One quote from Marvel Television’sAgatha All Alongseries perfectly underlines the tragic backstory of Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch in theMCU. Elizabeth Olsen debuted as Wanda Maximoff in the post-credits scene of 2014’sCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, making her first full appearance in 2015’sAvengers: Age of Ultron, and has had an incredibly tumultuous journey in the MCU since then. One could argue thatWanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witchhas the most tragic backstory out of any character in the MCU, and 2024 made this even worse.
Even though Wanda Maximoff’sScarlet Witch is no longer in the MCUfollowing her sacrifice in 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, her legacy is still being felt.Marvel Television’s recentAgatha All Alongseries dealt directly with the impact of the Scarlet Witch’s death, particularly through the resurrection of her son, Billy Maximoff, in the body ofJoe Locke’s recently-deceased William Kaplan. While this could have redeemed the Scarlet Witch, however, Billy’s return completed Marvel Studios' disrespect of Elizabeth Olsen’s beloved MCU character.
Scarlet Witch’s MCU Arc Was A Tragedy
Elizabeth Olsen Played The Scarlet Witch Between 2014 & 2022
Throughout her eight years in the live-action MCU, it was incredibly rare that audiences saw Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch in a happy moment. Her journey throughout life in the MCU was marked by tragedy at every turn, beginning from when she was very young in war-torn Sokovia, with this war culminating in the deaths of her parents. After volunteering for HYDRA’s experiments and having their powers enhanced, Wanda and her twin brother,Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Pietro Maximoff, a.k.a. Quicksilver, joined the Avengers, ultimately leading to the latter’s demise at the hands of Ultron.
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
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Wanda Maximoff then became a fugitive after 2016’sCivil War, and was forced to kill her love, Paul Bettany’s Vision, to stop Thanos inAvengers: Infinity War, only for the Mad Titan to reverse time and succeed anyway.Wanda’s transformation into the Scarlet Witch inWandaVisionmade her a bona fide villain to many, specifically the imprisoned residents of Westview, while she, again, lost Vision and also her magically-created children.This all culminated in her rampaging across the multiverse and eventually sacrificing herself on Mount Wundagore: a sorry end to the tragic life of the Scarlet Witch.
Billy’s Rejection Of Wanda In 2024 Completed Marvel’s Disrespect Of Her
Billy Maximoff Underlined The Scarlet Witch’s Tragic MCU Storyline
After he finally revealed his true identity inAgatha All Alongepisode 5, “Darkest Hour/Wake Thy Power,” Billy Maximoff and Agatha Harkness were able to speak freely to each other as they continued down the Witches' Road.Episode 7, “Death’s Hand in Mine,” saw Billy question Agatha about the real status of the Scarlet Witch, while noting that she is not his mother, suggesting he already has one, referring to Rebecca Kaplan, who had raised him for the last three years. This marked Marvel’s latest, and perhaps biggest, insult against Wanda Maximoff.
I’m Even Madder About The Scarlet Witch’s Multiversal Crimes After Agatha’s Latest Reveal
Agatha All Along has completely changed how I view Wanda’s story from Doctor Strange 2, specifically via the reveals about Billy Maximoff.
Wanda Maximoff quite literally broke down the walls of the multiverse to try and reunite with her sons, who she thought had ceased to exist in the MCU’s main continuity at the end ofWandaVision. Despite this, Billy Maximoff showed her no respect whatsoever inAgatha All Along, choosing instead to renounce their obvious connection. Even so,his Chaos Magic abilities and Scarlet Witch and Vision-inspired superhero costume as Wiccan tell a different story, so the possiblereunion between Wanda and Billy Maximoffmay still be an emotional moment in the MCU’s future.
Agatha All Along
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Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
