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Marvel needs to bring a character like Wanda Maximoff back

wanda maximoff looking over her shoulder

Being a Scarlet Witch stan isn’t easy. We’ve had to fight to get our girl the respect she deserves. But since her “death” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has been missing that heart that Wanda brought to it.

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I am an unashamed Wanda fan. I think her character is one of the more fascinating characters in the entire Marvel canon. But that also means that when she is missing from the larger MCU, it can sometimes feel hollow. The thing is: Wanda has layers to her that many of the Marvel characters do not. Even when provided the chance to be a more dynamic character, the men of the MCU often lean one way or another in who they are.

Wanda is very morally grey which makes her a more complicated and, often, the ire of certain subsets of the Marvel fanbase. It is why I have felt so protective over the way people label Wanda. She isn’t a villain but I also understand why people don’t see her as a hero. That’s why I have been loud about the fact that she is an anti-hero.

All this to say that I think that the MCU is missing characters like that. Currently, we are in a rebuilding period with our teams and the characters we know and love. Even with a character like Bucky Barnes, who used to be an “anti-hero,” he has been reformed and changed for the better and is part of the good guys. If anything, our only real anti-hero is John Walker and even then, that’s a boring one to focus on.

So we need someone like Wanda Maximoff to bring some dynamic energy to the MCU as a whole. If the MCU is going to do something well, it’s going to be complicated women.

Let our complicated women shine

yelena looking straight ahead with short hair
(Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Call it favoritism or just that I love to see a dynamic woman shine but I really do love the female characters of the MCU that are labeled as “villains.” Which is probably why I am so excited about Thunderbolts. These characters have layers to them that the others don’t and I just think that the MCU needs more of them.

When it comes to Wanda, she’s growing the magic portion of the Marvel universe and I think without her in it, it isn’t going to work the same way. Plus I deserve a redemption after what Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did to her.

On the flip of that, we have characters like Yelena Belova leaning heavily into the darker parts of being a widow. Seeing these women shine is amazing and I just want to keep that up. I hope Ghost gets her time in Thunderbolts and I love how we view Nebula and Gamora now as well.

What I’m saying is that these characters make the MCU more interesting to me and I miss Wanda’s energy in my Marvel movies. So let’s bring her back because we all need more of the Scarlet Witch.

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Author
Image of Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman
Assistant Editor
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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