Every MCU Movie Featuring Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch, Ranked

Published Sep 4, 2026, 3:29 PM EDT

David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year.

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The MCU has many incredible characters in its roster. Indeed, the compelling and popular characters are a huge reason behind the franchise's success, whether it's the cocky billionaire Tony Stark, the self-sacrificing Boy Scout Steve Rogers, or the ever-changing God of Thunder Thor. Beyond these three, the ever-expanding franchise features everything from talking, genetically enhanced raccoons to green, shape-shifting aliens, Eternals, Celestials, and more.

Of all the MCU characters, however, few are as interesting, powerful, and outright iconic as the Scarlet Witch. Played by the über talented Elizabeth Olsen, Wanda Maximoff made her MCU debut over a decade ago and has become one of the main pillars holding the entire franchise. Fans love how overpowered she is, not to mention how morally grey and often unhinged she is. In a franchise that's too afraid to allow its heroes to be messy, Wanda is chaos personified. So far, the Scarlet Witch has appeared in five movies in the MCU, but which is the best? We'll be ranking them based on several character-specific factors, including Wanda's characterization, how important her role is, Olsen's performance, and how well they contribute to the witch's overall journey.

5 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)

Image via Marvel Studios

Avengers: Endgame might arguably be the best movie in the MCU, and for good reason. It's an exhilarating conclusion ten years in the making, featuring the last stand between Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Thanos (Josh Brolin). It juggles multiple characters, offers plenty of fan service moments, and ultimately acts as the perfect closing chapter to the Infinity Saga. There's also a case to be made that Endgame sort of ruined the MCU by reaching heights it couldn't possibly replicate, but that's another story.

In this ranking, Endgame is last simply because Wanda has very little to do, which makes sense since she was dusted at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. She returns during the third act and has a particularly memorable moment when she almost takes down Thanos in a one-on-one battle. Other than that, she has a few more scenes, mainly the divisive A-Force moment and a brief exchange with Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) at Tony's funeral. However, of her five MCU movies, Endgame is the one where she has the least to do.

4 'Avengers: Civil War' (2016)

Image via Marvel Studios

Wanda's second appearance would come a year after Age of Ultron. Captain America: Civil War sees Wanda accidentally blow up a building during a mission in Laos, killing several innocents in the process. Her actions lead to the creation of the Sokovia Accords, a government initiative meant to control the Avengers and put them in check. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark disagree on the Accords, leading to a rupture within the Avengers, with Wanda joining Steve's side.

Civil War is less the third entry in the Captain America series and more an unofficial Avengers movie. Wanda has a large supporting role, acting as both the catalyst for the conflict and one of the most powerful members of Steve's team. She has several cool moments during the thrilling airport battle before being imprisoned at the Raft prison, effectively taking her out of commission. The beginnings of her eventual romance with Vision (Paul Bettany) are also chronicled, but it's only a couple of scenes, and there's really not much there, which makes sense since this is still technically a Captain America movie. However, it's a nice stepping stone in her overall arc.

Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man

😈Daredevil

🤖Iron Man

💀Punisher

⚡Thor

🛡️Cap

FIND YOUR HERO →

01

What drives you to do what's right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility — I protect those who can't protect themselves. BMy faith and my conscience — I believe justice must be served, even in the dark. CLegacy and ego, honestly — but I've learned that others depend on me now. DThe system failed. Someone has to make sure the guilty actually pay. EDuty to the innocent and honour to my name — I was born to protect realms. FThe values I was raised with — freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

It's 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you'd think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood. BRunning rooftops in Hell's Kitchen, listening for trouble. CIn my lab, upgrading my suit with a cold cup of coffee nearby. DStaking out a target I've been tracking for three weeks. ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand. FOn a morning run — I was up at 4, actually. Couldn't sleep.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What's yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police — again. BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their entire operation from the inside. CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins. DMake sure they don't escape a third time. Permanently. EChallenge them to single combat. Honour demands a decisive end. FRally allies, adapt the plan, and bring them in — by the book, even if it's hard.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.

AEssential — my loved ones would be in danger if anyone found out who I am. BCritical — the mask protects my mission as much as my face. COverrated — I announced myself to the world and I'd do it again. DI'm a ghost. The less people know about me, the better. EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There's no hiding it. FI don't hide — but I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

You've lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away — it pushes me to do better, every single day. BI channel it into purpose — their memory is the reason I keep fighting. CI buried myself in work for years. I'm only recently learning to face it. DIt transformed me completely. I'm not the same person I was before. EWith warrior's grief — I honour them by fighting with everything I have. FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

What's your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work — and keeps the mood up. BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most. CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation. DI don't do teams. I'm more effective operating solo, on my terms. EThe heavy hitter — I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of battle. FThe leader — I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure no one gets left behind.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly — I don't kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly. BI try to hold the line, but I've come terrifyingly close to crossing it. CPractically — I do what's necessary to protect people, including hard calls. DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice — the system just won't admit it. EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned — not automatic. FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles, we become what we fight against.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

When you're not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.

ATrying to juggle school, a part-time job, and not failing my friends. BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the streets. CRunning a global company, attending galas, and pretending I'm sleeping enough. DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions. ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world — coffee is extraordinary. FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

NEXT QUESTION →

09

What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.

AThe people I couldn't save — and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow. BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too. CThe threats I can see coming and whether my tech is actually good enough. DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I've made my choices. EWhether I'm truly worthy — of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect. FA world where no one stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

NEXT QUESTION →

10

The battle is lost. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one web shot that changes everything. BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat — and keep going. CActivate the emergency protocol I built for exactly this scenario. Always have a plan. DI don't accept that it's lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot anymore. ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me. FPick up the shield. Stand up. Because as long as I can stand, it's not over.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…

Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

🕷️ Spider-Man

You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

• You do the right thing not because it's easy, but because no one else will.
• You understand that responsibility isn't a burden you choose — it's one that finds you.
• Whether it's a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
• Peter Parker's lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn't a slogan to you. It's the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.

😈 Daredevil

You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

• You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
• You've looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
• Matt Murdock's duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
• Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.

🤖 Iron Man

Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

• You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
• You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
• Tony Stark's arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
• You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you're willing to give everything. Because in the end, you're Iron Man.

💀 The Punisher

You've been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What's left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

• You don't ask for forgiveness, and you don't expect gratitude.
• You see a corrupt, broken world and you've decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
• Frank Castle's war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
• Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.

⚡ Thor

Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

• You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
• You're larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
• Thor's story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
• You bring the storm when it's needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.

🛡️ Captain America

You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

• You don't bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
• Steve Rogers didn't become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
• Your strength isn't in your fists; it's in your refusal to compromise what's right, no matter the cost.
• In a world full of people taking the easy road, you're the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

3 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015)

Image via Marvel Studios

Olsen made her MCU debut with 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ok, technically she first appeared in a cameo at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but Age of Ultron is her first proper appearance. Here, she and her twin brother, Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), ally with the rogue AI Ultron (James Spader) to take down the Avengers as revenge for their parents' deaths, which they attribute to Tony and his weapons company.

Age of Ultron gives us Wanda's backstory, even if most of it would later be retconned in WandaVision. Because she's merely one part of a large ensemble, the film doesn't really do as much with her as it could. However, it does a great job establishing her connection with Pietro, making his ultimate death genuinely affecting. Wanda goes from quasi-villain to reformed hero here, and she even debuts her signature red hair. Because the MCU still didn't have the rights to the mutants, she's described as an "enhanced," and there's no mention of her code name (which WandaVision would later make an actual title rather than a mere moniker). Still, Age of Ultron is a good showcase for Wanda, and a worthy introduction for her in the MCU.

2 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' (2002)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might just be one of the most divisive movies in the MCU. The long-awaited sequel sees Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) helping America Chavez (Xochitl Gómez), a young girl with the power to travel the multiverse, which she can't control. Turns out, America is being pursued by Wanda, now the Scarlet Witch and corrupted by the Darkhold, who wants to go to another universe where she can be with her children, Billy and Tommy.

Multiverse of Madness was the hardest movie to rank here. We can sit here and argue all day about whether writer Michael Waldron committed character assassination with Wanda (he kind of did). However, the fact remains that the film allows Olsen to unleash herself and play Wanda in all her demented, overpowered glory, and boy does she. Olsen gives a terrific and tragic performance, selling Wanda's corruption with convincing gusto. Unafraid to seem ruthless and irredeemable, the actress creates one of the most multifaceted and compelling villains in MCU history. The film ends with Wanda's apparent death, and indeed, we haven't seen her since. Her chances of returning are high, because it's the MCU we're talking about, but even if she doesn't, the film, flawed as it is, would still be a worthy sendoff to this brilliant character.

1 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)

Image via Marvel Studios

Finally, we arrive at what is undoubtedly Wanda's finest hour in the MCU. Avengers: Infinity War follows Thanos as he gathers the six Infinity Stones to carry out his ambitious plan of wiping out half the life in the universe. Because Vision has the Mind Stone, he is targeted by Thanos' Black Order, meaning Wanda must keep him safe while trying to help the Avengers prevent the literal obliteration of half the universe.

In the eyes of many, Infinity War is not only the best Avengers movie but the best MCU movie, full stop. The film perfectly balances multiple narrative threats and characters while keeping the narrative momentum firmly grounded in Thanos. That said, Wanda is also one of the film's linchpins, and her romance with Vision is arguably the emotional core of the whole thing. Both Olsen and Paul Bettany do a great job selling their characters' doomed love, making Wanda's ultimate choice to kill Vision herself by destroying the Mind Stone one of the franchise's most poignant moments. It's also the first time we see just how powerful she is, as she's capable of single-handedly destroying an Infinity Stone. Multiverse of Madness might be the Wanda movie, but Infinity War is the best movie overall, and considering Wanda's role is very meaningful in it, it's a worthy number one here.

Avengers: Infinity War