Many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have a tragic arc, but perhaps one of the saddest ones of all belongs to the Scarlet Witch. Originally an antagonist appearing in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Wanda has always straddled the line between heroism and villainy as her choices are affected by her trauma.
Wanda’s life holds as much tragedy as she does power, and much of it involves the loss of her loved ones. She hasn’t had a lot of genuine bonds, but most of the relationships she valued, she has lost. It stands to reason that she would become unmoored and lost to her own chaos magic.
9 Agatha Harkness Befriends Wanda In An Attempt To Use Her
As sad as it may seem, one of Wanda’s closest friends is actually her enemy. After Vision’s loss in Avengers: Endgame, Wanda retreats to Westview and, in an outburst of grief, engulfs the whole city in a massive spell fueled by chaos magic. She even recreates a version of Vision, and the two are married in an idyllic sitcom-inspired setting. But Wanda’s outburst of power attracts the wrong kind of attention, and the witch Agatha Harkness uses the Darkhold to wriggle her way into the Hex and the Vision household.
Throughout Wanda’s time in Westview, Agatha becomes a close friend of the young witch, under the identity of Agnes. In the end, she reveals her true colors, attempting to absorb Wanda’s chaos magic. Wanda repels her, using Agatha’s own techniques against her and embracing her true power as the Scarlet Witch. After her victory, she binds Agatha to her previous fake identity.
8 Natasha Romanov Trains Wanda In Spying Techniques
Before Wanda created a family in Westview, she had a temporary one in the Avengers. After she joins the heroes’ side against Ultron, she becomes an Avenger in her own right. Throughout this time, she undergoes training under Natasha Romanoff, who teaches her valuable spying techniques.
The two appear to have some degree of closeness, as Natasha attempts to comfort her after the Lagos catastrophe. This doesn’t stop Wanda from viciously attacking Natasha during the Avengers Civil War. By Avengers: Infinity War, it’s apparent that they have made amends, and Wanda and Natasha fight side by side once again against Thanos’s forces.
7 Captain America Reassures Wanda After The Lagos Catastrophe
As one of the most important figures in the Avengers, Steve Rogers is in charge of the missions Wanda is part of. When the team pursues Brock Rumlow in Lagos, the mission goes awry. Rumlow distracts Steve using Bucky’s name and activates a suicide vest. Wanda attempts to contain the blast but ends up directing it into a building and inadvertently killing the people inside. She is understandably guilt-stricken, but Steve reassures her, telling her it is not her fault.
Steve also rejects Tony Stark’s later attempt at compromise due to Wanda being perceived as a weapon of mass destruction. Seeing her stay at the Avengers Compound as a form of internment, he sends Clint to rescue her. Steve does mean well, but his influence on Wanda isn’t always positive. His decision ultimately makes things worse for Wanda, as it leads to her being imprisoned on the Raft.
6 Hawkeye Is The One Who Gives Her Hope And A Second Chance
The very first Avenger to actually see Wanda’s potential is Hawkeye. As the villainous AI Ultron unleashes devastation on Sokovia, Wanda struggles with the consequences of her actions and begins to lose morale. Hawkeye is there to reassure her and gives her the strength to stand, fight, and become an Avenger. He does something similar in Civil War, though, in that instance, it may not have been the best call.
The two also find comfort in each other after the deaths of Vision and Natasha in Endgame. Unfortunately, Clint fails to take into account Wanda’s mental state after the dust begins to settle. He leaves her on her own as he focuses on his family. It’s understandable that he would want to prioritize his wife and children, but the fact remains that he abandons her with no emotional support.
5 Monica Rambeau Is The Only Person Who Understands Her Perspective
During Wanda’s time in Westview, the organization SWORD is involved in containing and controlling the anomaly. While SWORD’s Acting Director, Tyler Hayward, intends to use Wanda’s power to weaponize Vision’s remains, the same thing cannot be said about other members of the group. Monica Rambeau is accidentally absorbed into the Hex while investigating it and becomes affected by the anomaly, transforming into Geraldine.
She becomes Wanda’s friend but is ejected from Westview after a comment she makes threatens Wanda’s idyllic fantasy. Even so, when everyone blames Wanda for her actions, Monica still has faith in her and argues that she isn’t a terrorist. This belief is so strong that she braves the Hex again, even if it changes her on a molecular level. She comes to Wanda’s aid during her confrontation with Hayward and, even at the end, understands the sacrifice Wanda made to free Westview.
4 Her Parents Are Tragically Killed In The Novi Grad Bombing
Wanda’s tragedy starts from the death of her parents, Iryna and Oleg Maximoff. The couple visibly loved their children very much, and the family often liked to watch American sitcoms together, a preference Wanda will later carry into adulthood. Tragically, Sokovia is later engulfed in heavy conflict.
A mortar shell hits their building, killing Wanda’s parents instantly. It is only Wanda’s latent chaos magic that saves her and Pietro from sharing their fate. To avenge them, the twins will later join HYDRA, and the organization’s experimentation with the Mind Stone will unlock Wanda’s true power as the Scarlet Witch.
3 Her Magically-Created Children Mean The World To Her
It seems unlikely that an android could father children, but nothing is impossible with chaos magic around. Billy and Tommy are Wanda and Vision’s twin boys. Created in the Hex, the children grow at an advanced pace and have supernatural powers of their own.
Billy displays psionic abilities similar to his mother’s, including telekinesis, telepathy, and even a form of precognition. Tommy takes after his uncle Pietro, his super-speed and stamina allowing him to effortlessly disarm SWORD agents. Both children are erased after the fall of the Hex, but Wanda hears them through the Darkhold later, suggesting they may still be out there somewhere.
2 Vision Is Wanda’s Husband And Her True Soulmate
Created during Age of Ultron from the code of Tony Stark’s AI, JARVIS, Vision is instrumental to Ultron’s defeat. Just like Wanda, he joins the team after the destruction of the rogue AI, and the two of them bond over their shared struggles. Vision is new to the world and still doesn’t understand many things about his existence. Meanwhile, Wanda is struggling with Pietro’s loss. A romantic connection appears between them.
Wanda’s decision to join Team Cap causes her to lash out at Vision, but in the end, the two mend their bond and start a secret relationship. Sadly, Vision is killed by Thanos during Infinity War. Wanda is so grief-stricken at his loss that she completely loses control of her powers and ends up creating a second version of him. In an even more tragic twist, she has to lose Hex Vision too.
1 Her Brother Pietro Always Wishes To Protect Wanda
Wanda’s twin brother, Pietro, may not have her chaos magic, but he still undergoes and survives HYDRA’s painful experiments, all to avenge the loss of his parents. Alongside Wanda, he originally joins Ultron in the fight against the Avengers, though it’s notable that he is far less sadistic than she is. He always wishes to protect his sister, but unfortunately, he doesn’t keep her from brainwashing Tony Stark – a disastrous choice that later leads to the deaths of many.
Once he and Wanda understand Ultron’s true goals, they switch sides. Pietro is tragically killed while protecting Hawkeye and an innocent child. A form of the character apparently returns in WandaVision, played by Evan Peters, the actor who portrays him in the Fox X-Men movies. Unfortunately, this version of Pietro is a fake, only a brainwashed citizen of Westview named Ralph Bohner. It is another blow for Wanda and for viewers who had hoped to see Pietro return.
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