Has the tragic fate of Scarlet Witch been confirmed by the MCU?
Elizabeth Olsen’s time as the Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may finally be at an end, according to footage screened for the Disney+ series Agatha All Long. The upcoming show, starring Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, has seemingly confirmed the fate of the Scarlet Witch. While everything known about Agatha All suggests that the show will center on the ramifications of the end of WandaVision, including Agatha’s imprisonment by Wanda, it now appears that events from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will also be relevant to the series’ story.
Agatha All Along was confirmed after the release of WandaVision in 2021 and has been the subject of speculation ever since. The series is being overseen by WandaVision creator and Black Widow co-writer Jac Schaeffer and has gone through a series of title changes since its announcement, including Coven of Chaos and Darkhold Diaries among other Agatha-related titles. Following various delays and a change in Marvel’s strategy streaming television, the series, which co-stars Patti LuPone and Audrey Plaza, is finally nearing its release.
At an event for TV advertisers called upfronts, Disney and Marvel screened the first Agatha All Along trailer for the assembled audience. It was not released online; only a description of the footage is available at this time. The trailer reportedly shows Agatha as a detective struggling with the details of a murder case. Before her is a document that lists deaths, including one for W. Maximoff, who is listed to have died on October 13. The trailer continues with a conversation between Agatha and the other witches about the future of her coven.
Wanda’s death now hangs over Agatha in significant ways as she attempts to build her coven and reestablish her abilities. Following the events of WandaVision, which emphasized how notable the existence of the Scarlet Witch was to the world of witchcraft, it would appear that there is a great deal left for Agatha to learn from what Wanda left behind. Based on the trailer, Wanda’s death and how that has impacted Agatha, her binding to Westview, and the status of her abilities will be explored in the series when it premieres on September 18.
Marvel has confirmed Wanda Maximoff’s death in the MCU in several ways. While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did nothing to suggest that Wanda survived after being crushed by the rocks of Mount Wungadore in that movie’s climax, savvy audiences have learned that any death that does not appear directly onscreen in the MCU is inconclusive. Even if audiences wished to cling to this hope, however, Marvel officially confirmed Scarlet Witch’s in a 2023 timeline book of the MCU. All of this suggests her ending was intended exactly as it appeared.
After a cinematic history that began in Avengers: Age of Ultron and continued through the franchise with Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and her own WandaVision series, it seems that the Scarlet Witch’s story is finally at an end. This has been difficult for audiences to accept because of how the character’s humor, charm, spirit, and dynamism were so successfully on display across the decade-hopping sitcom structure of WandaVision, before being immediately followed by a heel turn in Multiverse of Madness. Accepting that this beloved character will not be able to find redemption for her horrible actions is difficult.
