Marvel fans got a deep dive into Wanda Maximoff’s history and powers in Disney+’s WandaVision series, and the series finale left a lot of fans wondering where the character would go next. While the MCU looks like it will be forging its own path forward into Phase 4, there is still a wealth of stories from the comics that Wanda’s MCU story could pull from.
The Scarlet Witch has played a lot of roles in her time both as a villain and as an Avenger. She’s had solo adventures and worked with many other heroes to save the world. These story arcs from the comics could give some ideas on where Wanda Maximoff will go next.
10 The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants Manipulates Wanda
While Wanda and Pietro’s time with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants was brief and came before they became Avengers, aspects of that story could be adapted and serve Wanda’s story as well as introducing some high-level mutants to the MCU.
Wanda and Pietro were shown as serving Magneto because he saved them from an angry mob, and it wasn’t until much later that they learned that he was their father, though that too was later retconned as well. If Magneto has a hand in saving Wanda after another magical breakdown, that aspect of their relationship could be worked into the MCU.
9 The Witch Of Wundagore Mountain Shows Wanda Her Past
During her time with the Avengers, Wanda and her brother, Quicksilver go back to Wundagore Mountain and discover more about their birth, their family, and where they came from.
While the identities of Wanda and Pietro’s parents have shifted several times in the comics, some aspects of their birth could be adapted for the MCU. It could also tie the Scarlet Witch to the demon, Chthon, who has tried to take over her body and steal her soul repeatedly.
8 ForceWorks Steps Away From The Avengers
After the Avengers West Coast were disbanded, several members of that team decided to strike out on their own. Using Wanda’s powers and a super-computer, they predicted where the team was most needed and most effective. Their way of doing things was more proactive than the Avengers but corruption became a problem quickly.
While this story isn’t entirely focused on Wanda specifically, she did lead the team, even as Iron Man who was influenced by Immortus—one of Kang the Conqueror’s many personas—tried to take control and became erratic.
7 Darker Than Scarlet Shows Wanda On The Dark Side
With the truth about the loss of her children fully discovered, the Scarlet Witch is manipulated by both Magneto and Immortus to attack her friends and teammates with the West Coast Avengers. They do eventually get through to her and she makes peace—for a while—with the loss, this arc showed Wanda as a threat.
Her dark side did show through in the WandaVision series and depending on how her search for Billy and Tommy goes in the MCU, we may see her face off against her teammates in this kind of situation.
6 The Witches’ Road Explores Witchcraft And How It’s Broken
The Scarlet Witch 2015 solo series started with this arc, which saw Wanda traveling the world, trying to fix the magic in the world, and discover who broke it in the first place. It was part witchcraft and part detective story and explored not just the wide world of witchcraft in the Marvel universe, but Wanda’s powers and their source.
In the comics, this was a step away from her recent history, and showed another side to her character. Perhaps after her appearance in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she could pursue a new path in line with this series.
5 Avengers: The Children’s Crusade Brings Wanda’s Family Back Together
While the series focuses on Billy and Tommy searching for the Scarlet Witch, Wanda’s role in this series gave her the independence she had lacked in a lot of her stories. In her own words, she has always been Pietro’s sister, or Magneto’s daughter, or Vision’s wife. This was a step toward her being her own person. It also ties in heavily to her being a Nexus being, a concept that WandaVision hinted at but never delved into.
It also reunited Wanda with her sons and started to mend some of the hurt she had caused during her Avengers: Disassembled and House of M breakdowns. While this might not be necessary yet, if Wanda goes full dark side, this could be a great way to bring her back to the light.
4 The Final Hex Delves Into Wanda’s Family History
The last arc for the Scarlet Witch solo book from 2015 touches on the source of Wanda’s powers and her family’s connection to it. While much of the arc ties to Wanda’s Romani heritage—something the MCU has ignored in casting and story arcs—her magical ties to her family could still be a major story point as Wanda explores what being the Scarlet Witch means.
The revelations about the causes of Wanda’s breakdowns and issues both with her mental health and her powers in this story could continue to add depth to the MCU version of the character.
3 Empyre: X-Men Is Where Good Intentions Lead To Dark Places
Atoning for her sins against mutant-kind has been a motivating factor in Wanda Maximoff’s life since the M-Day event during the House of M story arc. In her latest attempt to make up for her depowering of most of the mutant population, she tried to bring the dead mutants on Genosha back to life. She succeeded, but not quite the way she wanted to. They returned as zombies.
While the mutants are not part of the MCU yet, so resurrecting the victims of a mutant genocide wouldn’t work, it’s possible that Wanda may try this kind of magic somewhere else, like in Sokovia.
2 Avengers: Disassembled Changed The Avengers Forever
When Wanda discovered the fate of her children, her mind broke and she lashed, attacking the Avengers and blaming them for the loss. The Avengers mansion was destroyed, a Kree invasion appeared over Central Park and several Avengers were killed, including Scott Lang, Hawkeye and Vision, who she used as a suicide bomber, sending an army of Ultrons to fight the Avengers.
It wasn’t until the end that the Avengers found out that she was the source of the attacks and the fallout from Avengers: Disassembled led to the events she is most well-known for. While the fate of the Avengers is up in the air in the MCU at the moment, it’s possible that, if Wanda lashes out, she could target her old teammates.
1 House Of M Changed The World
Having lost her grip on reality, and under the urging of her brother, Wanda Maximoff rewrote reality on a massive scale, putting mutants in charge as the dominant species on the planet. She changed everything. She raised the dead, changed relationships, jobs and every other detail of the lives of billions of people. Only Wolverine noticed the change and with some help, he reawakens the heroes. They battle those who don’t know, and the battle culminates in Wanda’s deadly proclamation, “No more mutants.”
The MCU has presented us with Wanda having powers of this kind, if not quite at this scale, so it’s an easy jump from Wanda at the end of WandaVision, having had a serious power jump, to a House of M level event in the MCU.
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