Scarlet Witch's MCU Return Reveals Wanda's True Power Before Avengers: Doomsday
El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.
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The Scarlet Witch's saga isn't over yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and an upcoming show will remind the world of her true power before Avengers: Doomsday. Following WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff has been tragically absent from Marvel's storytelling. Though the multiverse-hopping Doctor Strange sequel made it seem as though the Scarlet Witch perished beneath the crumbling Mount Wundagore — and her death was later confirmed in The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline — she's still influencing the MCU's storytelling.
In less than two weeks, the long-awaited VisionQuest, starring Paul Bettany as White Vision and the returning James Spader as Ultron, will finally arrive on Disney+. VisionQuest will mark the official end of the trilogy that began with WandaVision, as White Vision, created as a clone of the original android hero (who died in Avengers: Infinity War, leading to Wanda's overwhelming, reality-altering grief), attempts to piece together his own identity with the help of a few well-known Marvel AIs. In the latest VisionQuest trailer, White Vision sums up his predicament with startlingly honest clarity: "I have his memories, but not his virtue."
Those memories, however, will play a key role in White Vision's story, as he not only tries to find himself but also Wanda's and Vision's alternate-reality son, Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica). Though Marvel has been tight-lipped about Olsen's potential return in VisionQuest and the upcoming two-part Avengers team-up, a new social media promo reveals she will have a role to play in Vision's story, especially in flashback form.
If White Vision is digging through his purple counterpart's memories, Wanda will be in almost every one. As the promo implies, briefly showing WandaVision-era Wanda casting her trauma-induced spell, the show could use previously unseen footage and other scenes from the Avengers movies or WandaVision to reveal Vision's perspective, rather than Wanda's. The promo doesn't just highlight her importance in White Vision's memories, though. It also highlights her immense power. As Vision says, "Wanda spun a Hex so powerful it became real."
When she trapped the town of Westview, she didn't just alter people's memories or create an illusion. She actually changed their reality. While that's terrifying enough, it's not even close to the kind of power her comic book counterpart has wielded in the past. At one point, Wanda altered reality so deeply that mutantkind was nearly wiped out of existence, with no one any the wiser. Wanda's power is extraordinary. If the Scarlet Witch does reappear in the MCU (as she should), she'll be capable of anything.
Wanda Maximoff's MCU Story Deserves A Proper Resolution
If Wanda's role in VisionQuest is limited to previously shot flashbacks, it's all the more important that she returns in the future, either in Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, or beyond, in Marvel's upcoming Mutant Saga. Wanda may have destroyed all copies of the Darkhold in every multiversal reality during her heroic self-sacrifice in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that doesn't mean every variant of the Scarlet Witch died at the same time.
Perhaps a variant of Wanda actually works for Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom; her reality-warping powers would certainly be useful in his arsenal. This theory makes the most sense, as Marvel Studios' SDCC showcase revealed a costume for a character known only as a "Latverian Witch." This is the perfect way to hide Wanda's role. After revealing Chris Evans' monumental return as Steve Rogers, the movie surely has other tricks up its sleeve (Olsen has repeatedly denied involvement in Doomsday, though this is nothing new for the MCU. Just ask Andrew Garfield).
Alternatively, Marvel could decide to retcon its book-only confirmation of Earth-616 Wanda's demise. Her body was never shown. In Marvel Comics lore, the Scarlet Witch is labeled as a Nexus Being, a keystone for the multiverse. In a 13-year-old interview, Olsen herself explained the concept: "She's the only human being from this universe who can communicate with paranormal things and the past and the future and other universes; like to me, that's pretty incredible. Just thinking about that is amazing! To touch things and know where they've been, that's crazy."
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01
The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together?
✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain.
02
In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man?
✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed.
03
Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet?
✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history.
04
In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer?
✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer.
05
Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program?
✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow.
06
The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk?
✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk.
07
In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America?
✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past.
08
Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron?
✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around.
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Would a being that powerful really be killed by a collapsing mountain? Agatha Harkness voiced her doubts in Agatha All Along. Perhaps, as one MCU fan theory suggested, that red flash of light was actually Wanda trapping herself in a pocket universe, similar to what a variant of Doctor Strange did in Marvel's multiversal animated series What If...?. As Doom prepares to take over the multiverse, an incursion could make Wanda's created universe collide with Earth-616, bringing her back to the MCU's primary timeline. Perhaps it's the primary version of Wanda that's Doom's acolyte, after he saved her from her own collapsing universe.
Though it requires a retcon, this would be the most emotionally fitting return for her character. With White Vision, Billy Maximoff, and Tommy Maximoff all (relatively) safe and sound in the MCU, Wanda deserves a moment of actual happiness and a chance to truly atone for her rampage in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. No character has endured more trauma and grief than Wanda Maximoff; never bringing her back, in VisionQuest or elsewhere, would be a terrible waste.
VisionQuest premieres on October 14, exclusively on Disney+.
- Release Date
- October 14, 2026
- Network
- Disney+
- Showrunner
- Terry Matalas
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The Vision
-
Henry Lewis
D.U.M.-E
-
James D'Arcy
J.A.R.V.I.S.
-
Orla Brady
F.R.I.D.A.Y.
- Directors
- Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro
- Writers
- Terry Matalas
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Creator(s)
- Terry Matalas
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