Elizabeth Olsen Admits Marvel Movies Are “Not Really the Art I Consume”

Elizabeth Olsen is one of the biggest stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it doesn’t sound like she would be interested in a Marvel movie marathon. During an appearance on the podcast Wild Card with Rachel Martin, the actress opened up about her feelings on the franchise. While Olsen is “proud” of the work she’s done portraying Wanda Maximoff across various films and TV shows, she admitted that Marvel projects are not necessarily at the top of her watchlist. Over the years, she’s found herself in situations where she has to “prove” her taste in movies to others.

“I think I haven’t always successfully made choices in my work that are aligned with my personal taste and that is something I feel like I’m still trying to prove when I meet people,” Olsen said. “Especially if it’s a work type meeting and be able to express my personal taste in films and literature, and so I still think I have that to prove. Because I have spent so many years doing Marvel that I feel like all the other jobs I have to do have to really reflect my personal taste because as much as I love being a part of this world — and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do with the character — it’s not really the art that I consume. Which I have been very honest about.

“I thought they were such great Greek-type scale stories that reflected politics, culture in a really lovely way,” Olsen added, explaining what drew her to the MCU. “And so I felt really proud to jump into it. And then, within the last 10 years, it’s taken on this narrative of like, it’s like a hot take, whether an actor says they want to, they would never do a Marvel movie or not.”

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Olsen has been part of the MCU since 2014, when her Wanda debuted in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier post-credits scene. She followed that by appearing in five other movies (including Infinity War and Endgame) and headlined the Disney+ series WandaVision. Olsen’s most recent MCU credit is 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where Wanda seemingly died.

Scarlet Witch’s future remains up in the air, as Olsen has confirmed she will not be in next summer’s Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has implied Wanda will return at some point, stating that he is “excited” to see what comes next for the character. Wanda was briefly mentioned on Agatha All Along, which specifically used the word “gone” instead of “dead” to describe her whereabouts.

Outside of the MCU and 2014’s Godzilla, Olsen has largely steered clear of big-budget franchise fare throughout her career. Her other credits primarily consist of smaller projects, such as Martha Marcy May Marlene, Ingrid Goes West, and Wind River. Looking over her filmography, it would appear those types of titles speak more to her own personal tastes, which is probably why she keeps taking those on. While Olsen’s comments are sure to get attention from die-hard MCU fans, it’s important for viewers to keep in mind that she is not disparaging Marvel or the work she’s done in the franchise to this point. She seems to be emphasizing more that it’s important for her to find some balance in terms of the films and TV shows she signs on for, taking the steps necessary to make sure it isn’t all just studio tentpoles. Like any actor, Olsen wants to challenge herself by taking on a variety of roles that reflect her interests.

Olsen’s maintained a fairly business-like mentality about the MCU. Last November, she elaborated on why she keeps coming back to the franchise, pointing out that Marvel projects provide a sense of “insurance” for her, giving her the leeway to explore the indie circuit and star in those smaller movies. For her, Marvel is just a job like any other project, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t passionate about Scarlet Witch and what can be done with the character moving forward.