Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch, is one of the most powerful and complex characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). As the daughter of Magneto and sister of Quicksilver, Wanda was experimented on by Hydra which gave her incredible abilities to manipulate minds and matter. Throughout the MCU films, Wanda has walked the line between good and evil, constantly struggling with her past trauma and desire for revenge. Determining whether Wanda is ultimately good or evil is not a simple question with an easy answer.
Wanda’s Backstory
To understand Wanda’s morality, it’s important to examine her origins and upbringing. Wanda and her twin brother Pietro grew up in the Eastern European country of Sokovia. When they were young, their parents were killed in a bombing, leaving them orphaned and fostering a hatred of Tony Stark and the Avengers who they blamed for the bombings. As teenagers, Wanda and Pietro volunteered to undergo experiments by Hydra involving the Mind Stone, one of the powerful Infinity Stones. This gave Wanda telepathic and telekinetic powers including mind control, energy blasts, and levitation. It also heightened her anger and desire for revenge against Tony Stark.
This traumatic upbringing left Wanda in a very vulnerable state, open to manipulation by villains like Hydra and Ultron. She never had a chance at a normal life and family, instead gaining powers she didn’t fully understand and using them to fuel her rage. Wanda cannot be fully blamed for allying with Ultron given her background and mindset at the time. She was misguided and taken advantage of by those who pretended to offer her purpose when they actually intended to use her as a weapon.
Wanda’s Actions with Ultron
When Wanda and Pietro first appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron, they were helping the sentient robot Ultron wage war on the Avengers. Wanda’s anger towards Tony Stark and the Avengers led her to volunteer for Hydra’s experiments and then work with Ultron, making her an initial villain in the film. She uses her mental manipulation powers against the Avengers, causing haunting visions to make them vulnerable and turn against each other. In the final battle, she even rips out Ultron’s mechanical heart when she has a change of heart about his plans for destruction.
While her actions for most of the film were clearly villainous, Wanda had a redemption when she realized Ultron sought global human extinction. She tells Ultron “I know you’re afraid…of death. I was like you. But I’ve learned one thing since then. To accept the inevitable.” This shows Wanda’s turn away from anger and towards protecting human life, setting her on the path towards being an Avenger.
Wanda as an Avenger
After defecting from Ultron, Wanda fought alongside the Avengers and used her powers to help save civilians. At the end of Age of Ultron, she officially becomes an Avenger, beginning her journey as a hero. Throughout Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Wanda works to save lives and stop Thanos from wiping out half of all life in the universe. She withstands great losses, including the death of her lover Vision at her own hands in an attempt to stop Thanos. Wanda also bravely joins the fight against Thanos on the battlefield in the climatic end of Endgame.
As an Avenger, Wanda has proven herself both powerful and caring. She forges strong bonds with her teammates like Vision and Hawkeye, indicating her ability to connect with others and work for good. However, she still struggles at times to control her temper and powers when those she loves are threatened.
Wanda’s Actions in Westview
In the Disney+ series WandaVision, we see a very different side of Wanda emerge. After losing Vision as well as fellow Avenger Natasha in Endgame, Wanda’s grief causes her to construct an elaborate alternate reality in the town of Westview where she can live happily with Vision while psychically controlling all of the town’s residents. This raises many moral questions about Wanda’s actions and state of mind.
On the one hand, Wanda’s immense pain after so much loss is understandable and makes her desire to re-create her love understandable. On the other hand, she has robbed many innocent people of their free will and trapped them in her warped world against their will. Even after becoming aware Westview’s residents are suffering, she continues to keep them under her control for a long time. These questionable actions sparked debates amongst fans about whether Wanda was still a hero or had crossed over into villainous territory again.
Wanda’s Motivations in Westview
When examining Wanda’s morality in Westview, her motivations and awareness of her actions are key factors. Upon further reflection within the show, it seems Wanda did not intentionally create Westview or understand the harm she was inflicting at first. Her creation of the alternate reality town was an involuntary act driven by her trauma and grief-stricken mind. The show suggests Wanda’s chaos magic had reacted to her emotional pain by spontaneously generating the Westview anomaly subconsciously.
This makes Wanda more of a tragic figure who loses control than an intentional villain. That being said, once she becomes fully aware of the anguish she is causing others, her choice to continue their captivity in order to keep Vision alive is highly morally questionable. Wanda appears too consumed by her own desires to acknowledge the humanity of the people she’s hurting.
Wanda’s Sacrifice
By the end of WandaVision, Wanda willingly frees the people of Westview after seeing the harm she has inflicted when confronted by heroes like Monica Rambeau. She also gives up Vision and her idyllic life with him, proving she is able to make selfless choices for good. As Wanda tells Monica, “I don’t need you to tell me who I am.” This suggests Wanda maintains a moral compass despite her flaws and misuse of power.
While Wanda made poor choices in Westview, she took responsibility in the end. Wanda is complex – she has both a capacity for kindness and moral weakness. Her inherent humanity makes labeling Wanda simply good or evil, hero or villain, an oversimplification. She is both depending on the circumstances and choices she makes when under pressure.
Wanda’s Potential for Redemption
Based on her entire arc in the MCU so far, Wanda displays both heroic and villainous behaviors. She has done harm, but also proven she wants to do good and is capable of redemption. Understanding the roots of her pain and anger make it possible to have empathy for her worst impulses while condemning her immoral actions.
The question is – after Westview, will Wanda continue to learn and grow in order to control her chaos magic for good? Or will her grief send her spiraling once more down a dark path? Wanda’s fate remains uncertain. But her story is a complicated and emotionally resonant one that suggests she has the potential for redemption even after grave mistakes. Wanda contains both light and dark within her, what matters most is the part she chooses to act on.
Conclusion
Determining morality is complex when looking at flawed characters like Wanda Maximoff. She has exhibited both heroic self-sacrifice and harmful decision making at different times in her arc. While her origins provide insight into her pain and questionable choices, they do not excuse her most destructive actions. Wanda is neither completely good nor evil; she remains a nuanced character who has done both right and wrong. At her best, Wanda has proven she can harness her power for good and fight for noble causes alongside heroes. At her worst, grief, anger, and a lack of accountability can lead Wanda down darker paths. Wanda’s choices moving forward, more than her past, will truly determine whether her chaotic power will be a force for good or destruction in the future of the MCU.
Key Events Demonstrating Wanda’s Complex Morality
| Event | Good Actions | Morally Questionable Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Age of Ultron | – Helped defeat Ultron and save civilians once she realized his genocidal intentions | – Willingly worked with Hydra and Ultron early on due to anger at the Avengers |
| As Avenger | – Fought against Thanos and his forces to save lives | – Struggled at times to control her volatile emotions and powers |
| Westview Anomaly | – Sacrificed her family life to finally free Westview’s residents | – Unintentionally trapped and harmed many innocent people with her reality manipulation |