A Very MCU Unlikely Source Might Reveal Scarlet Witch’s Role in Avengers: Doomsday (& It’s Shocking)

Avengers: Doomsday is going to feature its fair share of shocking returns. For starters, the next event film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is keeping seats warm for numerous members of Fox’s original X-Men cast. The mutants’ roles are anyone’s guess, but it seems fair to assume that their reality is going to find itself under duress after the arrival of Doomsday‘s Big Bad, Doctor Doom. The powers that be aren’t just bringing in a random guy off the street to portray the iconic Marvel villain, though. Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the franchise for the first time since 2019, ready to embrace his darker side in his second go-around.

While Downey Jr. is sure to hog a good chunk of the spotlight in 2026, he’s not the only familiar face that fans expect to see. There have been numerous rumors about Tobey Maguire returning as Spider-Man, and a day doesn’t go by without Hugh Jackman’s name coming up. However, there’s one actor that fans want to see come home more than anyone else: Elizabeth Olsen. The Scarlet Witch wasn’t looking so hot the last time she appeared in the MCU, but a strange piece of MCU lore could reveal how she fits into Doomsday.

What If…? Extends Beyond the TV Show

The Disney+ show What If…? explores realities that aren’t entirely unlike Earth-616. In most cases, the Avengers still form and protect the universe, but wires get crossed here and there, leading to massive changes, such as a zombie outbreak that consumes the planet. Scarlet Witch finds herself in the position of villain in Marvel Zombies, which shouldn’t be all that surprising, as all roads seem to lead there for her. But there’s one alternate reality where Wanda Maximoff tries really hard to avoid becoming a bad guy, only for everyone and everything she loves to turn against her, forcing her hand.

In Marvel: What If… Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? (A Scarlet Witch & Spider-Man Story), the titular characters find themselves living under the same roof. While Peter tries to hide his newly discovered powers from his sister, she works with Doctor Strange to hone her own. Unfortunately, a tragedy drives a wedge between Wanda and her brother, leaving her feeling more alone than ever. The only time she feels comfort is when she spends time with a mysterious speedster, Pietro von Doom. Of course, the book features quite a few more twists and turns after that. However, that revelation about Pietro’s surname is a great starting point for figuring out what Scarlet Witch could be up to in Doomsday.

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Just like Wanda, Pietro finds himself being adopted in What If… Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings?. Rather than setting up shop in an apartment in Queens, though, he starts to call a giant castle in Latveria home. Doomsday might take that story and flip it on its head, having Wanda be the one who ends up a member of the von Doom family after the death of her parents in Sokovia. Doom is undoubtedly aware of her potential, so he may get ahead of the situation in whatever reality he is from and get the Scarlet Witch on his side before it’s time to set his sights on the rest of the multiverse. And it’s not like he’s above going after kids, as the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps proves.

But what would make a Doom and Scarlet Witch team-up extra interesting is how it could play on the complicated past between Tony Stark and Wanda. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Maximoff twins have an axe to grind with Iron Man due to his weapons being responsible for their parents’ deaths. Even after that hatchet gets buried, there’s still tension between Tony and Wanda because of the Sokovia Accords. If Doom really wants to mess with the heads of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, he shouldn’t just show up with a familiar face but with one of his doppelganger’s biggest adversaries at his side.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

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