WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer shares her thoughts on Scarlet Witch's differences between the MCU's WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. WandaVision brought Wanda Maximoff to the forefront after her supporting roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Wanda's starring role in her own Disney+ series certainly lifted her to A-list status in the MCU, though her drastic transformation from regretful anti-hero in WandaVision's finale episode to full-fledged supervillain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has often been criticized.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer addresses Wanda's sudden villain transformation after the 2021 WandaVision finale. Schaeffer explains that while she appreciates having played a big role in Scarlet Witch's MCU arc, she understands that the character doesn't belong to a single director or writer. Schaeffer compares the experience of directing an MCU project with "borrowing characters and storylines for a time" and admits that "one of the wonderful, special things about the MCU" is that characters continue to evolve in every installment. Read Schaeffer's full comments below:
"I love Wanda and I love all the characters that I’ve had the privilege of working with; Natasha [in Black Widow], Carol Danvers [in Captain Marvel], everybody.
"But one of the agreements of being part of the MCU is you're kind of borrowing characters and storylines for a time."
"You get your experience with them, and then things continue, which is one of the wonderful, special things about the MCU. A lot of my friends and colleagues were on that film.
"I feel grateful for my time with [Wanda] and just hopeful for more of her in any way that that might happen. And really just more of Lizzie [Olsen] in anything, she’s so spectacular."
What Jac Schaeffer's Comments Mean For Scarlet Witch's MCU Future
Wanda Maximoff's Fate May Not Be Set In Stone After All
Jac Schaeffer's comments confirm that Scarlet Witch's MCU journey wasn't written in full from the start. Instead, each of Wanda's appearances has changed the course of her journey, offering new possibilities for the hero's future stories. Since Wanda doesn't belong to one writer or director, it's always possible to undo or adjust what her previous appearances established. This includes Scarlet Witch's apparently permanent death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Scarlet Witch is in a state of permanent evolution in the comics as well. Wanda Maximoff has gone from X-Men villain to Avengers hero, from mutant to "possibly" Inhuman, and from Magneto's biological daughter to adopted daughter and vice versa. Death hasn't been an obstacle for Wanda either, as she has returned from the death and been forgiven for rewriting reality. Likewise, it's still possible for Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch to come back from the dead and regain her superhero status in the MCU.
Our Take On Jac Schaeffer's Scarlet Witch Comments
Schaeffer's Scarlet Witch Comments Prove That MCU Characters Are Constantly Changing
Character arcs like those of Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Peter Parker may make it seem like Marvel Studios designed an extremely detailed, multi-movie plan for each character's MCU journey. But the truth is that nothing is ever certain for the MCU's characters. Even Thanos' tease in The Avengers' post-credits scene was added without any solid plans for the villain, and Iron Man's heroic sacrifice from Avengers: Endgame would likely have seemed like a pipe dream back in Phase 1.
Part of the appeal of a cinematic universe like the MCU is the mystery around future projects. While crafting a defined plan for each character may sound like the best way to guarantee a successful character arc, embracing uncertainty sets the stage for exciting surprises. Sometimes this results in rather baffling changes like Scarlet Witch's changes from WandaVision to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and sometimes it results in memorable character evolution like Hawkeye in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor in Thor: Ragnarok, and Thanos' in Avengers: Infinity War.
