Marvel Is Retconning Scarlet Witch’s MCU Villain Turn, Prepping Her For a Hero’s Return

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Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel’s MCU tie-in TVA comic!

The MCU’s Scarlet Witch
took a harsh turn from Avenger, to suburban mom, and then to multiversal hellspawn. Until recently, the MCU fan-favorite character has been believed to have been corrupted by the ancient power of the Darkhold. However, I think Marvel Comics just proved that the MCU’s Scarlet Witch was never truly evil. The secret behind her rapid corruption lies in the Time Variance Authority and a nightmarish evil.

In TVA #4–writtenby Katharyn Blair, with art by Pere Pérez – Gwen Stacy, aka the Ghost-Spider, has been plagued with dreams of a sinister figure cloaked in green. The recurring nightmare has continuously led Ghost-Spider to the same location in the TVA: the holding cell of a Scarlet Witch variant with a strikingly similar appearance to the MCU’s variant.

When Gwen decides to follow the guidance of her visions, she releases the Wanda variant from her cell before being met by the mysterious figure from her dreams. Emerging from the shadows, the Fear Lord Nightmare
thanks Gwen for her service

Marvel Confirms The Cinematic Version Of Wanda Mximoff Appears In Its “TVA” Comic

TVA #4 (2025) – Written By Katharyn Blair; Art By Pere Pérez; Color By Guru-eFX; Lettering By VC’s Joe Sabino

While it’s hard to say for certain that the Scarlet Witch featured in TVA #4is the MCU’s variant, this Wanda Maximoff shares an identical look with her movie counterpart. Given MCU Wanda’s gruesome wave of chaos across time and space in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s not surprising that the TVA would have targeted Wanda as a threat. Despite the Doctor Strange film implying that the
Scarlet Witch died after the climactic battle
, the Disney+ series Agatha All Along hinted that fans should never assume anything from the Scarlet Witch.

However, I’m less concerned about whether
the MCU’s Scarlet Witch is alive
but by the possibility that she may have never been evil. Assuming that TVA #4’s featured Scarlet Witch is the MCU variant, Nightmare’s sinister interest in the TVA’s captive could suggest that the Fear Lord had been twisting Wanda’s fears and guiding her closer to the Darkhold’s power. In Multiverse of Madness, dreaming is described as being a window into the lives of alternate selves throughout the Multiverse. While the MCU’s Scarlet Witch used this power to travel the Multiverse, she unknowingly exposed herself to a supernatural force.

Who Is Nightmare? The Demon’s Power Is As Formidable As The Multiverse’s Itself

A Force On Par With Eternity

Nightmare is an abstract entity who exists as the living manifestation of all people’s nightmares. From his domain within the Dream Dimension, Nightmare can feed off and control the dreams of anyone across the Multiverse. In Scarlet Witch #13, it was insinuated that Nightmare’s sphere of power rivals that of Eternity, the living embodiment of the current Multiverse. The demon is an omniscient cosmic force with the power to appear in any dimension or reality through others’ minds. Like Marvel’s other ancient demons,
like Mephisto
, Nightmare’s purpose is to expand his power through the fear of others.

For Nightmare, the MCU’s Scarlet Witch is the perfect opportunity to seed chaos, strife, and terror across the Multiverse. In the wake of Vision’s death and the collapse of the Westview fantasy, Scarlet Witch had nothing but sadness, rage, and the Darkhold. I think, if Nightmare did exert his control, this is where it happened. By Multiverse of Madness, Wanda was plagued by nightmares of a happier life, one she would later realize is her variant’s. These tormenting dreams are what ultimately pushed her to pursue
the Darkhold and America Chavez’s power
. This is how Nightmare controlled the Scarlet Witch.

In My Opinion, Nightmare Isn’t Responsible For All Of Wanda’s Crimes

Westview Gave Nightmare His Opportunity

If my theory is true, and the MCU’s big supernatural bad guy has been Nightmare and not Mephisto this whole time, the
Scarlet Witch may not be as guilty
of her crimes as first assumed. Sure, Nightmare may have only stoked Wanda’s natural fear and jealousy, but without the persistently haunting influence lurking inside her dreams, she may have never submitted herself to the Darkhold. I don’t think Nightmare is responsible for Wanda’s crimes in Westview, but it’s more than likely that he would have seized his opportunity when the Scarlet Witch was forced to kill her hexed family.

However, even if Nightmare was involved and not all of Wanda’s actions were her own, the MCU’s Scarlet Witch still unleashed unthinkable horrors across the Multiverse. Her actions, even as a hero, threaten the sanctity of
the timelines the TVA protects
. If the Scarlet Witch that’s housed inside the TVA is the MCU’s variant, she is about to become Nightmare’s pawn all over again. Now that she has been set loose, Wanda is free to wreak new destruction outside the confines of the Multiverse. That said, I think Nightmare has just given this MCU variant a chance at redemption.

Marvel’s Third Multiverse Could Free The Scarlet Witch

Earth-616’s Scarlet Witch is considered a Nexus being, an avatar of the Queen of Nevers, the living
embodiment of the third Multiverse
. No longer the active Multiverse, the Queen of Nevers now exists outside the confines of space and time, just like the TVA does. With the MCU’s Scarlet Witch now free in the TVA, and far away from the Darkhold’s influence, she is much closer to the one cosmic entity most likely to free her from Nightmare and Chthon’s control. With the help of the TVA, hopefully, the Scarlet Witch will have a chance to right her wrongs and defeat Nightmare.

TVA #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.

“}]] MCU Wanda’s hero status, re-evaluated!  Read More