Through her iconic run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Elizabeth Olsen captivated audiences with her richly woven narrative as Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch. However, after the dramatic events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, dust seemed to settle on Olsen’s character, as a cloud of uncertainty hung over Wanda’s fate.
Considering how Benedict Cumberbatch’s sequel hinted at the demise of Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff after she collapsed under Mount Wundagore, fans were left confused about the character’s fate in the MCU. Well, not just fans, even Olsen seemed confused and hopeful about Wanda’s future, much like fans. But sadly, Marvel Studios shattered all hopes for her potential return.
Elizabeth Olsen’s Confusion About Wanda Maximoff’s Fate After Doctor Strange 2
After her debut as Wanda Maximoff in the post-credit cameo in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Elizabeth Olsen stole the spotlight with her major role in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Since then, portraying her captivating powers as Scarlet Witch in the MCU, the actress rose to overnight popularity among Marvel enthusiasts.
However, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff seemingly faced a dramatic and potentially fatal climax, after she was crushed by falling rocks. Audiences witnessed a red burst once the rocks crushed her, which possibly hinted at her demise and the explosion of her mind-bending powers.
However, considering how characters in the MCU timeline rarely stay dead, fans believed that the film left some ambiguity regarding Wanda Maximoff’s fate. This sparked intrigue and confusion not just among fans, but even Elizabeth Olsen. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Olsen recently expressed uncertainty about whether Wanda had truly met her end in Multiverse of Madness.
Wanda is, as far as we learned in the last Doctor Strange movie—dead, right? Kimmel asked.
I think so. I assume as much. Olsen responded.
The rocks landed on her. Kimmel noted.
Yeah. And there was a red light of explosive energy… I think I’m dead. [But] I’d beg to leave a window open. I’ve so much fun doing these movies… I’d like to figure out how to cleverly be undead… We need to find the smartest writers to figure out how to make this all make sense. Olsen shared.
After voicing her own confusion regarding her character’s fate, Elizabeth Olsen admitted to being just as eager as fans to see if there might be a way for her character to return. Reflecting a broader sentiment among fans who clung to the hope that Wanda’s mystical powers could potentially save her from what appeared to be a tragic end, even Olsen seemingly desired the same.
Marvel Concluded Elizabeth Olsen’s Run by Confirming Scarlet Witch’s Death
Well, while the nature of Wanda Maximoff’s demise left room for speculation about her possible return or resurrection in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, Marvel Studios simply shattered all hopes with one publication. According to a snippet of Marvel Studios’ The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline shared via ScreenRant, they brought clarity to Wanda Maximoff’s fate.
Delivering a definitive end to speculation, the book revealed that Wanda’s demise was not just a dramatic moment but a conclusive one. The text revealed that after Olsen’s character brought catastrophic destruction to Mount Wundagore, it eventually led her to ultimately collapse under the structure, resulting in a red burst that symbolized the explosion of her powers while marking the end of two significant threats to the Multiverse.
[Wanda] destroys Wundagore — and collapses it upon herself — ending two great threats to all of the Multiverse.
Marvel Studios’ confirmation that Wanda Maximoff is truly dead signified the end of Elizabeth Olsen’s tenure as the Scarlet Witch. This closure wrapped up an era in the MCU, leaving fans to reflect on Wanda’s complex legacy. However, why should that mean that Wanda cannot be resurrected? Considering Olsen and fans’ unanimous desire to bring Wanda back from the dead, Marvel could just concoct a clever idea to resurrect Scarlet Witch.
As of now, while Wanda Maximoffʼs narrative arc, and her demise continue to reverberate through the multiverse and beyond, Marvel could later try their “character variant” plot on Olsen. Particularly if Avengers: Secret Wars actually combined universes, they could justify some variants having a permanent place in the main MCU timeline and universe. In doing so, they could bring another version of Wanda who could also have her full mutant backstory from the offset.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently available to watch on Disney+.
