Elizabeth Olsen has expressed her desire to play characters other than Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel Cinematic Universe star Elizabeth Olsen is ready to take a break from playing Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. Olsen made her full debut as the character when Avengers: Age of Ultron was released in 2015 following a brief post-credits appearance in Captain America: Civil War. Wanda has been a prominent character in the MCU ever since. In recent years, Olsen has spent even more time playing the character between the nine-episode WandaVision series released in 2021 and her role as the primary antagonist in the 2022 release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
While speaking with The Times, Olsen emphasized her need to play characters other than Wanda, and her desire to explore new roles in films outside the upcoming MCU movies. She makes it clear that it is more about what she needs as an actor and is not a criticism of Wanda or the MCU. Read Olsen’s comments below:
I’m trying to figure out… Because, specifically in the last four years, my output has been Marvel. I don’t want… it’s not that I don’t want to be associated as just this character. But I really feel like I need to be building other parts back up for balance. I so much want to do films right now. And I hope some of them come together in the way I feel like they can. But yeah, that’s something that I need. I just need more, other characters in my life. There’s no longevity in one character.
Will Elizabeth Olsen Return As Scarlet Witch In The MCU Phase 5 Or 6?
Despite her importance to the MCU since Phase 2, and her even more prominent role in Phase 4, Wanda’s future in the MCU is unclear. There is currently no confirmation of Olsen reprising the role in any of the upcoming films or television series in Phases 5 and 6. WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Wanda fully become the Scarlet Witch, but instead of setting her up for further storylines, she sacrificed herself at the end of the Doctor Strange sequel.
When it comes to superheroes and supervillains, death doesn’t necessarily mean the end of their stories, especially with the MCU‘s growing emphasis on the multiverse. If the main version of Scarlet Witch is not revived, Olsen could return to play a variant of the character from another universe, which she already did in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness by playing two versions of Wanda, each from a different universe. As for the confirmed Phase 5 or 6 projects where she could make her return, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars seem like the most plausible options.
Between her history as an Avenger and being one of the most powerful individuals in the multiverse, the next Avengers movies are the perfect place for her to return. She would be a powerful ally for the new Avengers lineup, or she could be a formidable villain, especially since Scarlet Witch was going to be the villain in a different Marvel movie prior to her villainous turn in the Doctor Strange sequel. Olsen‘s comments indicate that the Scarlet Witch likely won’t be returning any time soon.