Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch, is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda and her brother Pietro gained superpowers through experiments with the Mind Stone. While she started out as a hero fighting alongside the Avengers, recent events have led Wanda down a much darker path.
Wanda’s traumatic upbringing
To understand what led Wanda to become evil, we must first look at her origins. 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. This traumatic event left Wanda and Pietro orphaned at a young age.
As teenagers, the twins regularly protested and demonstrated against the Avengers. They saw Tony Stark and the Avengers as warmongers who caused death and destruction. This anti-Avengers sentiment made Wanda and Pietro prime candidates for experimentation by the evil organization Hydra.
Gaining powers through Hydra experiments
Under the supervision of the evil Baron Strucker, Wanda and Pietro volunteered to undergo experiments using the alien Mind Stone. The experiments gave them tremendous powers – Wanda could manipulate minds and matter, while Pietro gained super speed.
While gaining these powers opened new doors for the twins, the unethical experiments also corrupted them. Hydra took advantage of their grief and anger to turn them into weapons. Being a Hydra subject had lasting impacts on Wanda’s mental state.
Losing her twin brother Pietro
Initially, Wanda and Pietro worked for Ultron when the evil A.I. attacked Earth. However, they switched sides after realizing Ultron planned to destroy humanity. The twins helped the Avengers defeat Ultron, but tragedy struck.
In the battle of Sokovia, Pietro was killed while saving Hawkeye and a young boy. This devastated Wanda, as she lost her only family. Losing her twin brother, especially so soon after switching sides, hardened Wanda’s heart.
Being confined in the Avengers compound
After the battle with Ultron, Wanda joined the new Avengers team led by Captain America. While she wanted to make amends for her past with Hydra, she soon found herself confined to the Avengers compound.
Wanda was not allowed to leave or go on missions as the team deemed her powers too dangerous. After years of Hydra experiments and losing Pietro, Wanda struggled to adjust to these restrictions. She felt like a prisoner, which added to her resentment.
Losing Vision
During her time with the Avengers, Wanda grew close to Vision, an android member of the team. The two formed a romantic relationship despite their differences.
In Avengers: Infinity War, after sharing an intimate moment, Vision is killed by Thanos. Wanda had to destroy the Mind Stone herself to end Vision’s life before Thanos could claim it. Losing her new love so tragically only fueled Wanda’s pain and anger.
Rage against Thanos
Wanda’s rage against Thanos for his actions built up over the five years after he wiped out half of all life. While the Avengers worked to reverse Thanos’s snap, Wanda had to process more trauma and loss.
When the Avengers traveled back in time to get the Infinity Stones, Wanda faced Thanos head-on. She unleashed the full force of her magic on him, overpowering the Mad Titan bent on universal destruction. Her rage against him had reached its peak.
Being manipulated by Agatha Harkness
After the events of Endgame, Wanda retreated to the small town of Westview, New Jersey. While she attempted to live a normal life, her immense grief eventually caused her to subconsciously take control of the town with her powers.
Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch, sensed Wanda’s magic and infiltrated Westview. She manipulated Wanda and encouraged her to embrace her darkness. Under Agatha’s influence, Wanda’s morality slipped further.
Losing her family again
Trapped in her distorted reality in Westview, Wanda used her powers to create two children – Tommy and Billy. For the first time since losing Pietro, she had a family again.
However, when Westview was liberated from Wanda’s control, her children disappeared. This devastating loss after finally having happiness again pushed Wanda over the edge. She fully turned to the dark side, taking the Darkhold to enhance her abilities.
Corruption by the Darkhold
The Darkhold is an ancient book of dark magic with corruptive influences. After losing her children in Westview, Wanda sought out this book. She believed it could allow her to regain her family.
But the Darkhold fed on Wanda’s pain and manipulated her fragile mental state. It turned her grief into relentless obsession, making her believe she was entitled to her children. The Darkhold warped Wanda’s mind and morality.
Killing other universe’s Illuminati
In Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda’s obsession leads her to massacre the Illuminati of another universe upon learning they killed that world’s version of her sons. Among the casualties are Captain Carter, Captain Marvel, and Mister Fantastic.
By callously murdering the Illuminati, Wanda crosses fully into villainy. She believes her motivations justify any action, no matter how evil. The Darkhold has corrupted Wanda into a multidimensional threat.
Attempting to kidnap alternate Wanda’s children
Wanda descends further into darkness when she travels to Earth-838 and attempts to kidnap that universe’s version of her children, Billy and Tommy. She terrifies them while holding their parents at bay.
Her actions prove Wanda will let nothing stop her from getting her children back, even terrorizing innocent counterparts of herself and Vision. Morality no longer deters Wanda thanks to the Darkhold’s corruption.
Corrupting Doctor Strange’s Deadite army
When Doctor Strange summons an army of Deadites to fight Wanda, she easily overwhelms and corrupts them. Wanda turns the monstrous undead soldiers against Strange himself.
Her ability to rapidly corrupt these creatures to join her side highlights the exponential growth in Wanda’s dark powers. She is now wielding evil magic on a godlike level.
Attempting to kill a young girl
Wanda pursues teenager America Chavez, who has the power to travel the multiverse. Upon learning America’s powers came from her mothers’ sacrificing themselves, Wanda decides to kill America to take her abilities.
Attempting to murder a child to increase her own power proves Wanda is far gone. Her obsession has led her to become a twisted villain who will let no one stand between her and her children.
Fighting her allies
Former allies like Doctor Strange and Wong attempt to stop Wanda’s rampage, leading her to fight them as well. She no longer discriminates between friend or foe in her quest.
Battling Strange and Wong, her fellow heroes and former friends, cements Wanda’s transition to a full villain. She is even willing to seriously injure or kill them to reach her dark goals.
Conclusion
Wanda Maximoff’s descent into evil was not through a single event, but a series of tragedies and traumas that progressively corrupted her morality and mindset. Her immense power coupled with mental instability made her susceptible to the Darkhold’s manipulations. In the end, the loss of family one too many times pushed Wanda over the edge into darkness and depravity. While her motivations are understandable, her methods are undeniably evil. The Scarlet Witch now stands as one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel multiverse.