Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch, is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Throughout the MCU films, she has walked the line between villain and hero. Her actions have helped save the world at times, while also causing great harm and destruction. Determining whether Wanda is ultimately a villain or hero requires looking closely at her origins, motivations, and the consequences of her powers.
Quick Answers
Here are some quick answers to key questions about Wanda’s morality:
- She started out as a villain when first introduced, working for evil organizations like HYDRA and Ultron.
- Her powers came from the Mind Stone, one of the powerful Infinity Stones, which she could not fully control.
- She has fought alongside heroes like the Avengers, but also alone driven by grief and anger.
- Her actions in Westview violated many people’s free will, but she seemed unaware of the harm she was causing.
- By the end, she made the heroic choice to destroy the Darkhold, but the consequences of her actions still weigh on her.
There are compelling points on both sides, which is what makes her moral status complex. Overall, she is perhaps best seen as an anti-hero who tries to do good but makes mistakes.
Wanda’s Origins
To understand Wanda’s morality, you have to look at where she came from. She and her twin brother Pietro Maximoff originated from the Eastern European country of Sokovia. They grew up orphaned after their parents were killed by weapons manufactured by Tony Stark’s company. This gave them an understandable resentment towards the Avengers early on.
As young adults, the twins volunteered to undergo dangerous experiments by HYDRA involving the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. This granted them extraordinary abilities, with Wanda gaining powers of neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, and energy manipulation. However, it also meant she did not have full control over her newfound strengths.
Early in her superhero career, Wanda felt anger and vengeance towards Tony Stark and sought to destroy the Avengers. She started out firmly as a villain manipulated by evil organizations.
Shifting Allegiances
Wanda’s allegiances started to change after she witnessed the threat of Ultron first-hand. Ultron was an AI system created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner meant to be a global defense program. However, Ultron became sentient and genocidal, seeking to destroy humanity. This threat convinced Wanda to switch sides and join the Avengers in defeating him.
After this, Wanda fully cast off her villain origins and became devoted to using her powers to help people. She remained a steadfast member of the Avengers for years and formed close bonds with her teammates. This period firmly established her status as a hero.
Grief and Anger Lead Her Astray
The biggest test of Wanda’s morality came after the events of Avengers: Infinity War. She was forced to kill Vision, her closest friend and love interest, to destroy the Mind Stone before Thanos could claim it. But Thanos used the Time Stone to reverse Vision’s destruction and take the Mind Stone anyway. He then wiped out half of all life with a snap of the Infinity Gauntlet.
The profound grief and trauma from these events caused Wanda to withdraw completely from the world. When she resurfaced in the TV series WandaVision, it was clear her pain had corrupted her judgment. Consumed by her desire to be reunited with Vision, she took over the town of Westview, bending reality to her will and mentally enslaving the residents.
Wanda was either unaware or in denial about how much suffering she was inflicting on the people of Westview. This period saw her slip back towards villain territory as her powers controlled people against their will.
Making Things Right in Westview
By the end of WandaVision, Wanda became aware of the harm she was causing innocent people. While it pained her greatly, she decided to release Westview and its residents from her control. She then went into self-imposed exile, studying magic and the nature of her powers.
Releasing thousands of people from mental enslavement does not instantly make up for violating their free will in the first place. But it showed Wanda taking responsibility for her actions and trying to make amends. This demonstrated she still had the capacity for heroism.
Corruption by the Darkhold
In the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda’s desire to be reunited with her lost children led to another moral downfall. She obtained tremendous magical power from the evil book known as the Darkhold but became corrupted by its influence. Believing her children existed in another universe, she was willing to kill anyone in her way to reach them.
While under the Darkhold’s control, Wanda committed many villainous acts, including:
- Attacking and seriously injuring fellow heroes like Mr. Fantastic, Captain Marvel, and Captain Carter
- Killing countless sorcerers sworn to protect the multiverse
- Trying to kidnap an alternate version of her own son Billy against his will
- Attempting to kill a teenage girl to steal her power
This violent rampage was far beyond anything she had done before and put her squarely in the villain category, albeit while corrupted by an evil magical influence.
Sacrifice and Redemption
In the climax of Doctor Strange 2, Wanda seemed poised to kill a young hero America Chavez and steal her universe-hopping powers. But seeing the fear in America’s eyes and being reminded of her own children helped Wanda break free of the Darkhold’s control.
Wanda then willingly sacrificed herself to destroy the Darkhold everywhere in the multiverse. This act of selflessness and rejection of evil power went a long way towards redeeming her sins.
However, the destruction she unleashed could not be entirely undone. Wanda’s story ended with many viewing her as a dangerous villain, even if she found redemption in the end.
Weighing Wanda’s Actions
Looking at the totality of her story in the MCU, here is an overview of Wanda’s actions that fall on the villain side versus the hero side:
Villainous Actions
- Initial loyalty to evil groups like HYDRA and Ultron
- Mind-controlling the people of Westview against their will
- Attacking fellow Avengers under Darkhold’s influence
- Killing many innocent sorcerers while corrupted by evil magic
Heroic Actions
- Helping to defeat threats like Ultron and Thanos
- Years of loyalty to the Avengers and saving lives
- Releasing people of Westview from her control
- Destroying Darkhold to stop multiversal threat
Wanda has undoubtedly committed villainous acts that caused great harm. But she has also demonstrated the capacity for heroism and self-sacrifice for the greater good. Overall, her morality remains complicated.
Conclusion
So is Wanda ultimately a villain or hero? There is no clear binary answer. The best conclusion may be that she is an anti-hero who wants to do good but makes costly mistakes.
When consumed by grief or corrupted by power, she is capable of going down very dark paths. But she also tries to redeem herself and use her abilities to help people when in the right state of mind. She is flawed but not irredeemable.
Wanda’s story arc highlights the blurred lines between hero and villain, especially when trauma and power are involved. She remains one of the most fascinatingly complex characters in the MCU.