Marvel Brings Back Surprising Scarlet Witch Variant

Thanks to countless appearances in comics and onscreen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlet Witch has become a pretty beloved part of the Marvel Comics lexicon. This summer, Wanda will once again be headlining her own solo comic — and that will apparently bring to life a surprising iteration of the character. On Thursday, artist Russell Dauterman revealed the first look at Lore, an evil variant of Wanda who originally debuted in the 1994 Scarlet Witch limited series. This new version of Lore has a new costume, which conveniently resembles Elizabeth Olsen’s onscreen outfit in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She will be debuting in August’s Scarlet Witch #3, which will be written by Steve Orlando with art by Dauterman and Jacopo Camagni.

“Redesigning Lore was a huge treat!” Dauterman said in a statement to Marvel.com. “Lore is an evil Wanda variant, so I wanted to contrast the design I did for our Scarlet Witch, which was meant to be magical, vibrant, and super-heroic, by going dark and sinister, with a goth, undead vibe. I’m incredible excited to also be drawing some interiors in the issue where these two Wandas face off!”

What Is the New Scarlet Witch Series About?

In Scarlet Witch, the Scarlet Witch has carved out a haven for herself in upstate New York, but it’s all about to go up in flames. Wanda’s newfound peace has drawn the wrath of a primal force unlike anything she’s ever faced before, and it won’t stop until it razes Wanda’s world to the ground. It’s a clash of titans as Wanda and her allies fight for all she holds dear! What happens when an unstoppable force meets the end of all things? When pure chaos meets pure destruction? Wanda’s about to find out – if she survives long enough.

“The news is out and I couldn’t be more excited!” Orlando shared in a statement. “SCARLET WITCH has been a dream job, and getting to return to her once again and continue Wanda’s adventures is something I could never say no to. And Wanda’s going to keep climbing! Here, we’ll be bringing the blockbuster storytelling of SCARLET WITCH AND QUICKSILVER to the focused, personal journey Wanda began in DARKHOLD and SCARLET WITCH. And standing in her way? Only one of Marvel’s most powerful and climactic entities, bent on destroying everything Wanda stands for.”

Will Scarlet Witch Return to the MCU?

At the time of this writing, Olsen is not yet confirmed to be reprising her role as Scarlet Witch in the MCU. Still, the actress has cited specific storylines she would love to tackle in the event of her return.

“I think fans usually have the best ideas and I genuinely don’t know where we go from here and what the limitations are of the MCU because I don’t follow what their plans are,” Olsen told ComicBook.com. “I feel like the fans always know what the plans are, even when they’re not announced. And so, I don’t. I do have this image…. There are a few images in my head of, I think they’re from ‘Witches Road,’ as she’s aging and decaying, while using her power and there’s something in that, this older woman, who’s aging from her power, that I’m interested in. And I don’t really know what that means, but I kind of would love to be old.”

Scarlet Witch #1 will be released wherever comics are sold on June 12th.