Best Moments in the MCU (So Far), Ranked
It’s no secret that the Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful beings in the MCU. Scarlet Witch, or Wanda Maximoff, made her MCU debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which hit the big screen in 2015. In this debut, Wanda was in fact a villain, teaming up with the main antagonist Ultron. After the loss of her brother, Wanda finds solace in joining the Avengers for good. Scarlet Witch has now garnered her own fanbase within the MCU, with the appeal of not just her incredible Chaos Magic, but her ability to manipulate minds and seemingly transcend the boundaries of the Multiverse.
Though other actresses were almost cast as Wanda, the now wholly beloved and iconic character is played by none other than Elizabeth Olsen. Wanda slowly became a vital part of the Avengers team and played a role in five other Marvel projects. After Wanda’s triumphant yet heartbreaking return after getting “blipped,” she even starred as the lead and main character of the Disney + show WandaVision. Throughout the last seven years of the Scarlet Witch in the MCU, she has accumulated a fair share of noteworthy moments significant to her own character development and the MCU’s. Make sure you check out some of the best moments so far.
9 Brainwashing the Avengers – Avengers: Age of Ultron
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Wanda Maximoff was introduced to the MCU in Avengers: Age of Ultron and right off the bat, she was established as a force to be reckoned with. Alongside her brother Pietro, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Wanda proved to be a formidable opponent for our favorite superheroes. Under the direction of the main antagonist Ultron, Wanda uses her powers to place visions into the minds of the Avengers, unraveling their deepest and darkest fears. She practically tore them apart from the inside out, and it was both equally terrifying and incredible.
8 Wanda Becomes the Avenger – Avengers: Age of Ultron
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In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda’s character arc provided a much-needed glimpse into the true depths and heartbreaking reality of her character’s past. When Wanda becomes aware of Ultron’s true intentions, her switch over to the side of our heroes is quick and inevitable. When faced with the looming threat of Ultron’s robot army, Hawkeye gives Wanda a chance, mentioning how if she goes out and fights with them, then she is an Avenger. In true heroic fashion, she breaks out of her hiding place to completely obliterate the enemies in her way. After this, Wanda becomes an Avenger and even has the honor of getting revenge for her brother’s death by extracting Ultron’s robot heart.
7 Wanda vs Vision – Captain America: Civil War
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Captain America: Civil Warcommonly coined to be the bonus Avengers movie, gives up a much-needed glimpse into Wanda’s place in the Avengers. When the safety surrounding her abilities is called into question, Earth’s mightiest heroes are divided into their allegiances, one side in favor of setting boundaries for the team, and the other against. Wanda is convinced to escape her confinement, and when she is met with resistance by Vision, she shockingly beats him in a small one-on-one face-off. Wanda’s powers have been featured throughout a few Marvel projects at this point and her ability to completely incapacitate Vision was a sight to see.
6 Fighting the Black Order in Edinburgh – Avengers: Infinity War
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Perseverance and passion are some of Wanda’s most defining character traits. She is definitely a character who is led by her heart and in this exhausting fight against members of the Black Order (Children of Thanos) in Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda does not back down in defending Vision. Without hesitation, Wanda is able to exhaust herself in order to protect the ones she loves no matter how much she loses herself. Of course, the fight itself ends when Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon come to help. However, it is evident that Wanda has all the capabilities to successfully defend herself and others.
5 Losing Vision While Fighting Thanos – Avengers: Infinity War
Marvel just loves torturing the woman. After the trauma of her past from losing her entire family to being told she was a danger to everyone around her, having to kill the one person she loves in the world was a monumental moment for the Scarlet Witch. In Infinity War, Wanda was forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone else and lose everything she has as a result. Not only did it take immense emotional weight on her part, but her strength in terms of power was also evident as she was successfully able to hold Thanos off for enough time for her to destroy the mind stone, something that no other Avenger was able to succeed at. Thanos at this point had five out of the six Infinity Stones, and Wanda was still able to match up with his power.
4 Revenge Against Thanos – Avengers: Endgame
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There were so many memorable and notable moments throughout Avengers: Endgame, but watching Wanda enact her revenge on Thanos was something that we all needed. Wanda’s storyline is probably the most heartbreaking in the entire MCU. Almost everyone in the universe got people back after the snap, and when Wanda returns, she once again is forced to face everything she has lost. The people she loves most in the world do not get to come back so this face-off with Thanos was so beyond fitting. When Thanos tells her that he does not even know who she is, Wanda’s response was perfect: “You will.”
3 WandaVision
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The entirety of the Disney + show WandaVision broke Wanda’s powerful abilities wide open. If you doubted her before this, you definitely will not after. This show is laid out like an old sitcom that slowly becomes more and more unhinged as Wanda’s simulation begins to break. The creation of the WandaVision world was born from Wanda’s grief. She tries to cope with her loss by creating her own universe full of everything she ever wanted, imprisoning the minds of an entire town to carry it out instead of facing life as she knows it. At this point, it’s as if it’s her against the world, and she’s not going to be the one to lose.
2 Villain Arc – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
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It’s safe to say that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Marvel dipping its feet into the horror genre, and who better to kick things off than one of the most powerful members of the MCU, Scarlet Witch. In this movie, we slowly watch Wanda unravel her pain as she becomes one of the most frightening and intriguing villains in this franchise. This compelling and equally iconic quote from the movie cements her villain arc in Marvel history: “You break the rules and become a hero. I do it and I become the enemy.” That, with the combination of her powers in the multiverse, only makes us more excited to see her future in the franchise.
1 Wanda Vs Illuminati – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
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The Scarlet Witch as a villain in the MCU is a situation where none of us know what to expect. As we know, the Multiverse is vast and unpredictable. In this film, we meet The Illuminati, a powerful group of superheroes that travel throughout the multiverse and have a very important role in the Marvel Comics. The moment in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where Wanda slaughters The Illuminati all by herself is absolutely terrifying. Olsen has completely outdone herself as an actress in this film – indeed, Glamor reports that she is the film’s MVP – and her stellar performance sets her character up for one of the best storylines being forged by Marvel in this phase.
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