Wanda Maximoff

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"Everyone's afraid of something."

―Wanda Maximoff^[src]

Wanda Maximoff is the Scarlet Witch, an extremely powerful sorceress who utilises Chaos Magic and the power to manipulate reality itself.

Wanda was a native of the Eastern European country of Sokovia, who grew up with her older twin brother, Pietro. Following the death of their parents thanks to a Stark Industries bomb, the twins became radicalised and agreed to undergo experiments with the Scepter containing the Mind Stone under the supervision of Wolfgang von Strucker's HYDRA cell, which unlocked her powers as a result, with Wanda attaining various abilities including telekinesis, telepathy, and energy manipulation.

When HYDRA fell, the twins allied with Ultron to get their revenge on Tony Stark, but eventually switched sides and joined the Avengers when they discovered Ultron's true intentions. Although Pietro was killed during the fight, Wanda survived and became a member of the Avengers. During the Avengers Civil War, she sided with Steve Rogers and was briefly imprisoned in the Raft before Rogers freed her along with his teammates.

Over the next few years, Wanda started a romantic relationship with Vision and started living off the grid in Europe. However, they came under threat from Thanos and the Black Order, who sought the Infinity Stone in Vision's head. After coming under attack by the Order, the two Avengers reunited with their teammates and sought refuge in Wakanda. Wanda partook in the city's defense when the Black Order launched a major assault against it, and during the battle, she managed to destroy the Mind Stone in attempt to stop Thanos, killing Vision in the process. The Mad Titan completely overpowered Wanda and used the Time Stone to reverse Vision's destruction. He then took the stone from Vision destroying him in the process and completed the Infinity Gauntlet. After he snapped his fingers, Wanda disintegrated into ashes along with half of every civilization in the universe.

Five years later, Wanda was restored along with everyone else lost in the Decimation and joined the Avengers in the Battle for Earth against the Thanos of 2014's army. Following Thanos' defeat, Wanda tried to locate Vision's body but realised he was truly gone. She went to Westview, New Jersey where she and Vision had bought the deeds to a property. Her grief manifested in a huge surge of power and created the Westview Anomaly and a construct of her lost love.

Biography

Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude - This Scepter'd Isle

As HYDRA was harnessing the power of the scepter for a variety of effects, such as powering paraphernalia ranging from their own technology to Chitauri tech recovered from New York, Strucker approaches a group of Sokovian rioters, offering them the power needed to save their country. Among the rioters are twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. The Sokovians agree, and each undergo a number of tests where they are exposed to the scepter's energy; out of all of the test subjects, only the Maximoffs survive.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Wolfgang von Strucker led a HYDRA scientist to "the twins", and declared it was the "age of miracles". Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were held in separate cells in a HYDRQ outpost in Sokovia.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Scarlet Witch and her brother are seen in the building in Sokovia that the Avengers are attacking in order to take back Loki's Scepter. The twins, against Strucker's wishes, help out HYDRA against the Avengers. While Quicksilver went into the field, Scarlet Witch stayed behind and manipulated the mind of Iron Man when he infiltrated the building. She made him see a dark setting set in space where the rest of his teammates were either deceased or dying, with Captain America pointing out that Stark could have saved them. Scarlet Witch then allows Iron Man to steal the Scepter with the hopes that his inner thoughts would consume him.

Upon arrival to Avengers Tower, Maria Hill debriefs Captain America on the twins they encountered and the powers they used. Stark and Bruce Banner analyze the Scepter and deem it an appropriate mechanism to jumpstart their global peacekeeping program, Ultron. Ultron eventually goes rogue and the artificial intelligence escapes, bringing the Scepter with him.

At an abandoned building in Sokovia, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are summoned by Ultron, who is now in a rudimentary body made up of resources found in Strucker's former base. The twins, having opened up about their hatred for Iron Man, join Ultron's crusade. They travel to Wakanda and apprehend Ulysses Klaue for access to his vibranium stockpile. The Avengers arrive and a short battle ensues. The team is rendered unable to fight due to Scarlet Witch's mind manipulations and the Ultron escapes with the vibranium. Captain America sees a vision of what his life could have been if he was not frozen, with Peggy Carter asking him to dance. Thor is startled by an aggravated Heimdall who yells at Thor for not saving Asgard. Black Widow envisions her former life at the KGB and recalls the extreme tactics that were employed to make her the perfect assassin. Having been subdued by Hawkeye, she leaves the shipyard with her brother, and she then decides to manipulate Banner. Banner's vision is unseen but it causes him to turn into a hyper-aggressive Hulk that destroys the neighboring city.

Ultron and the twins travel to Seoul and force Avengers ally Dr. Helen Cho to use her technology to generate a new body for Ultron made of the stolen vibranium and organic matter. As Ultron uploads his programming into the new matter, Scarlet Witch is able to read the mind of his new body - being made out of synthetic tissue instead of pure inorganic matter - and discovers his scheme to bring about human extinction. Horrified by this revelation, she and her brother turn on Ultron and decide to join the Avengers who have arrived in Korea to save Cho, take back the Scepter, and claim the organic-metal body. After the Avengers fight amongst themselves in Avengers Tower, the team, now joined by the twins and the newly-formed Vision, travels to Sokovia to stop Ultron.

In Sokovia, Ultron has built an anti-gravity machine that would allow the city to rise above the Earth and then impact the Earth, satisfying his goal. The Avengers fight Ultron's army and help the Sokovian citizens get to safety. Quicksilver is killed by Ultron and this causes a vengeful Scarlet Witch to abandon her post and attack Ultron. This allows a drone to activate the machine and the city quickly plummets. Scarlet Witch destroys Ultron's body, rendering the robot obsolete. The city is destroyed by Iron Man and Thor, and the Vision destroys the last drone.

At the new Avengers base in upstate New York, Scarlet Witch is seen as one of the new recruits to the team after the roster shifts.

Captain America: Civil War

"We can't control their fear, only my own!"

―Wanda Maximoff^[src]

With her powers of mental manipulation and telekinesis, Wanda brings a new dimension to the newly formed Avengers team. Just as Wanda begins to feel like she is no longer an outsider, she is unwillingly at the center of the controversy over government regulation of the Avengers. Following Hawkeye, the one Avenger that she knows will always have her back, Wanda joins Cap's team.

Avengers: Infinity War

In the two years since the Avengers Civil War, Wanda and Vision became lovers and moved to Scotland together to explore their relationship. The other Avengers lost contact with them, as Vision turned off his transponder. They were concerned that Vision was in danger from Thanos, who wanted the Mind Stone that powered him. When he and Wanda were attacked by Thanos' forces, Captain America, Black Widow and the Falcon came to help them beat Thanos' people back.

They returned to the New Avengers Facility to confer with War Machine, who inexplicably refused to arrest them as ordered. He joined them in protecting the Vision from further Thanos attacks. Captain America took them to Wakanda in hopes that Black Panther's sister Shuri could remove the Mind Stone from Vision while preserving his personality. Wanda would then destroy it to keep it from Thanos.

While Shuri worked frantically to accomplish her goal, Thanos sent his forces to attack Wakanda. Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian led a horde of Outriders to overpower Wakanda's warriors and take the Vision for Thanos. The Avengers joined Wakanda's warriors (the Dora Milaje, the War Dogs and the Jabari) to repel the attack. Scarlet Witch stayed behind to protect Shuri and the Vision and to destroy the stone when it was time.

When the battle turned against Wakanda, Wanda left her post and saved the lives of General Okoye and a host of Wakanda's finest warriors. They were overrun by the Outriders when Wanda scattered them with one powerful blast, causing Okoye to quip "Why was she in there all this time?"

With Wanda gone, Corvus Glaive broke into the lab and tried to kill Shuri to get the Vision. Vision got up from the lab table and attacked Glaive to save her. During the fighting, Wanda destroyed the Mind Stone while it was still in Vision's head to keep it from Thanos. He promptly used the Time Stone to bring Vision back to full function with the Mind Stone intact- and then ripped it out of Vision's head, seemingly killing him again.

With all six stones in his possession, Thanos accomplished his goal – he killed half the universe with a snap of his fingers. Wanda was among that half and crumbled into dust.

Avengers: Endgame

When Bruce Banner used the Infinity Stones retrieved from the past to restore everyone that Thanos had disintegrated, Wanda was resurrected and arrived through one of Stephen Strange's portals to help. Enraged by the loss of Vision, Wanda took on Thanos, but was eventually defeated before Thanos was destroyed by Tony Stark using the Stones at the cost of his own life.

Wanda later attended Tony's funeral, still devastated by the loss of Vision who was not restored. Clint Barton, grieving the loss of Natasha Romanoff, spoke with Wanda about those that they had lost.

WandaVision

"Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience"

To be added

"Don't Touch That Dial"

To be added

"Now in Color"

To be added

"We Interrupt This Program"

To be added

"On a Very Special Episode..."

To be added

"All-New Halloween Spooktacular!"

To be added

"Breaking the Fourth Wall"

To be added

"Previously On"

To be added

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

To be added

Character traits

Wanda and her brother Pietro have Eastern European accents.

Having dealt with tragedy and turmoil at such a young age, Wanda desired to free her country from the terrors of war. This desire grew to such a point that she volunteered to be experimented on by HYDRA, eventually gaining the formidable powers she now possesses. Compared to her brother, Pietro, Wanda is quieter and less aggressive. Despite that, she appears to have full control of her power and would not hesitate to use it on her enemies to achieve her goals. She was not the type to face a foe in direct combat, opting to disable her foes with her powers when their guard is down.

Despite her desire to destroy the Avengers, she ultimately chose to betray Ultron after learning his true intentions and sided with the very people she tried to take down. This shows that Wanda is willing to set aside her personal grudges for the common good, as she ultimately joined the Avengers in evacuating Sokovia and opposing Ultron.

Her hatred for Tony Stark's role in the destruction her country endured and the death of her parents motivated her to implant visions of a bleak future into his mind, thus setting up the events that led to the eventual destruction of Sokovia. Wanda acknowledges this to Clint Barton, sordidly blaming herself for the carnage and questioning why she let such chaos happen.

However, after being encouraged by Clint, Wanda displayed great courage and selflessness, aiding him in fighting off the Sentries and protecting and escorting civilians to safety before standing alongside the Avengers in wiping out most of Ultron's forces. This is paramounted by how she chose to stay behind and guard the key, reiterating that it was her job, and making Pietro promise to come back for her only when everyone else is safe.

Wanda and Pietro share a deep, emotional bond, though they would occasionally bicker like normal siblings. Wanda was looked after by Pietro and she would always rely on him for support. Pietro's death by Ultron's hands unleashed a fury within Wanda that pushed her to leave her post and rip out Ultron's central processor to make him feel the pain he inflicted, avenging her beloved brother by ripping out the robot's heart.

Despite the pain of losing her brother and the loss of her home, Wanda still chose to join the second incarnation of the Avengers, led by Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff.

After committing a grave error in a mission in Lagos, Wanda has experienced yet another emotional blow as her actions inadvertently lead to the creation of the Sokovia Accords. She has spent a great amount of time in the Avengers headquarters as she feels that she has caused enough trouble. Fortunately, after being convinced yet again by Clint (who came out of retirement to join Steve's cause) she mustered up the courage to join the battle.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Superhuman Physiology: Wanda and her brother Pietro are classified as "Enhanced" by the Avengers. The twins were experimented on by Strucker using Loki's scepter. The ending results gave the twins different and unique power sets as a result. Some of Wanda's abilities are a form of raw, untrained magic.
- Telekinesis: Wanda can telekinetically move objects or other individuals without physically touching them; she can affect and control molecules and particles, as well as physical forces such as kinetic energy, friction, pressure, density, state of matter, gravity pressure, vectors, etc. Wanda's telekinetically energy is a visible red color.
- Levitation: Due to Wanda's telekinesis; she is able to move herself through the air and simulate flight, in order to hover and safely float back to the ground.
- Telepathy: Wanda can telepathically read minds or communicate and experience memories and thoughts of other individuals or project her own thoughts through a neuro-electric interface. Whenever Wanda utilizes her telepathic powers; both of her eyes sometimes glow dark red, especially when she concentrate it on certain targets.
- Mind Control: Wanda is able to deploy a form of mental manipulation, often as a type of illusory hypnosis, using the same neuro-electric interface that allows her telepathy.
- Phobikinesis: Wanda can elicit fear or emotional pain in an individual in the form of nightmarish hallucinations; that could stun and weaken even an individual as powerful as Thor.
- Psionic Force-Field Generation: Wanda can create a highly durable barrier of energy that she can shape and deform as she needed to.
- Energy Blasts: Wanda can generate bright red energy from both her hands, and can harness it to create energy blasts. Wanda can also project energy blasts, orbs, waves and bolts, by projecting her own psionic and kinetic energy, or gathering particles, molecules and physical forces into a contained space, allowing her to either blow, destroy, push/pull or direct her hits at her opponents.
Chaos Magic Manipulation: As revealed by Agatha Harkness, Wanda was born with latent magical abilities that were later amplified through her exposure to the Mind Stone. Able to harness Chaos Magic, Maximoff was the realisation of the myth of the "Scarlet Witch", a being capable of spontaneous creation.
- Probability Hex: From a young age, Wanda was able to cast Probability Hexes, using one such hex to prevent the detonation of a missile during two days.
- Reality Warping: Maximoff has the ability to rewrite reality. Using this power, Wanda was able to take control of Westview by placing a hexagonal force field around the town called the Hex. Inside the Hex, Maximoff has absolute power and can change anything to suit her thinking, being able to create a perfect world based on classic sitcoms, as well as use her powers to change reality and make any person or any object adapt to the time in which they were live in Westview.
- Time Manipulation: Wanda used her abilities to first overcook a chicken and then revert it back to egg stage. She also was able to rewind time when it was interrupted by S.W.O.R.D. agent Franklin and reverting a broken bookshelf back to its original state after being broken by the ejected Monica. While expanding the Hex to save Vision, Maximoff caused time in Westview to completely stop.
- Conjuration: Within the Hex, Wanda was able to create wedding rings for herself and Vision simply by pointing at their fingers. During the magic show, Wanda conjured a small crane to cover up Vision's flight. Later, she was created a dog collar for Sparky. She was able to bring back Vision, conjuring a copy of her deceased lover within Westview with chaos magic, as well as creating a house for them to live in.
- Teleportation: During "Illusion"'s magic box trick, Wanda teleported Geraldine from back stage into the box.
- Transmutation: Wanda transformed a real piano into a cardboard cutout. She also combined her and Vision's single beds into a double. When dealing with pain from her contractions, Wanda inadvertently changed her coat several times. Wanda was also able to change Monica Rambeau's S.W.O.R.D. uniform into 1950s appropriate clothing, and remained that way while leaving the Hex.
- Electrokinesis: While suffering from Braxton Hicks contractions, Wanda caused a power surge that created a power outage that affected the whole block.
- Atmokinesis: When Wanda's water broke, a rainstorm flooded the house. Once the rain had stopped, Wanda generated intense winds to pour in from outside to dry everything.

Abilities

Bilingualism: As a native Sokovian, Wanda speaks that language fluently, in addition to English (albeit initially with a thick Sokovian accent which faded).
Skilled Hand-To-Hand Combatant: Wanda initially had poor combat skills, as she had no combat skills or training, after becoming a member of the Avengers, Wanda received extensive training in hand-to-hand combat from Captain America and Black Widow so became a skilled hand-to-hand combatant.
Skilled Spy: Wanda received extensive training in espionage from Black Widow, as she taught how to hide in plain sight; such as masking her thick Sokovian accent with an American one.

Relationships

Wolfgang von Strucker - Former ally.
Dr. List - Former ally.
Ultron - Ally turned enemy.
Ultron Sentries - Allies turned enemies.
Nick Fury - Ally.
Helen Cho - Ally.
Avengers
- Steve Rogers/Captain America - Enemy turned ally and team leader.
- Tony Stark/Iron Man - Enemy turned ally and teammate. Brief enemy during the Sokovia Accords; deceased.
- Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver - Older twin brother and teammate; deceased.
- Thor Odinson - Enemy turned ally and teammate.
- Bruce Banner/Hulk - Enemy turned ally and teammate.
- Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Enemy turned ally and teammate. Brief enemy during the Sokovia Accords; deceased.
- Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Enemy turned friend, ally and teammate.
James Rhodes/War Machine - Ally and teammate. Brief enemy during the Sokovia Accords.
Sam Wilson - Ally and teammate.
Vision - Friend, ally, love interest and teammate. Brief enemy during the Sokovia Accords; deceased.
T'Challa/Black Panther - Enemy turned ally.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man - Enemy turned ally.
Okoye - Ally.
Shuri - Ally.
M'Baku - Ally
Ulysses Klaue - Enemy; deceased.
Thaddeus Ross - Enemy.
Brock Rumlow/Crossbones - Enemy and attempted victim; deceased.
Helmut Zemo - Enemy.
Thanos - Enemy and killer; deceased.
Corvus Glaive - Enemy and attempted killer; deceased.
Proxima Midnight - Enemy, attempted killer, and victim; deceased.
Gamora (2014 version) - Ally.
Thanos (2014 version) - Enemy and attempted victim; deceased.
Leviathans (2014 versions) - Enemies.

Appearances/Actresses

Marvel Cinematic Universe (6 films)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (First appearance) - Elizabeth Olsen
- Avengers: Age of Ultron - Elizabeth Olsen
- Captain America: Civil War - Elizabeth Olsen
- Avengers: Infinity War - Elizabeth Olsen
- Avengers: Endgame - Elizabeth Olsen
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Elizabeth Olsen
Marvel Cinematic Universe (2 series)
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  - "The Dirty Half Dozen" (Mentioned only)
- WandaVision - Elizabeth Olsen and Michaela Russell (Young)
Marvel Cinematic Universe (2 comics)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude - This Scepter'd Isle
- Black Widow Prelude

Behind the scenes

The film's character is based off of the Ultimate Marvel version.
Due to 20th Century Fox's ownership of the X-Men and all associated film rights, Wanda Maximoff was only available to Marvel Studios as an enhanced human, not a mutant. Following the Fox/Disney merger this could be modified.
- In the Marvel Visual Dictionary, it was implied that Wanda's powers could be the result of Strucker's experiments triggering "something latent" inside of her, which may have been done to open up the possibility of her possessing a latent mutant gene.

Trivia

Elizabeth Olsen took the role after Saoirse Ronan passed on the offer.
Lindsay Lohan auditioned for the role.
Elizabeth Olsen's role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier was uncredited.
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn revealed that the both the twins were originally going to appear in the film's post end credit scene.
Wanda is the first female character to be introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a movie to have superpowers.
Wanda's screen time in Avengers: Age of Ultron is 20:59.