroes to a new generation. If this comes out, the Scarlet Witch could have a big impact on the future of the MCU, having introduced the first two members of a brand new superhero team.
Will Scarlet Witch return in the future of the MCU?
Next WandaVisionthe Scarlet Witch appears in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and becomes the film’s antagonist. In the WandaVision post-credits scene, Wanda is seen studying the Darkhold, a book of dark magic, practicing her Chaos Magic. Eventually she realizes the mistake of her ways, destroying the last remaining copy of the Darkhold and herself along with it, having Doctor Strange 2 seemingly the end of the Scarlet Witch in the MCU games.
This ending for Wanda came as a shock to many people, especially since Wanda was only briefly corrupted by the Darkhold before Multiverse of madness was released. There is hope among the public that the Scarlet Witch will return in future projects. Given the history of MCU characters returning from the dead, and the fact that the flash of red light seemed ambiguous at the time of her death, it’s very possible she’ll be back. Even if she doesn’t, Scarlet Witch stands as a public favorite character who has had a lasting impact on the future of the MCU, well beyond its originally planned Avengers: Infinity War Exit.
