Agatha calling Wanda the ‘Scarlet Witch’ in WandaVision‘s episode 8 has had Marvel fans freaking out. It is not just that this is the first time her moniker has been uttered aloud in the five films and eight episodes that she’s been in. There are way bigger odds at stake here, perhaps even bigger than what we’ve seen so far, especially considering how the show is opening up new possibilities for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to explore. And we’re not just talking about Wanda’s powers, but multiverses, alternate timelines, arch-demons, and Nexus beings.
But how is this all tied to the Scarlet Witch, and what exactly is Agatha alluding to when she refers to Wanda as being the mythical Scarlet Witch? Here’s everything that you need to know going into the final episode of WandaVision (and hopefully for all the Marvel goodness that it may inspire).
Disclaimer: Major spoilers ahead!
What is The Scarlet Witch Myth?
“You’re supposed to be a myth. A being capable of spontaneous creation… That makes you the Scarlet Witch” – Agatha (Agnes) Harkness
Thanks to Agatha, we now know how Wanda got the powers that enabled her to manage the whole town of Westview and do “magic on autopilot”. This magic is ‘Chaos Magic’, a form of sorcery so dangerous and so rare that its knowledge remains long forgotten, sealed away with Chthon, the Elder God, who used it to reign supreme in the universe. There are very few beings in the entire universe who know about such magic, and even fewer who can use it.
That is where the myth of the Scarlet Witch lies as well. Though Wanda’s powers stem less from witchcraft and more from being a mutant (touched by the Infinity Stone), there have been others like her, before her, who could harness the Chaos Energy. Other than being insanely powerful and being able to warp, reconstruct, or otherwise manipulate reality, Scarlet Witches may possibly be the Nexus beings of their reality as well, powerful entities tied to the multiverse capable of exerting influence over it.
All in the blood: Witches and Warlocks
The Myth tells us that there have been Scarlet Witches and Warlocks before. In the recent Scarlet Witch comic book series, Wanda says that she knew herself to be the Scarlet Witch the moment she understood her powers. She also finds out the truth about her birth mother: for was also called the Scarlet Witch. This series basically reimagined the history of the Scarlet Witch, not an uncommon thing for a comic book character. But it wasn’t just her mother, but her mother before her as well who was called the Scarlet Witch.
When she was retconned to just be a sorceress, it was revealed that the Scarlet Witch title was inherited and there were others before her, including her biological mother. pic.twitter.com/R7hlZ6hxJS
— obsessed with wandavision | letospector ☾ (@letospector) February 27, 2021
It is clear then that Scarlet Witch is not just a moniker reserved just for Wanda, but a title that is tied to her powers. As such, there are Scarlet Warlocks as well – male counterparts of the Scarlet Witches. A case in point is Wanda’s maternal grandfather. Strong magic seems to be a part of the bloodline.
How does Agatha know about the Scarlet Witch myth?
Knowing all this about the Scarlet title necessitates arcane knowledge, old age, and an intimate understanding of witchcraft and cosmic beings. Well, Agatha has all that so she could tell if something’s out of place, or too great to contain. On top of that, she knows how difficult it is to perform even the slightest convincing illusion, and having Wanda with all of Westview under her control is more than just ‘out of place’. It is magic of a different level altogether.
Being a part of a coven, it could also be that she knows about the arch-demon Chthon (his Chaos Magic) and the mages that defeated him. But Agatha telling Wanda that she was “supposed to be a myth” shows that such levels of powers are considered legendary even among witches. She needed only to corroborate her doubts, which she did in episode 8, and find out the truth about Wanda’s powers.
What does it all mean?
Wanda could actually be the Nexus being. Episode 7 of WandaVision showed Agatha using Wanda to draw energy from somewhere… like a nexus point. If this is true, then Wanda could be the Nexus being of this reality. It would make sense given how strong she has suddenly become and how quickly Tommy and Billy have found their powers. But having such a being use her energies without exactly knowing what all she’s capable of is disconcerting, to say the least (and exciting for the fans).
#wandavision spoilers //
WANDA IS LITERALLY A MYTH AMONG WITCHES, A WITCH THAT CAN USE CHAOS MAGIC TO SPONTANEOUSLY CREATE, AND Y'ALL STILL THINK SHE ISN'T THE STRONGEST AVENGER??? SHE IS -THE- SCARLET WITCH. pic.twitter.com/eRE7QAo1Y3
— lilyflower ash – wv spoilers!! (@prongsvision) February 26, 2021
It also means that MCU is streamlining all the different Wanda storylines to give us one comprehensive origin story of the Scarlet Witch. Whether or not the season finale will offer anything more into the myth of the Scarlet Witch, or at least have some fireworks in store for us, one thing is clear – WandaVision is the most important series for the MCU. The possibilities are now infinite and Marvel fans are going to be more expectant than ever.
Featured Image Source: Marvel
