New reporting suggests that Marvel Studios may be eyeing another magic-wielding MCU character to take over for Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch for the franchise's future. Olsen was last seen in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as the towering Mount Wundagore crumbled down upon her during her final battle with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange. Thankfully, in the time since, MCU fans have been introduced to a new spell-slinger, Joe Locke's Wiccan (the consciousness of Wanda's son Billy transferred into the body of a random teenage boy).
Marvel Studios reportedly plans to develop another character to replace Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch in the MCU going forward, at least according to a new report from insider Alex Perez. That does not mean Olsen's Wanda character will not make her long-awaited comeback (as has been rumored for years). Still, the franchise's priorities seem to be shifting to the next generation of super-powered sorcerers.
Perez, who was writing as part of his regular The Cosmic Circus Q&As with readers, revealed the news when asked whether the MCU was done with Olsen's Scarlet Witch. He told the reader that he "think[s]" the Scarlet Witch will come back in some form but that Marvel Studios is "already prepping" her in-universe sons, Billy and Tommy (who either already are or will become the MCU heroes Wiccan and Speed), to take over for her:
Q: "Hi Alex! Do you think we will get to see the Scarlet Witch Post-Secret Wars?"
A: "I think so, but they’re already prepping Billy and Tommy to take over."
Fans have yet to see Tommy Maximoff reach his full superhero potential in the MCU, but Billy has already blossomed into something closely resembling his Young Avengers character from the comics (read more about the MCU's Young Avengers here).
Although Scarlet Witch's next MCU appearance has not yet been confirmed, many assume it will happen. In early May, Avengers: Doomsday director Joe Russo addressed her potential return as part of the MCU event film, offering a cryptic "we shall see."
Olsen has played the beloved Marvel character since 2014, when she debuted alongside her superhero brother Quicksilver (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as a post-credits tease in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Since then, she has racked up eight total MCU appearances as the character, including leading her own streaming series, WandaVision.
Why Scarlet Witch Needs To Pass the MCU Torch
Just because the Scarlet Witch is dead in the MCU (at least we think she is) does not mean she will not come back and have her moment in the sun.
The way Elizabeth Olsen's character went out did not feel like a grand finale for a long-running MCU hero, so it seems likely that she will return and be given the send-off she deserves.
Olsen has commented several times about wanting to come back, telling fans she would "love to keep doing more" if given the chance. Why not bring her back and give her the phoenix rising from the ashes moment that the character has been lacking?
This feels especially important given this new report that the torch for the franchise's future will be passed from her to her superhero sons. While Wanda got to interact with her sons in WandaVision, she did not see what (at least) Billy has become. In fact, the last time the character was seen with her superhero offspring on-screen, she tragically had to say goodbye to them.
So, it makes sense that Marvel Studios would want to bring her back, let her see the Avengers her sons are slowly becoming, and then have them replace her in the MCU.
