Wanda Maximoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)#Adaptation and appearances

Wanda Django Maximoff was born in 1989{{Cite web |last=Hedash |first=Kara |date=August 18, 2020 |title=How Old Is Scarlet Witch In The MCU? Here's Wanda's Age Explained |url=https://screenrant.com/mcc-scarlet-witch-wanda-age-how-old/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427041752/https://screenrant.com/mcc-scarlet-witch-wanda-age-how-old/ |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=Screen Rant}} in Sokovia, Eastern Europe, unaware that she was born a witch and unknowingly engaging in basic hex magic. While growing up with her twin brother Pietro and her parents Oleg and Iryna in a small apartment during a war, she enjoyed watching American sitcoms, which her father sold DVD box sets of so their family could practice speaking English in the hopes of emigrating to America. However, Oleg and Iryna were killed when a missile struck their apartment while Wanda and Pietro were trapped in the debris for two days. While a second Stark Industries missile flew in, it never went off as Wanda unknowingly cast a probability hex that turned it into a dud, though the twins lived in fear of it going off until they were rescued. The trauma of that experience found a focus in the prominence of the Stark Industries logo printed on the missile. This left the twins with the fervent belief that Stark himself was ultimately responsible for their parents' deaths as it occurred via sales of his company's weapons which he had intentionally profited from.

Years later, as young adults, Wanda and Pietro participated in political protests in their city, before eventually volunteering for Hydra's enhancement program overseen by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. The organization exposed the twins and numerous other test subjects to the Mind Stone, with Wanda and Pietro being the only survivors and the former gaining psychic abilities while her magic was greatly amplified. During the experiments, Wanda gained a glimpse of herself as the Scarlet Witch.

In 2015, Wanda is called by Strucker to assist in fighting Steve Rogers upon his arrival to Strucker's base. She then finds Tony Stark and plants a nightmarish vision in his mind. Shortly after, Ultron secures an alliance with Wanda and Pietro, using their hatred of Tony Stark as leverage. In Johannesburg, Wanda subdues Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Thor, and Bruce Banner with visions, however, is unable to subdue Clint Barton, as he briefly incapacitates her. Following this, Ultron, Wanda, and Pietro travel to Seoul, where Ultron uses the Mind Stone to enslave Dr. Helen Cho so he can use her synthetic-tissue technology, vibranium, and the Mind Stone to craft a new body. As Ultron uploads himself into it, Wanda reads his mind and discovers his plan to cause human extinction. She and Pietro turn against Ultron and join forces with Steve Rogers to stop him. Upon learning of Tony Stark's plan to give the body life and fearing what he will do with it, Steve Rogers takes Wanda and Pietro to Avengers Tower to stop him. While Steve Rogers and Tony Stark fight, Wanda fights Banner, but Thor suddenly arrives and turns the body into the "Vision". Wanda and Pietro tell them of Ultron's plot and they decide to travel to Sokovia, where Ultron has used his remaining vibranium to build a machine capable of lifting a large section of the capital city Skyward, intending to crash it into the Earth and cause global extinction. Wanda becomes overwhelmed by her role in Ultron's scheme until Clint Barton befriends and encourages her to join them in stopping Ultron. Wanda volunteers to protect the machine's core from Ultron, but abandons her post to destroy Ultron's primary body after sensing Pietro's death, which allows one of his drones to activate the machine. Vision rescues Wanda from the collapsing city. Afterwards, Wanda goes to the Avengers Compound, where she, along with Sam Wilson, James Rhodes, and Vision, join the Avengers.

Sometime later, Wanda is watching sitcoms in her bedroom, when she is visited by Vision, who comforts her over Pietro's death, assuring her that the grief she feels over losing her family meant that she still loved them.

In 2016, Wanda joins Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Sam Wilson in a mission to stop Brock Rumlow from stealing a biological weapon in a lab in Lagos. Rumlow detonates his suicide vest in an attempt to kill Rogers, but Wanda telekinetically contains the explosion and throws it upward, accidentally killing several Wakandan humanitarian workers, to her horror. As a result, United States Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross, informs the Avengers that the United Nations (UN) is preparing to pass the Sokovia Accords, which will establish a UN panel to oversee and control the team. Stark has Wanda confined to the Compound, where Vision watches over her and they begin to develop romantic feelings for each other. Wanda is picked up by Barton, who was sent by Rogers and Wilson, and they get Scott Lang before regrouping with Rogers, Wilson, and Bucky Barnes at the Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. Wanda significantly helps her team through the battle, protecting them from Stark's team. After Rogers and Barnes escape, Wanda, Barton, Wilson, and Lang are captured and detained at the Raft. Eventually, they are rescued when Rogers breaks them out.

In 2018, Wanda and Vision have begun a romantic relationship and gone into hiding in Edinburgh. However, they are ambushed by Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive, members of the Children of Thanos sent to retrieve the Mind Stone. Rogers, Wilson, and Romanoff rescue them and take them back to the Compound, where they reunite with Rhodes and Banner. While there, Vision asks Wanda to destroy the Stone, but she refuses as it would kill him. Rogers suggests they travel to Wakanda, which he believes has the resources to remove the Stone without killing Vision. As Shuri works to extract the Mind Stone from Vision, Wanda is tasked with staying behind and watching over the operation until the Stone is removed. Nevertheless, she leaves to aid the Avengers in their fight against the Outriders, killing Midnight in the process. When Thanos arrives to retrieve the Mind Stone himself, Wanda reluctantly kills Vision and destroys the Stone, but Thanos uses the Time Stone to reverse the action and rip the repaired Mind Stone from Vision's forehead, before knocking out a horrified Wanda and activating the completed Infinity Gauntlet. Wanda, along with half of all life in the universe, disintegrates in an event that would later be called the Blip.

Five years later, Wanda is resurrected and joins the Avengers and their allies' to fight an alternate Thanos and his army from a 2014 timeline. In the ensuing climactic battle, Wanda nearly defeats Thanos before she is blown away by his forces, with Stark later sacrificing himself to eliminate Thanos for good. A week later, Wanda attends Stark's funeral, where she reunites with Barton.

The next day, Wanda goes to S.W.O.R.D.'s headquarters to retrieve Vision's body. However, after meeting with S.W.O.R.D.'s acting director Tyler Hayward, she witnesses Vision being dismantled and realizes she can no longer sense him. She leaves and drives to the suburban town of Westview, New Jersey, to view a vacant lot that Vision had purchased in 2018 for the two "to grow old in". Overcome with grief, Wanda accidentally unleashes waves of chaos magic that transforms Westview into a sitcom-themed false reality and isolates it from the outside world via a hexagonal barrier, later known as the "Hex". She materializes a new version of Vision that lacks any prior memories and starts living with him in the Hex as a newly married couple living their ideal suburban life.

While attempting to befriend her neighbors (painfully forced to role-play as sitcom stereotypes, and kept from their children) and concealing her and Vision's powers, Wanda becomes visibly pregnant. As it progresses at an accelerated rate, she encounters Monica Rambeau, who had been absorbed into the Hex and took on the alias of "Geraldine", and receives her help in giving birth to twin boys Tommy and Billy. However, Rambeau mentions Pietro and his death at Ultron's hands, inciting Wanda to telekinetically cast her out of Westview. When Vision returns moments later, he briefly appears as a corpse before Wanda resets him.

As Wanda's children age rapidly, S.W.O.R.D. sends an armed drone into Westview in an attempt to kill Wanda. Enraged, she exits the Hex, warns Hayward to leave her alone, and emphasizes her point by hypnotizing his agents into turning their guns on him. Rambeau, who empathizes with Wanda, tries to offer help, but is rebuffed. Back in Westview, Wanda gets into a heated argument with Vision when he finds out the truth after briefly freeing one of Wanda's victims and reading a S.W.O.R.D. communique at work. The argument is interrupted when a man claiming to be Pietro appears and Wanda briefly accepts him into her life. During the town's Halloween festival, Wanda reveals to "Pietro" that she does not remember what happened to her other than feeling alone and empty, which seemingly made her create the Hex. When Wanda learns that Vision has breached the barrier and is dying, she expands the Hex to save his life, in the process also absorbing the nearby S.W.O.R.D. outpost and Darcy Lewis.

Following her expansion of the Hex, Wanda starts losing control of the altered reality and begins having a mental breakdown. Rambeau returns to Westview to warn Wanda of Hayward's plan to revive and weaponize Vision, but an enraged Wanda refuses to listen and attempts to cast her out once more. When Rambeau resists using her newly acquired powers, Wanda's neighbor "Agnes" interrupts and takes Wanda to her house, where she reveals her true identity as the sorceress Agatha Harkness and forces Wanda to relieve her most traumatic memories to learn how she created the Hex, by threatening Tommy and Billy's lives. Eventually, Harkness releases her, mocking Wanda for not knowing the full extent of her own abilities before revealing Wanda is the legendary "Scarlet Witch", who wields chaos magic and is capable of spontaneously altering reality and weaving together numerous high-level spells that run automatically. As Wanda battles Harkness, the latter absorbs her magic. They are briefly interrupted by Hayward's Vision, but Wanda's version fends him off. Continuing their battle, Harkness reveals further that Wanda is even more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme and that she is destined to destroy the world as the "Harbinger of Chaos"; Harkness then frees Westview's citizens from Wanda's influence, allowing them to reveal to Wanda that her spell has been causing them to experience her repressed grief and nightmares. Overwhelmed, Wanda accidentally loses control of her powers once more and nearly chokes them all to death. Horrified by what she has done, Wanda brings down the Hex so the citizens can escape, but restores it after her Vision, Billy, and Tommy begin to disappear. As invading S.W.O.R.D. agents attack Westview, Billy and Tommy disarm them while Rambeau and Lewis stop Hayward. Meanwhile, Wanda and Harkness renew their fight; the latter seemingly absorbs all of Wanda's magic, but realizes too late that Wanda had placed protective runes at the Hex's borders to neutralize Harkness's magic. Claiming her new identity as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda traps Harkness in her Agnes identity before permanently bringing down the Hex and sharing a tearful goodbye with her family. Wanda meets with a sympathetic Rambeau to apologize and vow to better understand her powers before fleeing to live remotely in a mountainside cabin, where she studies the Darkhold to learn more about her powers before hearing "her sons" cry out for help.

By late 2024, Wanda had gradually been corrupted by the Darkhold, learning about the multiverse and that alternate "real" versions of her sons exist in other universes. After learning of America Chavez and her ability to freely travel the multiverse, Wanda secretly sends multi-dimensional creatures, including Gargantos, to kill her, planning to take her powers for herself, travel to an alternate reality where her sons are alive and kill and replace her own counterpart. When Stephen Strange seeks Wanda's help in protecting Chavez, she accidentally reveals her knowledge of the girl and that she had been the one hunting her, explaining her plans to him and demanding Strange hand Chavez over. Strange refuses, and Wanda attacks Kamar-Taj, killing the majority of its sorcerers, with the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong, identifying the Scarlet Witch as a being "prophesied to either rule or destroy the multiverse".

During the attack, Chavez accidentally sends herself and Strange to an alternate universe called Earth-838. In pursuit of the pair, Wanda attempts to dream-walk; a spell which involves temporarily possessing alternate versions of oneself into a counterpart's body. When a surviving sorceress, Sara, sacrifices herself to destroy the Darkhold and break the dream-walk, Wanda forces Wong to lead her to a temple dedicated to the Darkhold{{'}}s author Chthon atop Mount Wundagore, the original source of the Darkhold{{'}}s spells.

Using the temple's magic, Wanda re-establishes her dream-walk and successfully possesses her Earth-838's counterpart's body. She then breaks into the Illuminati's headquarters and slaughters most of them without hesitation while Strange and Chavez escape with the help of scientist Christine Palmer. The trio enter the Gap Junction, a space between universes, to find the Book of the Vishanti, the antithesis of the Darkhold, but Wanda appears, destroys the book, and takes over Chavez's mind, sending Strange and Palmer to an post-incursion universe, and opening a portal back to Earth-616.

At Mount Wundagore, Wanda begins to absorb Chavez's powers but is confronted by a dreamwalking Strange who encourages Chavez to believe in herself and use her powers to open a portal to Earth-838, through which Tommy and Billy, seeing Wanda choke Chavez, recoil in horror, running from her and crying out for their real mother to protect them from "the witch". As a result, Wanda collapses with grief, and on being assured by her 838-counterpart that "they will be loved", allows Chavez, Wong, and Strange to leave before using her powers to destroy Mount Wundagore along with all copies of the Darkhold across the multiverse, effectively killing herself in the process. Thus, causing a branched timeline where Wanda had survived and was cryogenically put to sleep in the TVA headquarters since. {{efn|In the book Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, it is confirmed that Wanda died in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when she sacrificed herself to destroy the Darkhold.{{Cite book |last1=Breznican |first1=Anthony |title=Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline |last2=Ratcliffe |first2=Amy |last3=Theodore-Vachon |first3=Rebecca |publisher=DK |year=2023 |isbn=978-0744081671}}{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jodee |date=October 26, 2023 |title=Official Marvel Timeline Book Confirms Scarlet Witch's Fate in 'Doctor Strange' Sequel |url=https://www.cbr.com/marvel-book-confirms-scarlet-witch-fate-doctor-strange-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111054023/https://www.cbr.com/marvel-book-confirms-scarlet-witch-fate-doctor-strange-2/ |archive-date=November 11, 2023 |access-date=November 1, 2023 |website=Comic Book Resources}}{{Cite web |last=Lund |first=Anthony |date=October 26, 2023 |title=Marvel Officially Confirms Scarlet Witch's MCU Fate in 'Multiverse of Madness' |url=https://movieweb.com/marvel-confirms-scarlet-witch-mcu-death/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111054047/https://movieweb.com/marvel-confirms-scarlet-witch-mcu-death/ |archive-date=November 11, 2023 |access-date=November 1, 2023 |website=MovieWeb}}}}

Other versions of Wanda are depicted in the alternate realities of the MCU multiverse, appearing in the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and the animated series What If...? (2021 & 2023), also portrayed by Olsen.

{{main|What If... Zombies?!|What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?|What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?}}

In an alternate 2018, Wanda is among the Avengers who became infected by a quantum virus, turning into a zombie. She is then taken by Vision to Camp Lehigh, where he attempts to cure her with the Mind Stone, though she proves immune. Sometime later, a group of survivors come to Vision for his cure, but Wanda breaks free and kills Kurt Goreshter and infects Okoye before engaging the Hulk in a fight.

Sometime later, Doctor Strange Supreme transports a horde of zombies and the zombified Wanda to an uninhabited universe to distract Infinity Ultron. Wanda stops, seeing him unmasked and thinking that he's Vision (whose body Ultron had been occupying in his own reality). She is the only survivor of Ultron's Infinity Stone planetary explosion.

Afterwards, she is captured by Strange Supreme and held captive in his Sanctum Infinitum. She is released by Captain Peggy Carter and soon after, mind controls other zombies to attack Carter and Kahhori. During a duel with Kahhori, she gets sent through a portal back to her universe.

{{main|What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?|What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?}}

In an alternate medieval-themed universe, Wanda uses her Chaos Magic to transport Captain Peggy Carter from Peggy's universe to Wanda's own. Wanda and Nick Fury discuss Captain Carter being the one who can save both their queen and their world. Later, during the scuffle between King Thor's guards and Rogers Hood's crew of thieves, Wanda uses her powers to contain the next incursion. She also helps Carter and Rogers's crew obtain the Time Stone from King Thor's Scepter, and place on Tony Stark's machine, which identifies Rogers as the "foreranger" who has been inadvertently been causing the incursions. Wanda is then sent back to her timeline after Carter and Rogers undo the incursion.

{{main|Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness{{!}}Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness}}

In an alternate 2021, Wanda lives a peaceful suburban life with her children Tommy and Billy. She is possessed by her counterpart from Earth-616, who is hunting for America Chavez through the multiverse. The possessed Wanda then kills most of the Illuminati in cold blood, but is eventually freed from the spell. When 616-Wanda returns through a multiverse portal, Wanda attempts to protect her frightened children from 616-Wanda, causing the latter to acknowledge the suffering she has caused and end her deadly hunt for Chavez before she kills herself to destroy the Darkhold.

Wanda Maximoff (Earth-TRN1593) is a variant of the Scarlet Witch originating from a timeline similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), this version of Wanda was apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) prior to the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and placed in cryostasis within the Department of Deferment. Her storyline unfolds as she is released by Ghost-Spider, confronts the entity Nightmare, and ultimately chooses to leave the TVA, discarding her Avengers affiliation in the process.

File:Elizabeth Olsen & Paul Bettany (48469160767).jpg, for WandaVision]]

The Scarlet Witch debuted, alongside her twin brother, Quicksilver, as a part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in X-Men #4 (March 1964).{{Cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |author-link1=Tom DeFalco |title=Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History |last2=Gilbert |first2=Laura |date=2008 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |isbn=978-0756641238 |location=London, United Kingdom |page=99 |chapter=1960s |quote=Stan Lee and Jack Kirby decided to try their hands at a pair of reluctant super villains when they created Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in The X-Men #4.}} They were depicted as reluctant villains, uninterested in Magneto's ideologies. Scarlet Witch was depicted as introverted and disdainful of her teammates.

Stan Lee, author of the Avengers comic book, composed the team of Marvel's most prominent heroes. However, he eventually altered the team roster, removing all but Captain America, and added villains from other comics: the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver from the X-Men, and Hawkeye from Iron Man's adventures in Tales of Suspense. The team was known as "Cap's Kooky Quartet".DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 108: "[Stan Lee] replaced Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, and Wasp with Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch". Although common in later years, such a change in the roster of a superhero group was completely unprecedented.{{Cite web |last=Mark Ginocchio |date=March 31, 2015 |title=All-Different Avengers: 10 Most Questionable Roster Moves |url=https://comicbook.com/news/all-different-avengers-10-most-questionable-roster-moves/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805100753/http://comicbook.com/2015/03/29/all-different-avengers-10-most-questionable-roster-moves/ |archive-date=August 5, 2017 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=ComicBook.com}} Scarlet Witch would now become a lasting member of the team.

Some years later, Avengers writer Roy Thomas started a long-running romantic relationship between the Scarlet Witch and the Vision, considering that it would help with the series' character development. He selected those characters because they were only published in the Avengers comic book, so it would not interfere with other publications.{{Cite journal |last=Walker |first=Karen |date=December 2010 |title=Shattered Dreams: Vision and the Scarlet Witch |journal=Back Issue! |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |issue=45 |pages=59–65}}

In the 1990s, Marvel licensed the filming rights of the X-Men and related concepts, such as mutants, to 20th Century Fox. Fox created a film series based on the franchise. Years later, Marvel started its own film franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, focused on the characters that they had not licensed to other studios, such as the Avengers. The main core of this franchise was the Avengers, both in standalone films and the successful The Avengers film. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were disputed by both studios. Fox would claim the rights over them because they were both mutants and children of Magneto, the villain of most of their films, and Marvel would claim those rights because the editorial history of the characters in comic books is more associated with the Avengers rather than the X-Men. The studios made an agreement so that both of them would use the characters. It was made on the condition that the plots do not make reference to the other studio's properties: the Fox films cannot mention them as members of the Avengers, and the Marvel films cannot mention them as mutants or children of Magneto.{{Cite web |last=Acuna |first=Kirsten |date=April 30, 2015 |title=Why these two characters are allowed to appear in both the X-Men and Avengers movies |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/why-quicksilver-is-in-x-men-and-avengers-2015-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817134937/http://www.businessinsider.com/why-quicksilver-is-in-x-men-and-avengers-2015-4 |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |access-date=April 27, 2016 |website=Business Insider}} Despite this deal, films in the Fox X-Men series did not feature Scarlet Witch.{{Cite web |last=Toro |first=Gabe |date=April 28, 2014 |title=X-Men: Days Of Future Past Cuts All Mentions Of Scarlet Witch |url=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/X-Men-Days-Future-Past-Cuts-All-Mentions-Scarlet-Witch-42762.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222142319/http://www.cinemablend.com/new/X-Men-Days-Future-Past-Cuts-All-Mentions-Scarlet-Witch-42762.html |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |website=CinemaBlend}}{{Cite web |last=Sidney Fussell |date=June 1, 2016 |title=The most tragic scene in X-Men: Apocalypse has an even sadder comic history |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/x-men-apocalypse-magneto-daughter-2016-6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629065453/http://www.businessinsider.com/x-men-apocalypse-magneto-daughter-2016-6 |archive-date=June 29, 2017 |access-date=June 16, 2017 |website=Business Insider}}

In May 2013, Joss Whedon considered Saoirse Ronan to be his "prototype" actress for the part, but by August of that year, Elizabeth Olsen had been cast for the role.{{Cite web |last=Nemiroff |first=Perri |date=November 11, 2013 |title=Elizabeth Olsen Calls Prep Work for Scarlet Witch 'So Much Fun' |url=https://collider.com/elizabeth-olsen-scarlet-witch-avengers-sequel/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112002633/https://collider.com/elizabeth-olsen-scarlet-witch-avengers-sequel/ |archive-date=November 12, 2019 |access-date=November 12, 2019 |website=Collider}} Olsen has since played Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Olsen noted that when Joss Whedon offered her the role, he said "[wh]en you go home and Google her, just know you will never ever have to wear what she wears in the comics",{{Cite web |last=Libbey |first=Dirk |date=May 5, 2016 |title=Why Scarlet Witch's Sexy Comic Costume Was Never An Option, According To Elizabeth Olsen |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Why-Scarlet-Witch-Sexy-Comic-Costume-Was-Never-An-Option-According-Elizabeth-Olsen-129077.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310005114/https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Why-Scarlet-Witch-Sexy-Comic-Costume-Was-Never-An-Option-According-Elizabeth-Olsen-129077.html |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |access-date=February 6, 2021 |website=CinemaBlend}} and, in keeping with this, Wanda's comic book costume was ignored in favor of more casual clothing. She first appeared, as well as Quicksilver, in a mid-credits scene of the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a prisoner of Baron Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann).{{Cite magazine |last=Milly |first=Jenna |date=March 14, 2014 |title=Captain America: The Winter Soldier premiere: Crossover is the word |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/03/14/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-premiere/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731095933/http://ew.com/article/2014/03/14/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-premiere/ |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Scarlet Witch became a supporting character in the 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron, where the siblings initially conspire with Ultron (James Spader), a reflection of their initial villainous roles in the comics, but later defect to the Avengers.{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2013 |title=Official: Elizabeth Olsen & Aaron Taylor-Johnson Join Avengers: Age of Ultron |url=http://marvel.com/news/story/21563/official_elizabeth_olsen_aaron_taylor-johnson_join_avengers_age_of_ultron |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312000923/http://marvel.com/news/movies/21563/official_elizabeth_olsen_aaron_taylor-johnson_join_avengers_age_of_ultron |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |access-date=November 25, 2013 |website=Marvel.com}}{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Matt |date=May 5, 2014 |title=Avengers 2: Aaron Taylor Johnson & Elizabeth Olsen Talk Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch |url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/07/27/avengers-2-aaron-taylor-johnson-elizabeth-olsen-talk-quicksilver-scarlet-witch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126115151/http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/07/27/avengers-2-aaron-taylor-johnson-elizabeth-olsen-talk-quicksilver-scarlet-witch |archive-date=November 26, 2014 |access-date=July 27, 2014 |website=IGN}} Quicksilver dies in the ensuing conflict while Wanda goes on to become a member of Captain America's Avengers. She appears in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Zach |date=April 23, 2015 |title=Elizabeth Olsen Will Star in Captain America: Civil War! |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/649421/elizabeth-olsen-will-star-in-captain-america-civil-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927024643/http://www.eonline.com/news/649421/elizabeth-olsen-will-star-in-captain-america-civil-war |archive-date=September 27, 2016 |publisher=E!}} Both Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson signed multi-picture deals.{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Matt |date=May 5, 2014 |title=Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson Talk Avengers: Age of Ultron, Working on the Accents, Thoughts on the Set Photos, and More |url=http://collider.com/avengers-age-of-ultron-interview-elizabeth-olsen-aaron-taylor-johnson/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918045500/http://collider.com/avengers-age-of-ultron-interview-elizabeth-olsen-aaron-taylor-johnson/ |archive-date=September 18, 2014 |access-date=May 5, 2014 |website=Collider}} Olsen reprises the role in the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War, its 2019 sequel Avengers: Endgame, and the 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.{{Cite magazine |last=Yang |first=Rachel |date=April 24, 2019 |title=Elizabeth Olsen Says Disney+ Series WandaVision Is Set in 1950s |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/disney-wandavision-details-elizabeth-olsen-1203197323/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505212030/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/disney-wandavision-details-elizabeth-olsen-1203197323/ |archive-date=May 5, 2019 |access-date=June 18, 2019 |magazine=Variety}}{{Cite web |last=Goslin |first=Austen |date=July 20, 2019 |title=Marvel announces Doctor Strange 2 for 2021 at SDCC |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/20/20696400/marvel-doctor-strange-2-mcu-movie-black-widow-sdcc-2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721015619/https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/20/20696400/marvel-doctor-strange-2-mcu-movie-black-widow-sdcc-2019 |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |access-date=July 20, 2019 |website=Polygon}} In the films, her powers are telekinetic and telepathic abilities, which she gained by volunteering as a test subject in Hydra experiments to create supersoldiers, by exposing her to the Mind Stone. Therefore, both she and her brother are described in the films as "enhanced humans", as opposed to the naturally-occurring mutants they are in the comics.

By September 2018, Marvel Studios began developing several limited series for Disney's streaming service, Disney+, to be centered on "second tier" characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films who had not and were unlikely to star in their own films, such as Scarlet Witch, with Elizabeth Olsen expected to reprise her role.{{Cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=September 18, 2018 |title=Loki, Scarlet Witch, Other Marvel Heroes to Get Own TV Series on Disney Streaming Service (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/loki-scarlet-witch-tv-series-marvel-disney-streaming-service-1202947551/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605170315/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/loki-scarlet-witch-tv-series-marvel-disney-streaming-service-1202947551/ |archive-date=June 5, 2019 |access-date=September 18, 2018 |website=Variety}} The title of this show was later revealed to be WandaVision, co-starring Paul Bettany as the Vision.{{Cite web |date=July 20, 2019 |title=Marvel Unveils Post-Endgame Slate with Eternals, Shang-Chi and Multiple Sequels |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/marvel-unveils-post-avengers-endgame-plans-at-comic-con-1225869/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721025858/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/marvel-unveils-post-avengers-endgame-plans-at-comic-con-1225869 |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} It premiered in January 2021.{{Cite web |last=Arvedon |first=Joe |date=January 1, 2020 |title=WandaVision: Disney+ Bumps Up Release Date for Marvel Series |url=https://www.cbr.com/marvel-wandavision-disney-plus-2020/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101163234/https://www.cbr.com/marvel-wandavision-disney-plus-2020/ |archive-date=January 1, 2020 |access-date=January 1, 2020 |website=Comic Book Resources}} As the show is premised on Wanda and Vision appearing in a sitcom (apparently constructed by Wanda to escape her grief over Vision's real-world death), her appearance throughout the series reflects the clothing styles of sitcom characters across different decades of the genre. By the finale, having fully embraced her identity as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda gains a new costume reflecting a modernized version of her comic counterpart.

File:Elizabeth Olsen (48471039152) cropped.jpg 2019, promoting Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]]

Wanda is first fully introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron as the twin sister of Pietro Maximoff who can engage in hypnosis and telekinesis.{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2013 |title=Official: Elizabeth Olsen & Aaron Taylor-Johnson Join Avengers: Age of Ultron |url=http://marvel.com/news/story/21563/official_elizabeth_olsen_aaron_taylor-johnson_join_avengers_age_of_ultron |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321215822/http://marvel.com/news/movies/2013/11/25/21563/official_elizabeth_olsen_aaron_taylor-johnson_join_avengers_age_of_ultron |archive-date=March 21, 2014 |access-date=November 25, 2013 |website=Marvel.com}}{{Cite magazine |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |date=July 16, 2014 |title=Avengers: Age of Ultron: Why Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and The Vision will fight the bad fight |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2014/07/17/avengers-age-of-ultron-quicksilver-scarlet-witch-and-the-vision/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718094733/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/07/17/avengers-age-of-ultron-quicksilver-scarlet-witch-and-the-vision/ |archive-date=July 18, 2014 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Olsen felt Wanda was "overly stimulated" rather than "mentally insane" because "she has such a vast amount of knowledge that she's unable to learn how to control it. No one taught her how to control it properly... she can connect to this world and parallel worlds at the same time, and parallel times". Describing her character's mind control powers, Olsen said that the character is able to do more than manipulating someone's mind, with Scarlet Witch able to "feel and see what they feel and see" by projecting visions that they have never seen. Olsen expanded upon this, saying, "What I love about her is that, in so many superhero films, emotions are kind of negated a bit, but for her everything that someone else could feel—like their weakest moments—she physically goes through that same experience with them, which is pretty cool".{{Cite web |last1=Nicholson |first1=Max |last2=Cornet |first2=Roth |date=March 30, 2015 |title=Avengers: Age of Ultron – How Powerful is Scarlet Witch? |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/30/avengers-age-of-ultron-how-powerful-is-scarlet-witch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402074301/http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/30/avengers-age-of-ultron-how-powerful-is-scarlet-witch |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |website=IGN}} Olsen drew on her relationship with her older brother and her sisters to prepare for the role, as well as looking to the comics for inspiration.{{Cite web |last=Dibdin |first=Emma |date=January 31, 2015 |title=25 things we learned on the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a624992/25-spoilers-from-the-set-of-avengers-age-of-ultron/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202222626/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/feature/a624992/25-things-we-learned-on-the-set-of-avengers-age-of-ultron.html |archive-date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=Digital Spy}} Olsen revealed that Whedon was inspired by dancers as a way to visually represent how the character moves. As such, Olsen mostly trained with dancer Jennifer White in lieu of traditional stunt training.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Brett |date=January 27, 2015 |title=COMIC REEL: Downey May Keep "Bumping Along" With Marvel; Momoa Talks Aquaman's Look |url=https://www.cbr.com/comic-reel-downey-may-keep-bumping-along-with-marvel-momoa-talks-aquamans-look/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130012606/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=58803 |archive-date=January 30, 2015 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=Comic Book Resources}}{{Cite web |last=Wickman, Kase |date=April 9, 2015 |title=Elizabeth Olsen's 'Avengers' Teacher Tells Us How To Get Perfectly Spooky Scarlet Witch Hands |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2261220/jennifer-white-scarlet-witch-hands/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205034324/http://www.mtv.com/news/2261220/jennifer-white-scarlet-witch-hands/ |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |access-date=February 8, 2021 |publisher=MTV News}}

In Captain America: Civil War, Wanda allies with Steve Rogers against the Sokovia Accords.{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Erik |date=March 7, 2016 |title='Captain America: Civil War' Set Visit: "This Is the 'Godfather' of Superhero Movies" |url=http://www.fandango.com/movie-news/captain-america-civil-war-set-visit-this-is-the-godfather-of-superhero-movies-750571 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310050903/http://www.fandango.com/movie-news/captain-america-civil-war-set-visit-this-is-the-godfather-of-superhero-movies-750571 |archive-date=March 10, 2016 |access-date=March 7, 2016 |website=Fandango}}{{Cite magazine |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |date=December 2, 2015 |title=Captain America: Civil War: Chris Evans on Cap's fight to save Winter Soldier |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/02/captain-america-civil-war-splash-page/2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204194955/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/02/captain-america-civil-war-splash-page/2 |archive-date=December 4, 2015 |access-date=December 3, 2015 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} According to Olsen, the character is "coming into her own and starting to understand and have conflict with how she wants to use her abilities".{{Cite web |last=Truitt |first=Brian |date=October 3, 2015 |title=Elizabeth Olsen has big plans for Scarlet Witch |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/10/03/elizabeth-olsen-scarlet-witch-avengers-age-of-ultron/73282576/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007002302/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/10/03/elizabeth-olsen-scarlet-witch-avengers-age-of-ultron/73282576/ |archive-date=October 7, 2015 |access-date=October 7, 2015 |website=USA Today}} As such, Wanda's costume was "relatively casual" and "more clothes-based than superhero-based" according to Makovsky, since the Russo brothers believed Wanda was not a full-fledged Avenger yet.{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Terri |date=August 29, 2016 |title=Scarlet Witch Isn't Technically A 'Superhero' In Captain America: Civil War |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/29/scarlet-witch-isnt-technically-a-superhero-in-captain-america-civil-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829213444/http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/29/scarlet-witch-isnt-technically-a-superhero-in-captain-america-civil-war |archive-date=August 29, 2016 |access-date=August 29, 2016 |website=IGN}} When asked about the relationship between her character and the Vision compared to the comics, Olsen said, "You learn a little bit more about what connects [Scarlet and Vision] in this film. And I think there's some really sweet moments between Paul and I, and it's more about how they relate to one another and their similarities just based on their superpowers".{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Desiree |date=March 31, 2016 |title=Exclusive: Elizabeth Olsen Teases What Will Happen Between Scarlet Witch and Vision in Captain America: Civil War |url=http://www.etonline.com/news/185735_elizabeth_olsen_teases_scarlet_witch_and_vision_relationship_captain_america_civil_war_exclusive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401194444/http://www.etonline.com/news/185735_elizabeth_olsen_teases_scarlet_witch_and_vision_relationship_captain_america_civil_war_exclusive/ |archive-date=April 1, 2016 |access-date=April 1, 2016 |website=Entertainment Tonight}}

In Avengers: Infinity War, Olsen explains that Wanda and Vision have maintained a romance while Wanda remains in hiding and are "trying to within that time find points of meeting in different places in order to try and forward our relationship". Paul Bettany described it as the most emotional arc for the characters.{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Matthew |date=March 26, 2018 |title=Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen on Vision, Scarlet Witch, and their 'most emotional' Avengers story yet |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/paul-bettany-elizabeth-olsen-vision-scarlet-witch-avengers-infinity-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031221013/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/paul-bettany-elizabeth-olsen-vision-scarlet-witch-avengers-infinity-war |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |website=Syfy Wire}} In early drafts of Infinity War and Endgame, the screenwriters had Wanda survive the snap and participate more substantially in the events of Endgame, while still mourning Vision, but this angle was ultimately dropped because "she'd gotten so much mileage and story in the first movie that she didn't really have anything that equaled that in the second".{{Cite web |last=Seddon |first=Dan |date=October 29, 2019 |title=Scarlet Witch almost survived the Blip in Avengers: Infinity War |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29620207/avengers-infinity-war-ending-scarlet-witch-almost-survived/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031201203/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29620207/avengers-infinity-war-ending-scarlet-witch-almost-survived/ |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |website=Digital Spy}}

In WandaVision, Olsen said the character is brought more in line with the comic book version, including depicting her mental illness, while introducing the "Scarlet Witch" moniker that was not previously used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) outside of promotional material.{{Cite web |last=Alter |first=Ethan |date=November 5, 2019 |title='WandaVision': Everything we know about Marvel's 'first sitcom' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/wanda-vision-everything-we-know-about-marvels-first-sitcom-011631646.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105093012/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/wanda-vision-everything-we-know-about-marvels-first-sitcom-011631646.html |archive-date=November 5, 2019 |access-date=November 9, 2019 |publisher=Yahoo!}} Marvel Studios executive producer Kevin Feige said the series explores the extent and origin of Wanda's powers.{{Cite web |last=Shattuck |first=Kathryn |date=October 11, 2019 |title=Elizabeth Olsen on Grief, the Scarlet Witch and Her Next Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/arts/elizabeth-olsen-scarlet-witch.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807193925/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/arts/elizabeth-olsen-scarlet-witch.html |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |access-date=October 21, 2020 |website=The New York Times}} Olsen felt her "ownership" of Wanda was strengthened during development of the series,{{Cite magazine |last=Coggan |first=Devan |date=November 10, 2020 |title=Welcome to the neighborhood: Meet WandaVision's major players |url=https://ew.com/tv/wandavision-characters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110231609/https://ew.com/tv/wandavision-characters/ |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} which allowed her to explore new parts of the character's personality such as her humor and sassiness.{{Cite magazine |last=Bennett |first=Tara |date=January 2021 |title=The Odd Couple |magazine=SFX Magazine |pages=26–35 |issue=335}} {{rp|30}} She was thrilled that WandaVision focuses on Wanda rather than making her a supporting character as in the films, and was sold on joining the series when Feige mentioned the specific Scarlet Witch comic storylines that inspired WandaVision.{{Cite magazine |last=Coggan |first=Devan |date=November 10, 2020 |title=Honey, I'm Chrome: Marvel prepares to take over TV with WandaVision |url=https://ew.com/tv/wandavision-marvel-cover-story/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110144657/https://ew.com/tv/wandavision-marvel-cover-story/ |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Olsen was influenced by Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Lucille Ball for her performance.{{Cite web |last=Radish |first=Christina |date=January 11, 2021 |title=How 'WandaVision' Was Made: Cast and Crew on Iconic TV Influences, Big Swings, and More |url=https://collider.com/wandavision-cast-interview-elizabeth-olsen-paul-bettany-kathryn-hahn-kevin-feige/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112034521/https://collider.com/wandavision-cast-interview-elizabeth-olsen-paul-bettany-kathryn-hahn-kevin-feige/ |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 11, 2021 |website=Collider}} Michaela Russell portrays a young Wanda.{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Stephen |date=February 26, 2021 |title=The Scarlet Witch stands revealed in the penultimate installment of WandaVision |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-scarlet-witch-stands-revealed-in-the-penultimate-in-1846359303 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226230113/https://tv.avclub.com/the-scarlet-witch-stands-revealed-in-the-penultimate-in-1846359303 |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=The A.V. Club}}

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continues Wanda's "ownership of what makes her unique and the accountability of her life experience" that began in the series WandaVision (2021),{{Cite web |last=Truitt |first=Brian |date=January 22, 2021 |title='Avengers' star Elizabeth Olsen talks getting witchy again for Marvel's 'WandaVision,' 'Doctor Strange 2' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/01/22/wandavision-elizabeth-olsen-witchy-again-disney-marvel-show/4166404001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123012717/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/01/22/wandavision-elizabeth-olsen-witchy-again-disney-marvel-show/4166404001/ |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |access-date=January 22, 2021 |website=USA Today}} with an example of this being a return to an accent that is more true to her Sokovian heritage after some of the previous MCU films had moved to an Americanized version.{{Cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=June 1, 2021 |title=The Oral History of 'WandaVision' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/oral-history-wandavision-olsen-bettany-hahn-feige-1155120/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602151615/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/oral-history-wandavision-olsen-bettany-hahn-feige-1155120/ |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |access-date=June 2, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} Olsen was largely unaware of the Multiverse of Madness story while filming WandaVision and tried to ensure Wanda's role in the film honored the events of the series rather than having the series be affected by the film.{{Cite web |last=Vary |first=Adam B. |date=March 10, 2021 |title='WandaVision': Elizabeth Olsen and Jac Schaeffer on Wanda's Kids, Fan Theories and the Future of the Show |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/wandavision-elizabeth-olsen-fan-theories-kids-marvel-doctor-strange-1234926899/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312043434/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/wandavision-elizabeth-olsen-fan-theories-kids-marvel-doctor-strange-1234926899/ |archive-date=March 12, 2021 |access-date=March 12, 2021 |website=Variety}} Olsen also portrays the character's Earth-838 counterpart.{{Cite web |last=Mathai |first=Jeremy |date=March 15, 2022 |title=Multiverse Of Madness Will Feature Sinister Strange, Defender Strange, And Zombie Strange Variants |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/799522/multiverse-of-madness-will-feature-sinister-strange-defender-strange-and-zombie-strange-variants/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315180229/https://www.slashfilm.com/799522/multiverse-of-madness-will-feature-sinister-strange-defender-strange-and-zombie-strange-variants/ |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |access-date=March 15, 2022 |website=/Film}}{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Erik |date=April 6, 2022 |title='Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Director Sam Raimi Reveals New Details About His First MCU Film |url=https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-director-sam-raimi-reveals-new-details-about-his-first-mcu-film-754540 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407024113/https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-director-sam-raimi-reveals-new-details-about-his-first-mcu-film-754540 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |access-date=April 6, 2022 |website=Fandango}}

{{more citations needed section|date=May 2023}}

The full extent of Wanda's powers has yet to be fully unlocked in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wanda is a naturally-born sorceress with the ability to harness chaos magic presenting in reality warping, conjuration, time and illusion manipulation, and even life creation.{{Cite web |last=Ramella |first=Brynne |date=March 13, 2021 |title=How Powerful Was Scarlet Witch Before The Mind Stone Changed Her? |url=https://screenrant.com/wandavision-scarlet-witch-powers-before-mind-stone/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507000012/https://screenrant.com/wandavision-scarlet-witch-powers-before-mind-stone/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |website=Screen Rant}} Later, Wanda is able to harness Darkhold magic, typically presented in dream walking, physical augmentation, and power absorption.{{Cite web |last=Idrisoglu |first=Fatima Ali |date=May 12, 2022 |title=Scarlet Witch's Most Powerful Abilities, Explained |url=https://movieweb.com/scarlet-witch-powerful-abilities/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111053950/https://movieweb.com/scarlet-witch-powerful-abilities/#she-can-heal-what-39-s-lost |archive-date=November 11, 2023 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |website=MovieWeb}}  Wanda's psionic abilities were said to be enhanced by HYDRA's experimental exposure to the Mind Stone.{{Cite magazine |title='Avengers: Age of Ultron': Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and The Vision |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2014/07/17/avengers-age-of-ultron-quicksilver-scarlet-witch-and-the-vision/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113005401/https://ew.com/comic-con/2014/07/17/avengers-age-of-ultron-quicksilver-scarlet-witch-and-the-vision/ |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |access-date=November 12, 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}{{Cite web |title=Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) On Screen Powers, Enemies, History |url=https://www.marvel.com/characters/scarlet-witch-wanda-maximoff/on-screen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125081457/https://www.marvel.com/characters/scarlet-witch-wanda-maximoff/on-screen |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |access-date=January 10, 2019 |website=Marvel.com}} Wanda's psionic abilities present in psychic energy manipulation, telekinesis, mental and emotional manipulation, telepathy and levitation. The combination of these powers and abilities make her one of the most powerful Avengers.

Wanda's psionic abilities are due to the exposure to Loki's scepter that contained the Mind Stone.{{Cite web |last=Krajnyak |first=Zack |date=October 3, 2020 |title=How Powerful Scarlet Witch Really Is In Each MCU Movie |url=https://screenrant.com/scarlet-witch-marvel-mcu-movies-powers-strengths-abilities/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507000013/https://screenrant.com/scarlet-witch-marvel-mcu-movies-powers-strengths-abilities/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |website=Screen Rant}} It emanates as an energy projection from her hands and body as a red vapor mist, which she can use her telekinetic abilities to manipulate her natural born chaos magic.

Throughout Wanda's onscreen appearances her abilities develop drastically. In Captain America: Civil War, Wanda's powers have advanced and her telekinesis is strong enough to let her hold up the debris of a falling building as well as fly for brief periods of time. Later, she is able to fly for greater lengths in battle in Avengers: Infinity War.

Mental manipulation is one of Wanda's first shown powers after her exposure to the Mind Stone. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda uses this ability to create fear in Tony Stark. Wanda later induces nightmarish-like images into the heads of four Avengers, inspiring nightmarish visions in Captain America, Thor and Black Widow, as well as provoking Bruce Banner to transform into a rampaging Hulk.{{Cite magazine |last=Romano |first=Nick |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Avengers: Age of Ultron: Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's CGI powers revealed in new video |url=https://ew.com/article/2015/08/30/avengers-age-ultron-scarlet-witch-quicksilver-powers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426033422/https://ew.com/article/2015/08/30/avengers-age-ultron-scarlet-witch-quicksilver-powers/ |archive-date=April 26, 2023 |access-date=December 5, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Mental manipulation is used against Vision, overriding the power of the Mind Stone. Her powers allow her to forcibly manipulate his density by controlling the Mind Stone. Wanda is the only one capable of destroying the stone, singlehandedly holding Thanos at bay, who was already wielding five Infinity Stones, while simultaneously destroying the Mind Stone in Avengers: Infinity War.

Wanda uses telepathy to read minds and communicate telepathically, which she does with her brother Pietro in Avengers: Age of Ultron before he is killed.

Wanda's magical abilities are first seen in the miniseries WandaVision. Agatha Harkness tells Wanda that she is the only person who is able to engage in chaos magic, making her the infamous and mythical Scarlet Witch.{{Cite web |last=Chin |first=Daniel |date=March 10, 2021 |title='WandaVision' Made Wanda Maximoff a Fully Formed Character. What Now? |url=https://www.theringer.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/2021/3/10/22323043/scarlet-witch-wanda-maximoff-whats-after-wandavision-doctor-strange |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302102253/https://www.theringer.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/2021/3/10/22323043/scarlet-witch-wanda-maximoff-whats-after-wandavision-doctor-strange |archive-date=March 2, 2022 |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=The Ringer}} According to Agatha, Wanda was born with chaos magic and is what she used unknowingly to hex the Stark missile to not explode in her apartment in Sokovia when she and Pietro were only ten years old.{{Cite web |last=Marnell |first=Blair |date=February 28, 2021 |title='WandaVision': The Scarlet Witch's Powers and Chaos Magic, Explained |url=https://collider.com/scarlet-witch-powers-chaos-magic-explained-wandavision/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427200341/https://collider.com/scarlet-witch-powers-chaos-magic-explained-wandavision/ |archive-date=April 27, 2021 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=Collider}} WandaVision explores Wanda's ability to warp reality like her comic counterpart.{{Cite magazine |title=Honey, I'm Chrome: Marvel prepares to take over TV with 'WandaVision' |url=https://ew.com/tv/wandavision-marvel-cover-story/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110144657/https://ew.com/tv/wandavision-marvel-cover-story/ |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=November 12, 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} After being overwhelmed with grief after Vision's death, Wanda releases waves of chaos magic which accidentally creates a reinforced CMBR force-field (known as "The Hex") over the town of Westview, New Jersey.

Chaos magic gives the wielder the ability to warp time and reality, and works only if reality is altered by instability resulting in chaos.{{Cite web |last=Katz |first=Molly |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic, Explained |url=https://movieweb.com/scarlet-witch-chaos-magic-explained/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509011723/https://movieweb.com/scarlet-witch-chaos-magic-explained/ |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=MovieWeb}} In Westview Wanda is so stricken with grief, her emotional instability lets her dictate reality in "The Hex", altering the objects and people around her.

Chaos magic is the most powerful form of magic. At the end of WandaVision, Agatha reveals that the Scarlet Witch's magic exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda defeats most of the sorcerers in Kamar-Taj. At the battle at Kamar-Taj, Wanda is able to absorb energy from a cannon that was shot at her. Later, she is able to absorb America Chavez's powers and would have succeeded twice without Doctor Strange's interference. In the MCU, Wanda's chaos magic makes her the most powerful being in her universe.

The Darkhold is a magical tome that is later shown in Wanda's possession leading a secluded life in a remote location, simultaneously using astral projection to study the Darkhold.{{Cite web |last=Henley |first=Stacey |date=March 5, 2021 |title=WandaVision: What Is The Darkhold? |url=https://www.thegamer.com/wandavision-what-is-the-darkhold/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509011726/https://www.thegamer.com/wandavision-what-is-the-darkhold/ |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2023 |website=The Gamer}} The tome is made out of dark matter containing dark magic spells and secrets. Harkness warns about the destruction that could come to her if she learns to harness dark magic. While Wanda isolates herself with the Darkhold she is soon corrupted by its evil sending her on a search through the multiverse for her family. Consumed with finding them she stops at nothing causing chaos throughout the multiverse.{{Cite web |last=Cella |first=Chris |date=June 23, 2022 |title=Doctor Strange 2: How Agatha Harkness Was Right About Wanda |url=https://movieweb.com/doctor-strange-2-multiverse-of-madness-agatha-harkness-right/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509011725/https://movieweb.com/doctor-strange-2-multiverse-of-madness-agatha-harkness-right/ |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2023 |website=MovieWeb}}

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda has learned to dreamwalk, which involves transferring her consciousness to her alternate-self from another universe. Wanda successfully takes control of her variant from Earth-838, using her to pursue Strange and Chavez, invade the Illuminati headquarters, destroy waves of Ultron drones, and kill most of the members of the Illuminati.{{Cite web |last=Loftus |first=Meredith |date=May 6, 2022 |title='Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Loses Wanda Maximoff to the Scarlet Witch |url=https://collider.com/doctor-strange-2-wanda-scarlet-witch-multiverse-of-madness/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426033422/https://collider.com/doctor-strange-2-wanda-scarlet-witch-multiverse-of-madness/ |archive-date=April 26, 2023 |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=Collider}}

Wanda eventually uses her powers to destroy the temple on Mount Wundagore and all copies of the Darkhold across the multiverse.

{{As of|2019}}, Magneto and other characters from the X-Men franchise have not been introduced into the MCU because Marvel Studios didn't own the rights for the X-Men until early 2019, and therefore no mention has been made of Wanda's traditional depiction as the daughter of Magneto.{{Cite web |last=Newby |first=Richard |date=May 14, 2019 |title=How Marvel's Next 10-Year Saga Could Unite Avengers and X-Men |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/how-marvel-could-build-an-avengers-x-men-crossover-event-1210355/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112010301/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/how-marvel-could-build-an-avengers-x-men-crossover-event-1210355 |archive-date=November 12, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}

In addition, the Maximoff twins have been depicted as Romani characters in Marvel Comics since 1979. They were ethnically ambiguous for the first decade of their publication history, then portrayed as the children of white Americans from 1974 until 1979,{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2011 |title=The Abandoned An' Forsaked - Your Dad's the Whizzer? |url=https://www.cbr.com/the-abandoned-an-forsaked-your-dads-the-whizzer/ |website=CBR}} after which they were shown to have been adopted and raised by a Romani couple. It was later revealed that their biological father was Magneto and their mother was Magda Eisenhardt, a Romani woman he met in a concentration camp during World War II. A later retcon it is shown that Magneto was not their father after all, and they are not mutants. Their mother was actually Natalya Maximoff, the biological sister of the twins' adoptive father. She passed on the title "The Scarlet Witch" to her daughter, and the biological father is assumed to also be from the Romani community. This makes the twins fully Romani by blood.

Wanda in the MCU initially "possesses a drastically different powerset to her comic book counterpart", having been described less as a wielder of actual magic and more as "a Jean Grey analogue, gifted with both telepathic and telekinetic powers", with her abilities in the MCU being derived at least in part from experiments in which she was exposed to the Mind Stone.{{Cite web |last=Bacon |first=Thomas |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Scarlet Witch's Comic Powers Compared To The Movies |url=https://screenrant.com/scarlet-witch-mcu-comic-powers-changes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027153417/https://screenrant.com/scarlet-witch-mcu-comic-powers-changes/ |archive-date=October 27, 2019 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |website=Screen Rant}}

In WandaVision, however, Wanda is revealed to be a powerful sorceress, the only being currently capable of wielding chaos magic. The series explores her ability to manipulate reality like her comic counterpart. While it is maintained that her abilities emerged from the Mind Stone, in the MCU she is retconned into having possessed the latent ability to wield chaos magic since birth, and the Mind Stone simply unlocked these dormant abilities, and her subsequent persistent use of basic telekinesis, telepathy and hypnosis were seemingly an unwitting result of the same unique magical source.

Following the release of Avengers: Endgame, Rachel Leishman of the feminist "geek site" The Mary Sue wrote that Wanda "isn't the most fleshed out of characters because she is often tied down to a male character and very rarely does anything but kill people accidentally," but that Avengers: Infinity War provided "the Wanda who understands her placement among the Avengers and her abilities", and by Avengers: Endgame, Wanda is "taking on her position as one of the new leaders of the Avengers".{{Cite web |last=Leishman |first=Rachel |date=April 29, 2019 |title=I Just Want to Share My Love for Wanda Maximoff |url=https://www.themarysue.com/my-love-for-wanda-maximoff/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031201205/https://www.themarysue.com/my-love-for-wanda-maximoff/ |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |website=The Mary Sue}} Jen Chaney of Vulture reviewed WandaVision positively, stating that "Olsen and Bettany's characters were often treated like benchwarmers on an all-star team in the Avengers movies. Here, they really shine".{{Cite web |last=Chaney |first=Jen |date=January 14, 2021 |title=Marvel's WandaVision Is a Time-Traveling Delight |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/review-of-disney-marvel-show-wandavision.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120044412/https://www.vulture.com/article/review-of-disney-marvel-show-wandavision.html |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2021 |website=Vulture}} Eric Deggans of NPR state of the character that "a confused and grief-stricken product of experimentation, saddled with powers she doesn't understand and struggles to control, becomes the Scarlet Witch – one of the most powerful figures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe".{{Cite web |last=Deggans |first=Eric |date=March 5, 2021 |title='WandaVision' Proves Great Superhero Stories Are Just Great Stories, Period |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/05/974102504/wandavision-proves-great-superhero-stories-are-just-great-stories-period |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512060136/https://www.npr.org/2021/03/05/974102504/wandavision-proves-great-superhero-stories-are-just-great-stories-period |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |publisher=NPR}} IndieWire praised Elizabeth Olsen's performance as Wanda, stating, "her work on WandaVision which showcases her tremendous dramatic talent and, even more impressive, introduces her as a true comic delight".{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Libby |date=March 5, 2021 |title='WandaVision' Star Elizabeth Olsen Delivered an Emmy-Worthy Performance — Two Years Ago |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/03/wandavision-star-elizabeth-olsen-delivered-grief-emmy-worth-sorry-for-your-loss-1234621288/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302102131/https://www.indiewire.com/2021/03/wandavision-star-elizabeth-olsen-delivered-grief-emmy-worth-sorry-for-your-loss-1234621288/ |archive-date=March 2, 2022 |access-date=March 2, 2022 |website=IndieWire}} The Ringer complimented the evolution of the character through all of her appearances, explaining, "She's gone from a mysterious figure that even Thanos treated as an afterthought to one of the MCU's most compelling characters".{{Cite web |last=Chin |first=Daniel |date=March 10, 2021 |title='WandaVision' Made Wanda Maximoff a Fully Formed Character. What Now? |url=https://www.theringer.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/2021/3/10/22323043/scarlet-witch-wanda-maximoff-whats-after-wandavision-doctor-strange |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302102253/https://www.theringer.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/2021/3/10/22323043/scarlet-witch-wanda-maximoff-whats-after-wandavision-doctor-strange |archive-date=March 2, 2022 |access-date=March 2, 2022 |website=The Ringer}}

For her performance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Olsen received critical acclaim, with some film critics stating it could lead the actress to receive her first Academy Award nomination.{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2022 |title=Critics Are Calling Elizabeth Olsen the MVP of 'Doctor Strange 2' |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/doctor-strange-2-initial-reactions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511094935/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/doctor-strange-2-initial-reactions |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=Glamour |quote=Critics have singled out Elizabeth Olsen as a shining plus, with Smash Cut's Karl Delossantos going so far as to call it the beginning of her Oscar campaign.}}{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2022 |title=Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness First Reactions Praise Marvel's First Horror Movie, Sam Raimi & Elizabeth Olsen |url=https://movieweb.com/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-first-reactions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511094934/https://movieweb.com/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-first-reactions/ |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=MovieWeb}}{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2022 |title='Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness': First Reactions Call It Macabre, Weird, and a Full-On Spectacle |url=https://collider.com/doctor-strange-multiverse-of-madness-reactions-reviews-is-it-good/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503042552/https://collider.com/doctor-strange-multiverse-of-madness-reactions-reviews-is-it-good/ |archive-date=May 3, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=Collider}} Davis Caballero of Screen Rant referred to Olsen as the "definitive shining star" of the MCU's Phase Four for her performance across WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, writing, "No one comes close to what Olsen achieved in WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness; indeed, the actor has set the bar too high".{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2022 |title=MCU: 10 Performances That Prove Phase Four Is The Best |url=https://screenrant.com/mcu-best-performances-phase-four-elizabeth-olsen/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511094934/https://screenrant.com/mcu-best-performances-phase-four-elizabeth-olsen/ |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=Screen Rant}} Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue wrote that Olsen managed to understand and portray the pain felt by her character through the movie, calling her a "powerhouse".{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2022 |title=Everyone Is in Love With Elizabeth Olsen in 'Multiverse of Madness' |url=https://www.themarysue.com/everyone-is-in-love-with-elizabeth-olsen-in-multiverse-of-madness/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511094934/https://www.themarysue.com/everyone-is-in-love-with-elizabeth-olsen-in-multiverse-of-madness/ |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=The Mary Sue}} Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the performance of Elizabeth Olsen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, even commenting that he believed the character of Wanda had the most compelling of the film's character arcs.{{Cite news |last=Roeper |first=Richard |title='Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' takes Marvel to a macabre place |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2022/5/3/23055165/doctor-strange-review-multiverse-madness-marvel-scarlett-witch-wanda-benedict-cumberbatch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504204156/https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2022/5/3/23055165/doctor-strange-review-multiverse-madness-marvel-scarlett-witch-wanda-benedict-cumberbatch |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=March 3, 2022 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}} Chris E. Hayner of GameSpot ranked Wanda Maximoff 7th in their "38 Marvel Cinematic Universe Superheroes" list, stating, "Even before WandaVision, Wanda proved time and again how powerful she was and what she was willing to do for those she loved. She may have taken that too far in the latest Doctor Strange movie, but she made the right choice in the end, proving she's ultimately a hero".{{Cite web |title=All 38 Marvel Cinematic Universe Superheroes, Ranked – Sorry, Moon Knight |url=https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/all-38-marvel-cinematic-universe-superheroes-ranked-sorry-moon-knight/2900-4179/#1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803151930/https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/all-38-marvel-cinematic-universe-superheroes-ranked-sorry-moon-knight/2900-4179/#1 |archive-date=August 3, 2022 |access-date=August 3, 2022 |website=GameSpot}}

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• {{Marvelwiki|scarlet-witch-wanda-maximoff/on-screen| Wanda Maximoff}}
• {{MCU Wiki|Scarlet Witch|Wanda Maximoff}}
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