Summary
- Two-part Avengers crossover expected to surpass Endgame's star-studded portal scene in character returns.
- Scarlet Witch's MCU return hinted in TVA comic, possibly tied to Doctor Strange and Doomsday plot.
- Olsen open to reprising role in multiple MCU projects, including potential Scarlet Witch standalone movie.
Things are heading toward another Avengers crossover in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and while 2025 marks six years since the climactic Avengers: Endgame took the world’s highest-grossing franchise into the events of the Multiverse Saga, there’s still a little longer until fans find out what’s over the horizon. The two-part Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to top Endgame’s star-studded portal scene in terms of character returns, although not everyone will be invited to MCU’s next big party.
With some 35 MCU movies and numerous TV series, there were already hundreds of characters before Marvel Studios got to the multiversal potential of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine cracking open cameos from the past of Marvel movies. As Captain America: Brave New World reminds audiences, there’s no active version of the Avengers right now. Still, with reality-shattering like the Illuminati and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom seemingly on the way, nothing can unite Earth’s Mightiest Heroes quite a threat to the entire Multiverse.
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The MCU Hints at Scarlet Witch’s Return
Details are still thin on the ground on who will be part of 2026’ Doomsday cast, although characters from Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are confirmed to appear while Benedict Cumberbatch has said he won’t be back as Doctor Strange in the fifth Avengers movie. A supposed ‘New Avengers’ lineup pitches the likes of Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, and Simu Liu’s Shang Chi as likely inclusions, but what about the Scarlet Witch herself?
Introduced to the MCU in a mid-credits sting for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Elisabeth Olsen quickly settled into her role as Wanda Maximoff and became a major part of Avengers: Age of Ultron. As well as being dubbed the MCU’s strongest character by Kevin Feige himself, the love for Ms. Maximoff only grew thanks to the post-Endgame WandaVision. Some were confused by the handling of her character during Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and while Wanda seemed to perish alongside her Scarlet Witch persona, fans didn’t need the power of the Multiverse to realize there were any number of ways to bring her back.
Marvel Comics’ new TVA comic is canon to the MCU and just gave the Russo Brothers the ‘perfect’ way to bring Wanda back for Doomsday. Written by Loki and Daredevil Born Again’s Katharyn Blair, the comic focuses on the Time Variance Authority and its workers trying to keep a leash on the Sacred Timeline. The third issue involved Spider-Gwen going into a secure area of the TVA and finding Wanda Maximoff imprisoned. Given that she looks like Olsen’s version and is wearing the same Scarlet Witch getup when she was crushed under Mt. Wundagore at the end of Multiverse of Madness, fans quickly started to connect the dots.
Things get even more interesting when TVA artist Pere Perez took to Instagram and said:
“To address all the questions about it that I'm getting: yes, this is the same Wanda Maximoff played by Elisabeth Olsen on the MCU films. The other question, if it means that this comic is MCU continuity or any other issues about how this ties in with the movies or other comics, please ask the editor Jordan White, the writer Katharyn Blair or, I don't know… Kevin Feige?”
The idea is that the TVA swooped in and snatched Wanda moments before her death. Eagle-eyed fans spotted a red flash when Wanda ‘died’, leading to plenty of theories that she somehow survived. Agatha All Along tiptoed around the idea of Wanda’s death, with Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) saying that Ms. Maximoff was ‘gone’. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer told Deadline she was instructed to use very specific wording rather than directly stating she’s dead.
Things get even more confusing, as Perez has since backpedaled on the reveal that it’s Earth-616’s Wanda being kept in the TVA, telling readers to wait for TVA #4 for a better understanding. Given that Wanda destroyed the Darkhold in every universe when she brought down Mt. Wundagore, it makes sense that she’d pop up on the TVA’s radar. Added to this, the fact she’s an all-powerful Nexus Being means she’s the kind of person the agency would be keeping an eye on. Even if this isn’t the Wanda who supposedly perished at the end of Multiverse of Madness, she’s still a variant. Just like Earth-838’s Wanda is still alive, the one being kept in the TVA could easily be used to become the main MCU’s version and play a big part in Doomsday.
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Scarlet Witch is the MCU’s Secret Weapon
Alongside rumors that Olsen could reprise her role in Vision Quest, her return to the MCU could come a little sooner. The actor has stayed close to the Scarlet Witch and will provide the character’s voice in Marvel Zombies, having discussed the idea of a live-action return plenty of times before. Speaking to Dublin radio outlet FM104 in 2024, Olsen explained:
“It’s a character that I love going back to when there’s a way to use her well…So if there’s a good way to use her I’m always happy to come back, however they can make that make sense.”
This has been echoed by MCU overlord Kevin Feige, who told Omelette:
"We had Agatha All Along on Disney+ just now, and that series was great for us. Since then, many questions have remained in fans' minds about Wanda... So, all I can say is we are excited to find out when and how Scarlet Witch can return."
Many felt it was a matter of when (not if) Olsen reprises her role in live-action, with the TVA comic bringing fans one step closer. Beyond the next two Avengers movies, there are theories that Agatha All Along and Vision Quest are building toward the long-rumored Scarlet Witch standalone movie. More than just her reality-warping abilities making her an OP addition to the MCU, Olsen’s portrayal of the character has made her a fan-favorite addition. Even though there are sure to be some major character deaths akin to Endgame in the next two Avengers movies, Wanda’s recent ‘death’ means she’ll likely survive and carry the MCU into whatever comes after Secret Wars.
Concept art supposedly from the next two Avengers movies shows off both Wiccan (Joe Locke) and Speed (actor known) serving as part of the Young Avengers, while Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord is also seen alongside Paul Bettany’s White Vision. There’s a medieval theme to the concept art that looks like it portrays Doom’s stomping ground of Latveria. There could be a twist on the Avengers: The Children’s Crusade comic book arc when an amnesiac Wanda Maximoff is engaged to Doom. Recent rumors claim that RDJ’s Doom will be teaming up with Scarlet Witch in Doomsday, although the latest reports claim the leaked concept art is mainly from Secret Wars. If this is the case, there could be a bit more of a wait until Wanda is back to her old self in the MCU.
