This post contains light spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Thanks to the recent merger between Fox, which owns the rights to Marvel’s X-Men, and Disney, which owns most of the properties in the MCU, it’s only a matter of time before we get to see the X-Men in the same universe as Doctor Strange, Thor, and all the other heroes we’ve come to love over the past 14 years. We know that Feige and the other minds behind the MCU are already planning out the next 10 years of the franchise, so it’s likely that the X-Men’s debut is already in the works. And thanks to a recent interview, we now know that Elizabeth Olsen wants to be involved!
One especially interesting issue with bringing the X-Men into the MCU is Wanda Maximoff, A.K.A. the Scarlet Witch. In the original comics, Wanda is a mutant with the power to affect probability and rewrite reality. She’s also the daughter of Magneto. In the movies, of course, she’s a more mystical being, a wielder of chaos magic who’s prophesied to either rule the world or destroy it in the Darkhold, a grimoire created by the ancient god Cthon.
Of course, the line between mutants and witches doesn’t necessarily need to be that distinct. Depending on how the MCU frames the nature of mutants, there could actually be some room to retcon her powers as having a genetic component along with their more mystical nature. On a darker note, Wanda might even inadvertently provide the anti-mutant movement with ammunition, since her powers have now led to disaster in the MCU twice in a span of months.
Regardless of how Marvel handles it, Elizabeth Olsen herself is excited about the possibility of Wanda joining the X-Men. Here’s what she said in a recent interview with Cinemablend when asked about Wanda’s possible future with the X-Men:
No, you just got me excited! I don’t really know what I do next after this movie. I don’t really know. I wanna know what fans want and what the ideas are. But I guess you just said it, if we’re bringing X-Men back, I’ll wanna be there! I have no actual plans yet. I am very excited to talk with Kevin [Feige] about that at some point.
It’s official: if Wanda has a future with the X-Men, then Olsen is on board!
Will the Scarlet Witch return to the MCU? If and when she does, what form will she take? We’re as excited as Olsen to see where her character goes next.
(featured image: Marvel)
