Of all the Avengers that we’ve had over the years, Wanda is the only one that hasn’t assumed her code name. She’s known in the world as Wanda Maximoff, an Avenger… nothing more. But all that changed with WandaVision‘s second to the last episode, ‘Previously On’. And it was none other than Agatha that dug deep into the past and uncovered the truth about her powers, finally calling her by the name that we’ve been using for Wanda ever since she appeared in the MCU – the Scarlet Witch. But what’s the story behind the Scarlet Witch – what does it mean and how does it tie in with the larger plot in WandaVision. Let’s find out.
Disclaimer: WandaVIsion and Scarlet Witch (2015-2017) spoilers ahead.
Related: The Scarlet Witch Myth!
Scarlet Witch: An Old Title
Wanda’s backstory is complicated, to say the least, and doesn’t help us much in deciphering the true meaning of the Scarlet Witch title. To understand the truth about Wanda’s lineage and the gravity of what the Scarlet Witch title means, we take a look at some of the tempting clues left in the Scarlet Witch comic series.
In Scarlet Witch #4 (2016), Wanda goes on a journey with Agatha, much like she did in episode 8, ‘Previously On’, to seek the truth about her lineage and her parents. Guided by Agatha’s apparition, Wanda journeys to a magical realm called ‘The Witches Road’ and is met by the spirit of Natalya Maximoff, her mother, who is introduced as yet another Scarlet Witch. Agatha taunts Wanda in the way that only she can, asking her: “Did you think you were the first?”
Related: Evil Vision in WandaVision
Wanda tells her the thought about being the Scarlet Witch came into her head ‘fully formed’ as soon as she understood her powers. To which Agatha replies “as was the case with your mother, and her mother before her.”
The fact that there’s a whole realm with the Witches Road and multiple Scarlet Witches in existence at some point in time, the moniker Scarlet Witch is not just reserved for Wanda but is a title that is reserved for the powers that she has. On top of that, since the idea of being a Scarlet Witch comes fully formed to the wielder of such magic, it also means that the knowledge is passed down the line as well, albeit it is intuited, not explicitly taught. This series reimagines the history of the Scarlet Witch(es) and gives a whole new angle to the meaning of the Scarlet Witch.
HUGE #WANDAVISION Spoilers!
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.This is a VERY recent addition to the comics. In 2015, they retconned that the generational bearer of Chaos Magic acts as the Scarlet Witch for their time. Before Wanda, the most recent was her true mother Natalya Maximoff. #Wanda pic.twitter.com/lJaHNQ1BRz
— aaron ⬡ vision scrapbook era (@vandawision) February 26, 2021
Deeper than Red
Upon finding out that even her maternal grandfather also had the ‘Scarlet’ title (as the Scarlet Warlock), she came to understand that witches with strong magical bloodlines end up with colors that are relatively more complex (Scarlet, not the Red Witch).
Wanda isn’t able to get much else out of her mother the Scarlet Witch as she sacrifices herself to save the goddess of Witchcraft.
Nevertheless, we get enough tantalizing details that tie back to the show WandaVision. For instance, the vision that she encounters upon accessing the Mind Stone of the crowned figure coming down to her shrouded in angelic light could be a premonition of the Scarlet Witch that she might become one day. Or it could be her future self bestowing her with the Mind Stone powers. Or it could be another Scarlet Witch – perhaps her mother – with the diadem.
Related: Nightmare in WandaVision
Hexes and Chaos, Magic and Witchery
Agatha in the show seems terrified of Wanda and her powers of “spontaneous creation” (in reference to Vision, her children, and the Hex itself) and the Chaos Magic that enables it all. It is no secret that Wanda’s powers have increased tremendously, from her humble telekinetic and telepathic origins to a being capable of altering and manipulating reality, something that the Elder God Chthon could also do, without even knowing that she was doing it. But, are all Scarlet Witches able to do this? This is where we enter murky waters.
In the newest comics, her mother was retconned into being the previous Scarlet Witch. Here I think they’re saying she was born a witch and the mind stone’s powerup helped her cultivate it
— aaron ⬡ vision scrapbook era (@vandawision) February 26, 2021
The Wanda in WandaVision gets her powers amplified with the Mind Stone, allowing her to do Chaos Magic, a very rare and very dangerous form of magic. But it is unclear if the Scarlet Witches before her were able to do so too. If they did, were they also struck by the powers of the Mind Stone or some other infinity stone? Or could it be something else that took their witchery to the next level? That is where the multiple Wanda stories take us awry. But it appears that with WandaVision, MCU is bringing together the disparate narratives surrounding Wanda and the Scarlet Witch to one coherent chronicle that would satisfy the comic lovers as well.
Perhaps we’ll get more answers about the Scarlet Witch myth in the season finale, hopefully from Agatha, that would shed light on the Scarlet Witch title, the powers associated with it, and Wanda’s true lineage.
Related: What is Chaos Magic in WandaVision?
