Search results
The Scarlet Witch ( Wanda Maximoff) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #4 (March 1964) in the Silver Age of Comic Books.
- Quicksilver
Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is a fictional character...
- Frank Cho
Frank Cho, born Duk Hyun Cho (born 1971), is a...
- Chthon
Danielle "Dani" Cage is a character in American comic books...
- Wanda Maximoff
Claiming her new identity as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda traps...
- Quicksilver
- Overview
- Biography
- Personality
- Powers and Abilities
- Equipment
- Facilities
- Relationships
―Scarlet Witch to Doctor Strange
Wanda Maximoff was a native of Sokovia who grew up with her fraternal twin brother, Pietro. Born with the latent mythical ability to harness Chaos Magic, she developed a hatred against Tony Stark and rallied anti-American protests after the Novi Grad Bombings killed her parents. Years later, in an effort to help purge their country of strife, the twins joined HYDRA and agreed to undergo experiments with the Scepter under the supervision of Baron Strucker, with the Mind Stone awakening and amplifying Wanda's powers. While her brother developed super-speed, she attained various psionic abilities. When HYDRA fell, the twins joined Ultron to get their revenge on Stark, but abandoned him when they discovered his true intentions to eradicate humanity. Wanda and Pietro joined the Avengers during the Battle of Sokovia to stop Ultron; Pietro was killed during the battle, but Wanda survived, and shortly after relocated to the Avengers Compound in the United States of America.
In 2016, during the Attack on the IFID Headquarters, Maximoff tried to contain an explosion caused by Crossbones, who pulled the cord on his own explosive vest, but failed in her mission and inadvertently destroyed a nearby building with the blast, killing many of its occupants, much to her horror. Maximoff felt responsible for what happened, and since she was unsure of her decision about the Sokovia Accords, she ended up under Vision's watch, who made every effort to make her feel better. However, Clint Barton convinced her to run away and join Steve Rogers in his fight against Tony Stark's team. As a result of her actions during the Clash of the Avengers and her violation of the Sokovia Accords, Maximoff was briefly imprisoned on the Raft before Rogers freed her alongside her teammates.
Over the next two years, Maximoff reunited and reconciled with Vision, and together the two started living off the grid in Europe, forming a romantic relationship. In 2018, they were ambushed by the Black Order, who sought the Mind Stone, and rejoined the Avengers to seek refuge in Wakanda. Maximoff took part in the city's defense when the Black Order invaded the city, where she was forced to kill Vision to prevent Thanos from completing the Infinity Gauntlet. However, she witnessed Thanos resurrect and kill Vision before initiating the Snap, which claimed Maximoff's life. After the victims of the Snap were resurrected in 2023, Maximoff was among the many heroes who fought during the Battle of Earth, defeating Thanos and his armies.
Soon after, Maximoff became overwhelmed by immense grief from her recent personal losses, unwittingly unleashing her Chaos Magic powers to enthrall the citizens of Westview into creating an alternate idyllic paradise of classical sitcom tropes. With a recreated Vision as her husband, Maximoff lived her ideal life, even producing twin sons, Tommy and Billy. Further complicating the crisis was Agatha Harkness, a fellow witch who sought to understand the nature of Maximoff's new reality, and a S.W.O.R.D. operation led by Tyler Hayward who wished to eliminate her. Maximoff, now knowing her own identity as the fabled Scarlet Witch, defeated Harkness and the S.W.O.R.D. agents, and dispelled her reality, erasing her family in the process. As she was now wanted, Maximoff fled into isolation and began studying the Darkhold.
However, during her exile, the power within the Darkhold slowly corrupted her mind, causing her to believe that the only way for her to see her children again was to find them in a different universe. In her quest to steal the powers of multiversal travel from a teenager called America Chavez, Maximoff came at odds with her former friend Doctor Strange and went on a violent rampage to get what she wanted, thus attacking members of the Masters of the Mystic Arts at Kamar-Taj and even killing a group of superpowered individuals from a different universe known as the Illuminati. Finally, after realizing that her actions caused her to be rejected by the Tommy and Billy from an alternate universe, Maximoff redeemed herself and sought to set things right. Turning against her own dark destiny, she destroyed every version of the Darkhold within the Multiverse after demolishing the Darkhold Castle atop Mount Wundagore, taking her own life in the process.
Early LifeAvengers ConflictChanging SidesNew AvengersAvengers Civil WarInfinity War―Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange
Since her young age, Maximoff has developed a tendency towards escapism. She would often engulf herself in the imaginary world of sitcoms as a way to shelter herself from the harsh reality of instability and scarcity that her family had to endure. Due to childhood trauma from seeing her parents killed right in front of her, and the constant war-like state of her home, Wanda Maximoff had developed a very aggressive personality. From being involved in protests to volunteering for Baron Strucker's experiments, and joining the Avengers, Maximoff has shown that she prefers to fight directly for what she believes in. Her passionate nature and willingness to engage in violence to achieve her goals led her to mistakenly side with Ultron, which deeply influenced much of her future actions.
Her passion was partly fueled by her hatred of the United States of America and Tony Stark. This hatred was strong enough to have her side with Ultron for what she believed to be the greater good. She was unfazed when Ultron killed von Strucker and was willing to send Hulk on a rampage in Johannesburg, costing the lives of both soldiers and civilians. Fortunately, she was not blinded completely by passion and was capable of reason, clearly being appalled by the level of destruction Ultron was trying to achieve, and promptly sided with the Avengers to make amends. After getting to know the Avengers, she has since let go of any grudge or hatred she previously held against the team as well as the United States.
Due to her past affiliation with Ultron and her role in the destruction of Sokovia, Maximoff carried a deep fear of making mistakes and was frequently wracked with guilt and remorse. Her self-doubt and guilt over the mistakes she had made have at times led her to inaction, even though she is generally action-oriented. Despite this, Hawkeye was able to talk her into action, affirming her desire to fight for what she feels is right, despite what others may think of her.
In contrast with her brother, Scarlet Witch displays a more serious attitude and direct anger, not only against Tony Stark but against anyone that she perceives as her enemy, such as Klaue and Thanos. Her anger leads her to be vengeful, as demonstrated when she volunteered for experiments to become a weapon against the United States and Tony Stark, seeking out Ultron's primary body in order to destroy him after he caused the death of her brother, and angrily telling Thanos that he could not understand her pain after she was forced to kill Vision in the attempt to stop him. In the past, she had no qualms about manipulating others mentally in order to achieve what she wanted, though she later regretted doing this.
Maximoff became considerably more mellow after joining the team, as she is seen to be more compassionate, level-headed, and less inclined to use the manipulative aspects of her abilities, such as fear projection and mind control. Driven by a desire to fight in the front lines rather than as passive support, Maximoff honed her powers to become more combat-oriented, focusing on energy blasts, throws, and barrier projection, relying less on her telepathic abilities. Having become less aggressive and more reluctant to do harm, she has not been seen using her mental manipulation powers since joining the Avengers. Additionally, she rarely uses her powers to deal out lethal force unless completely necessary, using her powers more often to incapacitate her opponents. However, she also is less inclined to hold back in a fight, even against fellow Avengers, as shown when she hurled Black Widow several feet when she attempted to overpower Hawkeye. She has shown a willingness to kill her enemies in extreme circumstances, as shown when she telekinetically threw a carving knife at a perceived assailant before realizing it was Hawkeye, and when she purposefully lifted Proxima Midnight into a Thresher and shredded her to stop the latter from killing Black Widow.
Powers
―Jimmy Woo •Psionics: As a result of exposure to the cosmic energies from the Scepter, which contained the Mind Stone, Maximoff gained an array of psionic powers. These powers manifest as a luminescent mist or vapor of red hue emanating from her hands and body, resembling the natural Chaos Magic she was born with. When using her telepathic abilities, Maximoff's irises glow a dark red color. Her power signature is similar to that of the Mind Stone, as she gained her powers from it. Maximoff's powers are reliant on movement and focus, which means her enemies or opponents can stop her from using her powers by disrupting her concentration or restricting her movement. War Machine was able to incapacitate her momentarily using a sonic cannon and her powers were restricted with a straitjacket and specialized collar during her time on the Raft. During the Battle of Wakanda, Proxima Midnight was able to ambush Maximoff by striking her on the head with the hilt of her sword, which disrupted Maximoff's focus and stopped her from using her powers momentarily. During the Battle of Earth, Wanda's powers had grown so strong that she was able to single-handedly overpower Thanos, a feat that Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America via Mjølnir failed to accomplish. These enhanced powers, much like her Chaos Magic, are magical in nature. Eventually, by her quest to seek America Chavez, she grew strong enough to destroy the fully protected Kamar-Taj with her powerful energy blasts alone. •Psychic Energy Manipulation: Maximoff can project energy blasts, streams, waves and bolts of her own psionic and telekinetic energy, allowing her to strike, push, pull or blow away her targets, potentially exerting enough force to destroy them. This energy manifests in any shape or form, outlining her telekinetic spheres of influence, as the energy is visible in a reddish color. When her energy hits a target, she can use her telekinesis to inflict further damage. Significant emotional turmoil can both amplify Maximoff's power and causes her to lose control over it, such as when she inadvertently unleashed a wave of red psionic force that tore apart and disintegrated surrounding Ultron sentries when she sensed her brother Pietro Maximoff's death, letting out a scream of anguish. Maximoff proved herself capable of destroying the Mind Stone, due to her powers having a similar energy signature. She could also use her psionic energy streams to enhance the powers behind her attacks, such as when she first used her telekinesis to bring Vision to his knees and then use a dense stream of energy to force him through several floors and several feet into the ground. During the attack on Vision, Maximoff utilized this power to knock back Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive using a bolt of psionic energy, and later used another blast to throw Corvus Glaive through the wall of a bell tower. She also showed the capability of multitasking while using her abilities, as she simultaneously held back Thanos with a stream from one hand while destroying the Mind Stone with a stream of energy from her other hand. She was also able to use her telekinesis with one hand to stop Thanos' sword in midair while also using a powerful energy blast with her other hand to cleave it into two pieces. In her second encounter with Thanos, Maximoff's energy blasts were powerful enough to force the Mad Titan to go on the defensive against her and were enough to knock him back and make him stumble backwards even when he blocked them with his sword. Maximoff was also able to push Monica Rambeau out of her reality with a powerful energy blast that sent her through several walls, including the barrier that divides Westview from the outside world; while leaving Rambeau completely physically unharmed and send "Pietro Maximoff" flying with a powerful blast. She accidentally used her powers to nearly suffocate the entire population of Westview when she was overwhelmed by her emotions and later to throw away reanimated witches from her while she was trapped in Harkness's hallucination. She can also utilize her psionic energy in a neurological way to manipulate the thoughts and memories of others, akin to telepathy. Her psionic energy is capable of persisting even when she is no longer actively controlling it, such as when residual energy persisted and clung to the S.W.O.R.D. drone she destroyed. Agatha Harkness' runes were able to not only strip Wanda of her chaos magic, but her psionic energy as well. During her attack on Kamar-Taj, Maximoff was able to use her energy bolts to knock down the defending sorcerers and weaken the fortress's structures, destroying most of the place without much effort. During her battle with the Illuminati, Maximoff used several energy blasts to attack Captain Carter. During the chase in the undergrounds of the Illuminati Headquarters, Maximoff was able to blast through several metal doors with ease. Later, Maximoff used an energy wave to break through the barrier that Wong conjured around her, destroying the Souls of the Damned and sending Wong flying away at the same time. Later, she used her energy to burn Defender Strange's zombified body while possessed by Doctor Strange, and at the same time crushing Strange's body, even while he was in another universe. She was also able to use her energy to stop a punch from America Chavez. •Telekinesis: Maximoff has the ability to move, levitate and otherwise manipulate objects using her psionic energy in a remote manner without the need for her energy to first be projected from her hands. Maximoff uses this energy to affect and control molecules and particles, allowing her to fully control matter and energy. Maximoff started training this power by moving wooden blocks around while imprisoned in Baron Strucker's secret facility. Maximoff pulled them apart with her power, and suspended them in the air. Maximoff used this power to stop an off-rail train in Seoul, tear apart Ultron sentries and rip out the central processor of Ultron's primary body, which was made of vibranium. Maximoff's telekinesis can control a soldier's gunfire and throw him away, lift Captain America into the air to enter a building, hurl aside Black Widow and Black Panther, hurl cars at Iron Man and Spider-Man, extract and dissipate an enormous amount of gas, and even hold up a collapsed watchtower for several minutes to allow Captain America and Winter Soldier to escape. Maximoff was also capable of using her energy to slow the chemical reaction within Crossbones' explosive vest by reducing the particles' kinetic energy on a molecular level, although it caused her great strain due to the massive energy the reaction induced once it had started. She was even able to bring the immensely powerful Vision to his knees while influencing the Mind Stone in his forehead and blast him vertically down through a building's many floors. Her telekinesis is powerful enough to bend vibranium, as she managed to rip open the chest of Ultron's damaged primary body to summon his central processor to her hand, and was even strong enough to shatter the Mind Stone. She was also able to stop a massive line of Threshers and redirect them at Thanos' Outriders, as well as hold back a Chitauri Leviathan. During her second fight with Thanos, she lifted and flung large portions of debris at him. She then was able to use her telekinesis to hold back Thanos' sword even with the Titan using both of his arms in an attempt to overpower her, and was able to weaken its structural integrity, causing cracks to appear in it, before finally using an energy blast to cleave it in two. She then incapacitated him by lifting him into the air and began to squeeze his body, snapping off significant portions of his armor. She displayed great degrees of precision with her telekinesis, such as when she used it to heal Vision by telekinetically repairing his body on a molecular level. Maximoff was also precise enough to use her energy to remove a copious volume of poisonous gas by spreading her energy throughout every molecule of gas and making it dissipate into the atmosphere. Maximoff was able to use her telekinesis to organize the dishes in her kitchen, use it to help herself handle all the kitchen items while preparing a dinner, rebuild part of her house after having expelled Rambeau, lift Rambeau into the air to get her out of her house before dropping her to the ground, open a door in S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters, break the glass of a large window to access the lab where Vision's body was being disassembled, and hurl a car at Agatha. She also inadvertently strangled dozens of people at once. During her attack on Kamar-Taj, Maximoff was able to use her telekinesis to parry arrows and repel it back to the sorcerers, parry the attacks of several mystical snakes summoned by Doctor Strange, and to send both Strange and Wong flying away, leaving Strange stunned and Wong completely unconscious. In the same fight, Maximoff lifted America Chavez in the air before attempting to absorb her powers. Maximoff also used this power to lift and torture several sorcerers. Later, she brought Wong to the Darkhold Castle via her telekinesis after his Sling Ring failed to work. While possessing the body of her alternate self, she was able to throw many Ultron Sentries at once while attacking the Illuminati Headquarters and also crushed a sentry head using her telekinesis. In her battle against the Illuminati, she lifted up Mister Fantastic before ripping him apart. She also used her telekinesis to throw a statue at Captain Marvel as well as catching Captain Carter's Shield midair and throw it back at her, severing Carter in half. She pulled America Chavez by her hair, threw Strange and Palmer through a portal, threw her alternate self into the dining room, and destroyed the Darkhold Castle, causing it to crumble without much effort. •Force-Field Generation: Maximoff is able to create highly durable barriers of red energy that she can shape and manipulate as needed. She can use it to grab and break apart targets, protect others from enemy fire, contain a target or to cover and deflect attacks from enemies, such as Ultron's sentries. Like any physical barriers, the barrier could be broken with extreme brute force, as the Sentries were able to eventually break it. During her time as an Avenger, Maximoff learned to project her energy around herself, constructing a close-to-the-body psionic armor to protect herself from extreme impacts, such as falls from great heights or blows from superhumanly strong combatants, increasing her durability to a significant degree. This allowed her to land safely whenever she crash lands, as well as defending her against the might of superhuman combatants, such as Midnight and Glaive who sent her and Vision crashing through a glass roof after being shot down by Proxima Midnight's spear. Maximoff was also able to create a force field large enough to protect her entire family from Agatha Harkness' attack and later created a barrier to prevent Vision from intervening during her duel with Agatha. While battling the Illuminati, Maximoff created a force-field to block Captain Marvel's photon blasts while dodging Captain Carter's shield. During the same battle, Maximoff created an energy sphere to contain Captain Marvel's energy and use it to her advantage to push Marvel into a wall. •Disintegration: Maximoff is capable of using her energy in such an acute telekinetic way that she is able to completely disintegrate objects, as she did with several Ultron Sentries after sensing her brother's death. She also used this to annihilate a Kamar-Taj sorcerer as she entered it and to disintegrate Strange's Sling Ring. •Mental Manipulation: Maximoff was able to deploy a form of mental manipulation, often as a type of illusory hypnosis, using the same neuro-electric interface that is the basis of her telepathic powers. This power can be hypnotic in nature as shown when she used it against the Avengers in South Africa, placing them in a sort of trance while she viewed the Avengers' memories. When using her power, her irises sometimes glow a dark reddish color, especially when she concentrates it on specific targets. She was able to use this ability to cripple the Avengers, forcing them each to recall the darker events of their pasts and placing them inside daydream-like visions that rendered them nearly helpless. When this ability is in use, Maximoff's reddish energy takes a more mist-like form, floating into the head of the victim in the form of neurons. The effects also distort the victim's iris coloration, causing them to shine a dark reddish color. This also allows her to control other people's actions, as she did with a considerable number of civilians in Sokovia to aid in their evacuation, causing them to experience a form of sleepwalking and making them all get up and leave the city. Maximoff's mental power is even strong enough to reverse the effects of the Mind Stone, one of the most powerful objects in existence, as shown when she freed Helen Cho from the stone's control. She can also manipulate the memory, thoughts, actions, emotions, and senses of others at will, as well as to induce sleep or pain and create illusions without any difficulty. After joining the Avengers, she initially stopped using these powers, but later resumed their use after creating the Hex. Maximoff could use her telepathy to affect the Mind Stone, such as when she forced used her power to make Vision phase through Hawkeye to release him. Maximoff can also use her psionic energy to read the Mind Stone and state that she felt Vision's consciousness. Maximoff was able to use this power to cause several S.W.O.R.D. agents to point their guns at Tyler Hayward. Maximoff is also able to suppress the personality of someone and replace it with one of her choosing, such as when she created the Hex where she subconsciously controlled the minds of the citizens of Westview to play roles in her sitcom reality. Maximoff was even able to control everyone in Westview for a long period of time. Maximoff displayed this power again on Agatha Harkness, forcing her to become the role of her sitcom character Agnes. While attacking Kamar-Taj, Maximoff was able to manipulate a sorcerer's mind and promptly command him to run. This made him follow her commands and run away from his post, leaving the force-field vulnerable to attack. While in her alternate self's body Maximoff used her mind control abilities to make Chavez open a portal to throw Strange and Palmer into an unknown universe and to open a portal back to herself. •Emotion Manipulation: With her mental powers, Maximoff often used it in order to elicit fear or emotional pain in a person in the form of nightmarish hallucinations that could stun and weaken even an individual as powerful as Thor. These visions can depict things that a person fears, regrets, or general disturbances, though the nature of it is not up to Maximoff. She is able to know what her victim is seeing and be inside the vision with them, as demonstrated when she used the ability on Harkness. •Telepathy: Due to her ability to interact mentally with others, Maximoff can read minds, communicate telepathically and experience the memories and thoughts of others. She also used this ability to temporarily see into Ultron's mind whilst he was uploading his consciousness into the android body of what would later become Vision and it was thanks to this that she was able to discover his genocidal intentions and rebel against him. Maximoff can also sense the minds and emotions of those around her as she could see Stark's fear in their first encounter and sensed Quicksilver's death, knowing exactly what happened to him as if she had been there in person. While her telepathic abilities could work inside the confines of Harkness' protection spell-ladened lair, she was unable to penetrate Harkness' mind due to the latter's own power. She could also resist and overpower other telepaths like Professor X with her own telepathy. •Levitation: Maximoff is able to use this power to move through the air and simulate flight, in order to hover and safely float back to the ground. The use of this power manifests as a blast of psionic energy expelled from her hands onto the ground to propel herself up in the air, with a second blast used to slow her momentum as she approaches ground allowing her to land safely. It operates more like an enhanced leap similarly to Hulk, thanks to the force of gravity pushing her down. Maximoff's power grew overtime; to the point that she could project herself, along with Vision; too far higher into the air and for much longer than before. After her resurrection and empowerment, she was able to effortlessly levitate several feet into the air while simultaneously lifting two massive pieces of rubble, no longer needing to actively project energy from her hands to levitate herself and later flew through the air to intercept a Leviathan before it could attack Valkyrie. During her discussion with Vision, Maximoff was able to float merely by holding the psionic energy in her palms, and later showed the ability again upon leaving Westview, indicating growth in her ability to fly. Maximoff flew around Kamar-Taj in order to attack the buildings and evade attacks. She flew herself up to the Mount Wundagore and the Illuminati Headquarters. ―Wong •Magic: As revealed by Harkness, in addition to the psionic abilities granted by the Mind Stone, Maximoff was born with latent magical abilities that were later unlocked and amplified through her exposure to the Stone. At first, Maximoff had no knowledge of her magical origins; however, when she discovered the true extent of her powers, Maximoff began studying the Darkhold and the spells found within it. According to the Darkhold, Maximoff's powers exceeded even those of the Sorcerer Supreme. Despite this, Maximoff has never received formal training, and has not yet refined her magic, especially when compared to Doctor Strange. Though now obtaining the Darkhold, she is now refining her powers and spells. After a year of study, Maximoff became the most powerful witch alive and one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse. Her witchcraft abilities had grown so great that even all the apprentices and sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were unable to hold her for long. Maximoff's innate power was superior to that of Doctor Strange's and Wong's, the former Sorcerer Supreme and the current Sorcerer Supreme respectively, despite both having more experience in the mystic arts, as well as overcoming and killing the Illuminati with little effort while in her alternate self's body. •Chaos Magic: Able to harness Chaos Magic, Maximoff was the realization of the myth of the Scarlet Witch, a being capable of spontaneous creation. She can shape and manipulate this magic for different effects, such as forming tangible constructs of energy or cast spells without incantation. Her magic is primarily composed of the same red energy as her psionic powers, but mixed with darker red and black hues. Agatha Harkness reveals that Maximoff can wield Chaos Magic subconsciously without needing constant concentration to sustain the changes she's made, describing the Hex as "magic on autopilot!" At first, Maximoff had no control over this power, however, upon studying the Darkhold, Maximoff gained more experience in the control of her magic. •Reality Warping: Maximoff can warp reality. Maximoff's reality warping abilities began initially on a small scale, however, as time progressed, her powers have grown exponentially. Maximoff can also create small zones where reality follows her wishes and rules. The areas are surrounded by a partially invisible force field and appear normal from the outside, as when she took control of Westview the town looked normal from the outside even though the reality had completely changed inside. When a person or object enters the area, it automatically becomes part of the reality. Using this ability, Maximoff was able to take control of Westview by placing a hexagonal force field around the town called the Hex, which emits a type of radiation known as CMBR, a remnant radiation from the Big Bang. Inside the Hex, Maximoff has absolute power and can change anything to suit her thinking, being able to create a perfect world based on classic sitcoms, as well as use her powers to rewrite reality and make any person and any object adapt to the time in which they were live in Westview, demonstrated when she had Rambeau's bulletproof vest changed to fit the clothing of her world of classic sitcoms. In fact, every rewritten object inside the Hex, when it exits Westview, remains the same as it was inside, containing the same microscopic elements of their original forms. Due to the authentic sitcom setting, certain abilities also took on different forms within the Hex, such as the lack of energy discharge in the early eras, or the appearance of red smoke rather than energy when imitating Harkness's teleportation. This extended to Vision as well, whose powers were symbolized by the appearance of sparkles during the 1950s. The Hex could alter almost all aspects of reality, including the behavior, thoughts, and memories of the people living inside it, as well as the entire flow of time, all to Maximoff's will. However, inadvertently, the spell was flawed, which caused the suppressed consciousnesses of the Westview residents to still be capable of basic sentience, but removing their willpower. Essentially, they were aware of what they were doing, but were not capable of controlling their own actions. Additionally, every resident ended up feeling the same grief and sorrow Wanda felt over Vision. This was so emotionally taxing on them that it led to some residents becoming suicidal. Although at first the Hex was only found around Westview, when Vision came out of the barrier and nearly died, Maximoff expanded the Hex to save him, also causing everything in his path to be rewritten, transforming the S.W.O.R.D. base into a circus and its agents into clowns. The Hex is able to do this even if Wanda is not aware of it, as the Hex began to immediately disassemble Vision's vibranium body after he left, but Wanda was unaware of it happening. Due to the nature of the Hex, Harkness described it as "Magic on autopilot!" because the Hex was capable of rewriting reality to fit Wanda's vision automatically without Wanda needing to say any incantations or even having to think about it. However, the magic of the Hex does not seem to work on people or objects that have not passed through its border first, as when Hayward's troops entered the Hex, they weren't affected by it because they never passed through the Hex itself. After gaining more control of her power by transforming into the Scarlet Witch, Maximoff was able to make the Hex disappear completely, reversing the changes it caused to everything and everyone that were still inside. When encountering a multiversal traveler named America Chavez, Doctor Strange went to see Maximoff for help. After a brief discussion, she revealed that her farm was fake and they were actually standing in a fiery, burnt down, red woods. When trapped in the Mirror Dimension, Maximoff warped the borders to make it liquid in order to punch her hand through and grab victims through reflections in the room. She then crawled out of a gong, warping her body to do so. When attacking the Illuminati, she incapacitated Black Bolt by erasing his mouth and ripped Mister Fantastic apart into string-like pieces. •Conjuration: With a wave of her finger, she was able to create wedding rings for herself and Vision. During the magic show on Westview, Maximoff was able to conjure a small crane to cover up Vision's flight. Later on, she was able to create a dog collar for Sparky. It was later revealed this was how she was able to conjure a copy of her deceased lover, Vision, within Westview with Chaos Magic, as well as creating an entire house for them to live in. She is also able to hide Darkhold and conjure it at will. •Transmutation: Maximoff was able to change her dress, transformed a real piano into a fake cardboard cutout, turned her and Vision's beds into a single bed, brought color to Westview and also brought fake butterflies on a mobile to life without meaning to. Maximoff was able to make herself four months pregnant inadvertently, and also caused her to give birth at a logarithmic rate. When dealing with pain from her contractions Maximoff inadvertently changed her coat several times and also accidentally brought life to a stork from a painting, however, when Maximoff tried to get rid of the stork, she was unsuccessful, as the most she could do was cause a puff of red dust to erupt around it. As her mental stability deteriorated, she further lost control of her surroundings, and began to inadvertently change objects in her home into versions from previous sitcom eras. While battling Agatha Harkness, Wanda used this ability to appear as if her life force had been drained by Agatha, including masking and hiding her psionic energy while flying in order to trick Harkness into thinking she had lost, when in actuality, she was preparing runes around the Hex to strip Harkness of her magic. Once the Hex was reversed by Wanda, everything and everyone changed by it, provided they were still inside it, reverted to their original forms, including the clothing Wanda herself was initially wearing when she inadvertently created it. Maximoff also can transform herself from her civilian clothes to her Scarlet Witch uniform and back at will. •Life Creation: Within the Hex, Maximoff could create living organisms, like her twin sons Billy and Tommy, though they would be destroyed if they left the Hex. During when she was pregnant, Maximoff breathed life into plastic butterflies and accidentally brought life to a stork from a painting. •Energy Absorption: Maximoff displayed the ability to absorb her Chaos Magic back from Agatha Harkness. Unlike Harkness, who also needs to absorb life force in order to absorb magic from others, Maximoff is capable of absorbing magic and energy without killing her target. During the attack on Kamar-Taj, Maximoff was able to absorb the Eldritch Magic's fiery energy from a cannon she was hit with. Later, she was able to almost fully absorb America Chavez's powers twice had she not been interrupted by Doctor Strange. During the fight with the Illuminati, Maximoff completely absorbed Captain Marvel's cosmic energy, leaving her completely vulnerable to any attack, which she ultimately used to kill her by dropping a statue on her after hitting her with one of her own photon blasts. When capturing America Chavez, Doctor Strange tried to attack her, but Maximoff absorbed his power and repelled it back. •Spell Casting: Maximoff was able to cast runes to keep Agatha Harkness from using her magic. Maximoff also cast runes to enthrall beings like Ribboned Creature and Gargantos to go after America Chavez. With the Darkhold, Maximoff could cast a spell called, Dreamwalking, that could send her into the body of another version of herself in another universe. •Astral Projection: Unlike traditional astral projection, Maximoff was able to project her astral form without losing consciousness of her physical self. She accomplished this by manifesting the Scarlet Witch outside of her own body, as demonstrated when she studied the Darkhold in her astral form, whilst also brewing a cup of tea in her physical form. She also used her astral form to mind control a young sorcerer to run and cause confusion. •Power Bestowal: Maximoff has displayed the ability to grant superhuman abilities to others, either directly or indirectly. Maximoff birthed Tommy and Billy Maximoff with super-speed and psionics respectively. While Monica Rambeau was bestowed powers by walking into the Westview Anomaly. •Teleportation: During the talent show she instantly transported Geraldine from backstage into the magic box. In her battle with Harkness, Maximoff was also able to disappear and reappear behind her, leaving behind a trail of red smoke as she did, imitating Harkness's own teleportation. •Time Manipulation: Within the Hex, Maximoff could control the passage of time for all of Westview, notably causing the time period within the town to change overnight and even accelerating the day and night cycle to fit the length of her sitcom episodes. Maximoff reverted a whole chicken into its egg form and later reversed the entire flow of time inside her reality by saying "no" in response to a S.W.O.R.D. agent crawling out of a sewer. While expanding the Hex to save Vision, Maximoff caused time in Westview to completely stop. •Illusion Manipulation: Maximoff could cast very life-like illusions, as she demonstrated by casting a very effective illusion on herself that was realistic enough to trick an experienced witch like Agatha Harkness. She also cast an illusion to transform the corrupted landscape she had been staying at into an apple orchard that was even able to deceive Doctor Strange. •Weather Manipulation: When Maximoff's water broke she caused a rainstorm to erupt within the Vision Residence. After the rain stopped, she generated intense winds to pour in from outside in order to dry herself, Vision, and her house. In her battle against Harkness in the skies of Hex, Maximoff created dark clouds of lightning and thunder to cloud the runes she was secretly placing in the Hex energy walls. When she invaded Kamar-Taj, she conjured massive black clouds to signal her arrival. •Elemental Manipulation: While experiencing contractions, Maximoff was able to cause an electrical power surge that intensified the light from a ceiling light and caused a power outage that affected the whole block, to ignite a fire within the fireplace and cause it to intensify, and to cause a faucet to spew water and a washing machine to overflow with water. At the Darkhold Castle, Maximoff ignited multiple fires to light up the dark palace. •Darkhold Magic: Scarlet Witch obtained the Darkhold after her battle with Agatha Harkness. She quickly resided in a cabin and found that she was able to see into other universes. She soon became very intelligent with the Darkhold, but also became corrupted by it. •Dreamwalking: An ability gained by the Darkhold was the ability to dreamwalk. Maximoff could transfer her consciousness into the body of herself from other universes. However, use of dreamwalking could cause incursions. She dreamwalked into her alternate self's body so that she could live with her kids from that universe. She eventually had to go and stop Doctor Strange from getting the Book of Vishanti, so she went to Illuminati Headquarters and killed the whole team while in her alternate self's body. She then chased Doctor Strange, America Chavez, and Christine Palmer until they got to the Gap Junction. Once they got to the book, she destroyed it, opened a portal with Chavez's powers, and left that Maximoff's body. •Physical Augmentation: After acquiring the Darkhold, Maximoff could heighten her physical abilities. During the battle of Kamar-Taj, she was able to easily withstand a blast from one of the cannons without any injuries, even after her clothes were caught on fire. Later, during the battle of Mount Wundagore, Maximoff was able to withstand many punches and kicks from America Chavez even when she used extra-dimensional energy to boost the power of her attacks, which only temporarily staggering and knocking her a few steps back but with no injuries. Her speed and reflexes were also increased to superhuman levels, being able to adapt to every situation and fight with ease. During the siege of Kamar-Taj, Maximoff was able to block several arrows traveling at high speeds, even without looking. She was also able to parry attacks from various snakes summoned by Doctor Strange with relative ease. During her attack on the Illuminati Headquarters, Maximoff was able to block the attacks of a group of Ultron Sentries while simultaneously fighting another group. Maximoff can also heal herself instantaneously. When she was imprisoned in the Mirror Dimension and got out of it by fatally contorting herself, she healed herself almost immediately. •Power Absorption: After obtaining the Darkhold, Maximoff gained the ability to absorb others' powers. She planned to use this ability on America Chavez to open up a portal to another universe, kill that universe's Scarlet Witch and then live as her sons' mother.
Abilities
―Monica Rambeau to Jimmy Woo •Master Combatant: Maximoff was originally a poor fighter, having no combat skills or formal training. However, with years of experience, she developed a fighting style in which she would infuse her psionic energy into her hands to greatly enhance her hand-to-hand combat skills and allow her to parry attacks from bladed weapons without suffering any harm due to her psionic energy protecting her hands from damage. Her combat instincts were also honed to the point she could react to and halt an explosion, parry attacks from Proxima Midnight, and catch Thanos' double-edged sword moments before it could strike her. By the time of the Infinity War, Maximoff had become skilled enough that she was able to engage Proxima Midnight, a combatant deadly enough to overpower Okoye and Black Widow, in close-quarters combat and defend herself adequately, although she was nearly killed several times. After being resurrected, Maximoff, now more powerful than ever and fueled by rage over Vision's death, was able to face Thanos directly in close range combat, managing to subdue and very nearly kill him, had it not been for his desperate air strike that knocked her back. During the fight with the Illuminati, Maximoff was able to trade a few blows with a far more experienced combatant such like Captain Carter before using her powers to kill Carter with her own shield. •Expert Marksman: Maximoff is able to utilize her bolts of magic to attack, knock down and neutralize her opponents with relative ease. She has displayed her marksmanship various times in battle. Most notably during her stand-off between Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, where she shot her psionic bolts from a considerable distance, at the pair. She was able to accurately attack strong points at Kamar-Taj to weaken the structures. ―Scarlet Witch to Doctor Strange •Spy: Maximoff started basic training in espionage from her teammates, especially Black Widow, upon joining the Avengers, starting with masking her thick Eastern European accent with an American one. By the time she was sent to a mission in Lagos, she already knew basic tactics to hide in plain sight, which later would come in handy when she was on the run from the government. •Expert Tactician: Despite initially poor in tactical skills, Maximoff eventually learned from her teammates. At the time of the Westview Anomaly, Maximoff was able to plan to put runes on the walls of the Hex without Agatha Harkness noticing it, defeating her. Also, she was able to act as if her life force had been drained by Harkness when in reality it was all an illusion. After gaining the Darkhold, Maximoff developed a plan to capture multiversal traveler, America Chavez to use her powers and take herself to a universe where she raises her children, Billy and Tommy Maximoff. •Multilingualism: Maximoff is fluent in her native Sokovian, as well as English. She initially spoke English with a heavy Sokovian accent, and although it had slightly faded by 2016 and she was able to drop it by 2018, her accent resurfaced when she confronted S.W.O.R.D. outside of Westview. Maximoff also knows some words in Spanish.
Uniforms
―Black Widow and Captain America •Sokovia Uniform: After deciding to fight with the Avengers against Ultron in Sokovia, Maximoff wore her black dress, black leather wristers, and black boots, with knee-high torn stockings, along with her jewelry. She was also given Natasha Romanoff's red leather jacket by her brother to wear over her dress, not actually having an official uniform to wear. •Avengers Uniform: When Maximoff became an official member of the Avengers, she was provided her own uniform. This consisted of a black leather suit with a red corset and a red leather jacket over it that had two strips down the front. The uniform included elbow high black leather fingerless gloves, and tall, heeled boots with red piping on top of them. This uniform would soon be replaced. •Second Avengers Uniform: Not long after joining the Avengers, Maximoff would receive a new uniform, similar to her previous one. This version also contained a black leather suit with a red corset but had an open red leather coat over it instead. The uniform also included red leather fingerless gloves and flare-heeled boots. Maximoff would wear this uniform during the Avengers Civil War and then wear it again during the Infinity War and the Battle of Earth. Later, she wore the outfit during her confrontation with S.W.O.R.D. outside of Westview. •Scarlet Witch Uniform: Maximoff receives the red robes and regalia of the Scarlet Witch upon defeating Agatha Harkness and absorbing her magic. Unlike her other uniforms, she is able to transform it from her civilian clothes and back at will. This consists of a red chestplate with angular faulds extending into an ankle-length skirt, elbow-length red fingerless gloves, black trousers and thigh-high boots, and an intricate red tiara. She can also manifest a red hood and cloak in addition to the rest of her uniform. •Second Scarlet Witch Uniform: Not long after transforming into the Scarlet Witch, Maximoff would receive a new uniform, similar to her previous one. This version also contained a red robes and regalia and a red chestplate but with long sleeves and with a black wash. The uniform also included a red and black ankle-length skirt, black trousers, black boots, and an intricate red tiara. Maximoff would wear this attire during her crusade.
Other Equipment
―Scarlet Witch to Doctor Strange •Darkhold: Maximoff retrieved the Darkhold from Harkness after defeating her. The Darkhold also prophesized the Scarlet Witch to destroy the world and her being more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme. After a period of studying it, she was able to refine her magic, however; the Darkhold's influence proved too great for her and while the book made her more powerful it also corrupted her mind to the point she was willing to kill innocents and allies and even destroy universes. After she overcame her corruption, she destroyed every Darkhold in the Multiverse.
Vehicles
•Quinjet: After being rescued by her teammates in Scotland, she was transported in a Quinjet back to the Avengers Compound. Also, while traveling to Wakanda to try to take the Mind Stone from Vision, Maximoff was transported with her teammates in a Quinjet. •Red Buick: In 2023, a few weeks after being restored to life, Maximoff drove her car to S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters and then drove to Westview, New Jersey to her empty house lot. When Maximoff released Chaos Magic making the Hex, her car was changed to fit the reality she chose. After the Hex was gone, Maximoff's car was left at the empty house lot.
•Maximoff Residence: The Maximoff family lived in this residence. One day, The Maximoffs were watching the TV sitcom, The Dick Van Dayke Show, specifically the episode, It May Look Like a Walnut, when their home was suddenly bombed, subsequently orphaning the Twins.
•HYDRA Research Base: The Maximoff Twins were experimented and housed at the Hydra Research Base, located in Sokovia. Maximoff also was exposed to the Mind Stone here, where she unlocked her latent abilities and saw a glimpse of the Scarlet Witch. Maximoff watched The Brady Bunch to comfort herself here.
•Novi Grad Church: The Maximoffs visited the Novi Grad Church when Ultron proposed an alliance for them to defeat the Avengers. Days later, during the Battle of Sokovia, they defended the church alongside the Avengers to prevent Ultron and his sentries from turning the floating Sokovia into an asteroid that could destroy Earth.
•Avengers Tower: Following the Battle of Seoul, Maximoff traveled to the Avengers Tower alongside Pietro to warn the Avengers about Ultron's plan. After witnessing the birth of Vision, Maximoff took a red jacket that was given to her by Pietro from the tower in order to prepare for their final battle against Ultron.
―Wanda Maximoff to Agatha Harkness
•Avengers Compound: The Facility was Maximoff's first home in the United States of America. In 2015, Maximoff was given a room at the Facility after becoming an Avenger and she trained there. She also fell in love with Vision at the Facility. However, in 2016, she was forced to leave the Facility after the Sokovia Accords. In 2018, she returned to the Facility briefly, and in 2023, she saw the ruins of the Facility, causing her to become angry at losing her only home.
Family
•Olek Maximoff † - Father •Iryna Maximoff † - Mother •Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver † - Twin Brother and Former Teammate •Vision † - Husband, Creation, and Consensual Victim •Tommy Maximoff † - Son, Creation, and Victim •Billy Maximoff † - Son, Creation, and Victim
Allies
•Zrinka •Costel •Sokovian Police Department •Avengers - Former Enemies, Former Teammates, and Friends •Steve Rogers/Captain America - Former Thrall, Trainer, and Former Leader •Tony Stark/Iron Man † - Former Thrall •Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow † - Former Thrall and Trainer •Bruce Banner/Hulk - Former Thrall and Resurrector •Thor - Former Thrall •Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Former Attempted Thrall and Close Friend •Vision † - Love Interest and Consensual Victim •James Rhodes/War Machine - Temporary Enemy •Sam Wilson/Captain America •Scott Lang/Ant-Man •Peter Parker/Spider-Man - Former Enemy •Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel •Helen Cho •Nick Fury's Crew •Nick Fury •Maria Hill † •Cameron Klein •Erik Selvig •Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier •Golden Tribe •T'Challa/Black Panther † - Former Enemy •Shuri •Dora Milaje •Okoye •Ayo •Nomble •Yama •Wakandan Royal Guard •Jabari Tribe •M'Baku •Border Tribe •Guardians of the Galaxy •Rocket Raccoon •Groot •Peter Quill/Star-Lord •Drax the Destroyer •Mantis •Nebula •Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange - Temporary Enemy and Former Attempted Victim •Wong - Temporary Enemy and Former Attempted Victim •Brunnhilde/Valkyrie •Warsong •Korg •Miek •Einherjar •Ravagers •Kraglin Obfonteri •Howard the Duck •Hope van Dyne/Wasp •Pepper Potts/Rescue •Gamora •Thaddeus Ross - Former Enemy •Laura Barton •Sparky † - Pet •Monica Rambeau - Former Thrall and Friend •FBI •Jimmy Woo •Darcy Lewis - Former Thrall •Ribboned Creature - Former Thrall •Gargantos † - Former Thrall •Elder Beasts - Allies and Former Servants •Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Alternate Self and Former Thrall •America Chavez - Former Thrall, Former Enemy and Former Attempted Victim •Christine Palmer - Former Attempted Victim •Tommy Maximoff - Alternate Son •Billy Maximoff - Alternate Son
Enemies
•United States Air Force •HYDRA - Former Allies •Wolfgang von Strucker/Baron Strucker † •List † •Ultimo † - Victim •Ulysses Klaue † •Klaue's Mercenary •Ultron † - Former Ally and Attempted Killer •Ultron Sentries •Brock Rumlow/Crossbones † •Black Order •Proxima Midnight † - Attempted Killer and Victim •Corvus Glaive † •Cull Obsidian † •Outriders •Thanos † - Killer •Thanos † - Attempted Victim and Attempted Killer •Black Order •Ebony Maw † •Cull Obsidian † •Proxima Midnight † •Corvus Glaive † •Chitauri •Leviathans •Chitauri Gorillas •Outriders •Sakaarans •Tyler Hayward - Attempted Killer •S.W.O.R.D. •Franklin - Former Thrall •Monti - Former Thrall •Rodriguez •Westview Citizens - Former Thralls and Former Neighbors •Dennis •Todd Davis •Sharon Davis •Isabel Matsueda •Sarah Proctor •Harold Proctor •Abilash Tandon •John Collins •Fred •Linda •Stan Nielson •Mrs. Nielson •Haddox •Ralph Bohner •Agatha Harkness - Former Neighbor, Former Enthraller, Attempted Killer and Thrall •Señor Scratchy •White Vision - Attempted Killer •Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange † •Masters of the Mystic Arts - Former Allies •Sara Wolfe † •Rintrah - Attempted Victim •Weasel - Former Thrall and Attempted Victim •Ariann - Attempted Victim •Vinny •Hamir † - Victim •Hong Kong Master •London Master •Illuminati •Charles Xavier/Professor X † - Victim •Maria Rambeau/Captain Marvel † - Victim •Peggy Carter/Captain Carter † - Victim •Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic † - Victim •Blackagar Boltagon/Black Bolt † - Victim •Souls of the Damned - Attempted Killers and Victims
People also ask
Who is the Scarlet Witch in the X-Men?
Was Scarlet Witch a real witch?
Who wrote the Scarlet Witch comic book series?
Is the Scarlet Witch the most hated character ever created?
Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, is a Romani sorceress and twin sister of the speedster Quicksilver. Once believed to have been mutant children of Magneto, the twins are in truth orphans enhanced by the High Evolutionary at Mount Wundagore in Transia.
The official Marvel page for Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff). Learn all about Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) both on screen and in comics!
The Scarlet Witch cherishes many friendships throughout the Super Hero community and the magical world, but perhaps due to her unstable circumstances and ongoing quest for truth in her life, she has rarely formed close bonds with her fellow heroes.
The Scarlet Witch ( Wanda Maximoff) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #4 (March 1964) in the Silver Age of Comic Books.
