Scarlet Witch fans are left disappointed yet again, as Marvel unveiled the Avengers: Doomsday cast, and Elizabeth Olsen was nowhere to be found among the names. The Scarlet Witch, aka Wanda Maximoff, has not appeared in the MCU since 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, at the end of which she appeared to die after bringing Mount Wundagore down on herself. A year earlier, Wanda traversed a fascinating journey through her trauma and grief in the Disney+ series WandaVision. The Scarlet Witch’s MCU future remains a mystery, though back in November, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige stated that he’s excited to find out “when and how Scarlet Witch can return.”As of now, there’s no indication that the Scarlet Witch will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, which will mark four years since Wanda’s last MCU project when it releases in 2026. Thus, the waiting game continues.
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While a Scarlet Witch appearance could be kept under wraps until Doomsday comes out, and there’s always the possibility of a role in Avengers: Secret Wars, right now, it seems like Marvel has no plans for this amazing character, who should be a major face of the MCU. Despite some hiccups along the way, the compelling arc Wanda has followed since her MCU debut in the post-credits scene of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier has captivated tons of viewers. Olsen’s morally-gray hero has also proven to be a pivotal figure in the franchise, making her long-standing absence all the more troubling.
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As it Stands, the MCU Is Wasting the Scarlet Witch’s Potential
It’s odd that at a time when the MCU’s strategy leans heavily on fan service, it has shelved one of its most popular characters. The Scarlet Witch’s presence has greatly boosted Marvel fervor over the last decade, and Wanda’s lack of a clear MCU future since Multiverse of Madness has left some fans feeling frustrated, and for good reason. Marvel is missing the opportunity to capitalize on the Scarlet Witch’s popularity, especially in this period when the franchise could really use a spark of life. Instead, the MCU has halted Wanda’s arc with her Multiverse of Madness ending, which was frowned upon by many. To avoid repeating its mistakes, Marvel shouldn’t rush into a course correction for Wanda. But the more time passes, the more discontent festers.
A glimmer of hope arrived when 2024’s Agatha All Along provided a small setup for an eventual Scarlet Witch return by questioning her apparent death and introducing her son Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan (Joe Locke), but Wanda’s renaissance has taken too long to come to fruition. Part of the problem remains the vast number of projects and characters the MCU has juggled since the start of Phase 4. Twelve movies and 13 TV shows have released as part of Phases 4 and 5 combined thus far with minimal crossover, making most individual heroes’ appearances few and far between. A short hiatus for Wanda makes sense after her Multiverse of Madness fate, but the MCU isn’t doing itself any favors by treading water with her revival.
There Are Numerous Reasons to Continue the Scarlet Witch’s Story in the MCU
The Scarlet Witch’s return shouldn’t happen merely to please fans, though. Despite the MCU’s catering to audiences through the multiverse with Spider-Man: Way Home‘s inclusion of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Peter Parker, as well as Avengers: Doomsday‘s revival of Robert Downey Jr., multiple original Fox X-Men actors, and (likely) Chris Evans, stories are always better when fan service isn’t the primary purpose of making them. In the Scarlet Witch’s case, Marvel doesn’t have to look far to find a good reason to bring back the character. Several different comic storylines involving Doctor Doom and the X-Men could serve as intriguing inspirations for her future arc — House of M among the most notable. Moreover, a major event such as Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars could provide the perfect stage for her the Scarlet Witch‘s highly-anticipated comeback.
Furthermore, the Scarlet Witch occupies a spellbinding realm of the MCU, as WandaVision and its spinoff series Agatha All Along proved that the franchise’s magical witch corner can both win over audiences and serve as riveting standalone narratives. Thanks to the brilliant work of showrunner Jac Schaeffer, WandaVision and Agatha All Along represent some of the MCU’s best character work and most impactful stories to date. Thus, a resumption of the Scarlet Witch’s story along with Billy and Tommy Maximoff, Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal, and more would greatly improve the MCU’s overall quality and appeal to viewers.
The MCU returns to theaters on May 2nd with Thunderbolts*. On Disney+, new episodes of Daredevil: Born Again release weekly on Tuesdays.
