Scarlet Witch is one of the mainstay characters in Marvel Comics, with heroic and tragic connections to the Avengers and X-Men. She's been a huge part of the ever-expanding MCU, and now with the upcoming Wandavision Disney+ series, she's about to get her first proper showcase (and perhaps a major evolution into a villain she has been in the comics).
Through it all, Scarlet Witch has worn lots of costumes. Her classic look from the '60s set a pretty strong foundation, but there have been very interesting variations over the years in the comics and movies.
10 Ultimate Comics
One of the more unique takes on the Scarlet Witch – and more controversial – is the Ultimate Comics version from the early 2000s. Wanda is much younger in Earth-1610 and dresses accordingly. She wore basically workout clothes, with a bare mid-riff and fingerless gloves.
This version of Scarlet Witch was fine except for the slightly less than wholesome relationship she had with her brother Quicksilver. This is thankfully one of the ways that the movie version of the Scarlet Witch has not been comic book accurate.
9 The '90s
Wanda is infamous for warping reality and making things really weird, thanks to her actions during the House of M event, one of Marvel's most hopeless alternate timelines. But things got weird with the Scarlet Witch way before that. Back in the '90s, she changed up her costume and got pretty extreme, along with the rest of the comics industry.
Wanda abandoned her standard outfit and went with a much more revealing dress, which was more or less her basic look without the underlining. She also got a major haircut, which didn't last long at all.
8 Black Costume
Scarlet Witch has worn all black a few times, notably in the '90s. She did so more recently in the 2000s during her solo series. This version was more successful as it retained her signature red color. Red lined the entire costume, creating a unique silhouette, and of course, she retained her red cape.
This was a very modern and unique take on her classic look, though it lost the headcrest. Movie fans don't mind that it's missing from the films, but as far as the comics, it remains a big part of Wanda's look.
7 Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants
Scarlet Witch's first-ever appearance in comic books was one for the ages. She appeared as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in the early days of the X-Men, alongside her brother Quicksilver and her father (or maybe not) Magneto. She's not quite scarlet in X-Men #4, but very, very green.
Wanda's original costume is very Jack Kirby, which makes sense as he drew her along with the rest of the nascent Marvel Universe. Her basic outfit is the same except for the green, but her headcrest is very different, meeting at a point under her chin.
6 Wandavision
Fans have yet to see Wandavision beyond that amazing first trailer, but it gave them a glimpse of something many have wanted for years: a comic-accurate Scarlet Witch costume on screen. The basic costume is there, along with the classic headcrest.
While this may not be more than a figment of Wanda's imagination, Wanda and Vision dressing up for Halloween does have its roots in the comics. The two did just that in the Vision and the Scarlet Witch mini-series from the '80s when the two went out trick or treating to experience "real life."
5 West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers was a unique off-shoot of the main team based, unsurprisingly, on the west coast. Wanda Maximoff and the Vision joined up and like the rest of the team and really all of Marvel in the mid-80s, got a big makeover.
Scarlet Witch abandoned her traditional costume and went with something a little less memorable in the long run. She lost the headcrest and traded in her cape for a much bigger one, with very high shoulders. The pattern of her costume changed quite a bit, but she kept the red and added some black, which would feature a lot going forward.
4 Classic
Scarlet Witch's classic Avengers costume is actually not her first outfit, but it remains the hallmark of the character. By the time she joined the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Wanda had ditched the strange green for actual scarlet. Her headcrest was simplified, no longer enclosing her entire face but just framing it.
Major aspects of this costume, including the headcrest, cape, and bodice, would remain pillars of her comic book appearance for decades to come. It wouldn't be until the late '80s and '90s that things really started to get weird with her (as they tend to do).
3 Uncanny Avengers
One of Scarlet Witch's best modern era costumes debuted in Uncanny Avengers. This combined team that formed in the aftermath of Avengers vs. X-Men, a major event that's aged pretty well (mostly), had Wanda trying to repair the massive damage she had done to mutants during the House of M.
This costume kept some key elements of her traditional look, like Wanda's headcrest and bodice, but made it more of a complete package with trousers instead of her usual leggings. Scarlet Witch also wore a jacket early on which likely informed her movie look.
2 Young Avengers
During the Young Avengers run earlier in the 2010s (which may or may not be the inspiration behind the upcoming MCU Kang), Scarlet Witch updated her outfit again. This time she retained her classic headcrest but her outfit got much simpler. She wore a red dress with red gloves and boots for a very monochromatic but cool look.
It's certainly one of Wanda's better modern versions. This time, the headcrest is just a little softer in the lines than earlier iterations, which tend to harden depending on Wanda's mood in the comics at the time.
1 MCU
The Scarlet Witch has had some incredible costumes in the comic books, but her best one so far might be the big-screen version in the MCU. She's still one of the most powerful characters in the franchise, but the costume is much more modern and practical.
It does have some callbacks to the past, particularly in the red and black color scheme and lace elements in the bodice. The MCU Scarlet Witch on occasion wears a red leather trench coat, which callbacks to some of her comic looks, in particular, her Uncanny Avengers run.