Why does Doctor Doom need Scarlet Witch in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’? Here are 5 theories that could explain Wanda’s return to the MCU
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Scarlet Witch might have one of the most interesting roles to play in “Avengers: Doomsday,” and I’m not just saying that because Wanda Maximoff is one of my favorite Marvel characters. After seemingly meeting her end in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” fans have been waiting to find out whether Elizabeth Olsen will return to the MCU. Now, with Doctor Doom seemingly taking an interest in Wanda and her extraordinary powers, there’s plenty of room for speculation about what Marvel has planned.
But why would Doom need Scarlet Witch in the first place? Wanda is one of the most powerful magic users in the Marvel universe, with reality-altering abilities that could make her an incredibly valuable ally or a terrifying enemy. Her comic-book history also offers some intriguing possibilities, particularly when you look at storylines like “House of M” and “The Children’s Crusade.”
Of course, Marvel hasn’t confirmed exactly how Wanda fits into “Avengers: Doomsday,” so we’ll have to wait and see how much of this speculation holds up. Still, there are several fascinating directions the studio could take her story. Here are five Scarlet Witch theories that could explain Doctor Doom’s interest in Wanda and what her potential MCU comeback might look like.
One popular theory is that “Avengers: Doomsday” could take inspiration from Marvel Comics’ “The Children’s Crusade.” In the comic, Wanda disappears after the events of “Avengers Disassembled” and “House of M.” Her sons, Billy and Tommy, eventually set out to find her with the Young Avengers. They discover that Wanda is living in Latveria with Doctor Doom, having lost her memories. Doom is secretly using her powerful magic for his own purposes. The young heroes eventually confront him and help Wanda escape, revealing that she has been manipulated rather than acting as a villain herself.
There are a few reasons this storyline could work in the MCU. At the end of “VisionQuest,” Vision, Billy and Tommy are together, leaving Wanda as the missing member of the family. One possibility is that Doom could erase Wanda’s memories or take advantage of her vulnerability to control her powers.
He might even use her desire to reunite with her family to keep her on his side. Of course, Marvel hasn't confirmed that it’s adapting this storyline, and we don’t yet know how much of the comic could make it into the movie. It’s also possible that Wanda’s reunion with her children will be saved for “Avengers: Secret Wars” instead.
Scarlet Witch could be connected to a mysterious group of masked characters known as the “Latverian Witches.” These figures have appeared in “Avengers: Doomsday” promotional material, including posters, convention displays and leaked concept art. One particular poster caught fans’ attention because one of the masked witches is red. This has led to speculation that Scarlet Witch could be part of the group, possibly working alongside Doctor Doom.
There have also been reports of a “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” page on Disney+ featuring promotional artwork showing Wanda and Doctor Strange in front of a Latverian mural. However, the details surrounding the witches are still unclear. Some reports describe three masked figures wearing different colored robes, while others point to artwork featuring four characters. There is no official confirmation that Wanda is one of them.
This theory also fits with the idea that Doom is gathering powerful characters to help carry out his plans. In the post-credits scene attached to the “Avengers: Endgame” theatrical rerelease, Doom approaches Bruce Banner in an underground bunker and tells him, “I've come to collect you.” Banner then disappears alongside Doom, leaving behind a glowing green symbol. We know he’s also collected Scarlet Witch, meaning these “witches” might all hold a special power to help Doom complete his plans.
It’s possible that Scarlet Witch could take the place of Molecule Man in Marvel’s “Secret Wars” storyline. In the comics, Doctor Doom uses enormous amounts of power to reshape reality and create Battleworld, a world made from the remains of destroyed universes. He then rules over it as God Emperor Doom.
Some fans think Marvel could use Wanda instead of introducing Molecule Man, especially since she’s already an established character with incredible reality-warping abilities. We’ve seen her create an entire town in “WandaVision” and travel between universes in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” That makes her a believable target for Doom, particularly after his apparent promise that her power will be his.
But how would he use it? One possibility is that Doom steals Wanda’s chaos magic to build Battleworld and take control of the multiverse. This could also connect to the Darkhold prophecy mentioned in “Agatha All Along,” which claims that the Scarlet Witch is destined to destroy the world.
There’s another possibility, though. Rather than simply forcing Wanda to help him, Doom could offer her a deal. He might promise to create a new reality where she can live happily with Vision, Billy and Tommy in exchange for her help. That would give Wanda a personal reason to side with him, even if she doesn’t fully understand his plans. It could also set up a heartbreaking conflict when her family discovers what Doom has done.
One of the biggest theories following “VisionQuest” is that Doctor Doom could use Wanda to destroy Earth-10005, the universe home to the original Fox “X-Men” movies. “Avengers: Doomsday” is expected to bring together heroes from three different universes: the MCU’s Earth-616, the Fantastic Four’s Earth-828 and the X-Men’s Earth-10005. With Marvel planning to introduce its own version of the X-Men after this saga, some fans believe the Fox universe could be destroyed as part of the story.
This theory has an interesting connection to House of M, one of Scarlet Witch’s most famous comic-book storylines. In it, Wanda utters the iconic line “No more mutants,” causing mutants to lose their powers. Elizabeth Olsen has previously said she would love to deliver the line in the MCU, but there’s been no opportunity yet. Having Wanda use her powers against the Fox “X-Men” universe could be Marvel’s way of bringing that moment to life.
It’s possible that the Sentinels shown in the “Doomsday” trailer might actually be designed to contain Wanda rather than hunt mutants. There’s also a less villainous possibility. Instead of Wanda destroying the mutants, she could turn against Doom and use her powers to stop him from wiping them out. This could lead to a twist on her famous comic-book line: “No, more mutants.” It might even set up the arrival of mutants in the rebooted MCU.
As we know in the “VisionQuest” finale, the post-credit scene revisits Wanda’s apparent death beneath Mount Wundagore in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” but this time we see what happened after the temple collapsed. Doctor Doom uses green magic to lift the rubble before telling Wanda, “Scarlet Witch, awaken. Your power will be mine.” Moments later, her eyes open.
But how exactly did Doom bring her back? One popular fan theory says Wanda never actually died. Instead, the red flash of magic seen as Wundagore collapsed could have been her Chaos Magic protecting her and placing her in some kind of healing coma. Doom may simply have found her and awakened her. Another possibility is that Doom rescued Wanda immediately after the collapse but kept her hidden for years. This would explain why nobody else managed to find her and why she was considered gone. Some fans even believe he could have used time travel to return to the moment Wundagore fell and save her.
There’s also the possibility that Wanda really did die and Doom used magic to resurrect her. In fact, he could have stolen power from Franklin Richards, who demonstrated the ability to bring someone back to life in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Whatever the explanation, Doom clearly has a reason for bringing Wanda back, and his warning that her power will be his suggests she’s central to his plans, and could be the most powerful weapon against the Avengers.