Wanda Maximoff has always been one of the most popular and powerful characters in Marvel Comics. Her chaos magic is perfectly suited to her unstable personality, and in a way, mimics her severe mental health issues. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she first appears as a villain, then becomes an Avenger, challenging even Thanos in the final confrontation with the Mad Titan.
Wanda's powers may be extraordinary, but her redemption arc is unfortunately not as well handled as it could have been. Her growth as a character remains at the very least questionable. The most recent series WandaVision makes matters even more complicated. Many of her actions are a result of her grief and loss, but even so, she often comes off as more villainous than heroic.
10 Wanda And Pietro Join Hydra After The Deaths of Their Parents
The incident that changes the life of the Maximoff twins is the Novi Grad bombings. A mortar shell lands on their house, killing their parents. Because of Wanda's chaos magic, she and Pietro survive. Even so, they are left staring for days at the bomb, which bears the marking of Stark Industries. The tragedy grows into increasing civil unrest, which eventually leads to an all-out civil war in Sokovia.
Plagued by the desire for revenge, Wanda and Pietro eventually join Hydra. While their anger is understandable, the fact remains that they become members of a terrorist organization. Unbeknownst to them, Hydra is part of the reason for Sokovia's misfortune, as they fanned the flames of the rioting to conceal their own operations in the region. In WandaVision, Agatha Harkness points out the disconnect between Wanda's actions and her motivations, but Wanda argues that she and Pietro were trying to change the world.
9 She Brainwashes Tony Stark During Age Of Ultron Indirectly Causing Ultron's Creation
Given powers by Baron Strucker's experimentation with Loki's scepter, Wanda and Pietro clash with the Avengers during their attack on one of the Hydra research bases. The twins manage to catch Tony alone while he goes to secure the scepter. Pietro wants to kill Tony on the spot, but Wanda decides to brainwash him instead.
It displays a level of sadism that goes beyond simple vengeance. Had revenge been her only motive, Wanda would have just killed Tony right then and there. She twists his mind instead, indirectly causing the creation of Ultron. She is never held accountable for this, and Tony is the only one blamed for what happened with Ultron.
8 She Joins Ultron With Her Twin And Mentally Assaults The Avengers
Wanda and Pietro agree to join Ultron after the rogue AI recruits them in his quest for ultimate genocide. During their confrontation in the salvage yard in Africa, Captain America tries to reach out to the twins and convince them to see sense. They predictably ignore this attempt. In the ensuing battle, Wanda mentally assaults all the Avengers, with the exception of Clint Barton. Barton manages to stop her using one of his electric arrows, and Pietro speeds her away.
7 Even Injured She Remains Focused On Absolute Destruction
Despite her injury at Barton's hands, Wanda doesn't give up on her plan. She specifically targets the Hulk, ignoring the innocents that will die because of her decision. This is particularly alarming, as Bruce previously decided to stay out of the fight. She may claim that she wants to change the world, but in reality, it is the destruction that she seeks. Her plan works, and her mental assault on Bruce leads to him doing massive damage to Johannesburg. His rampage is only stopped because of Iron Man's intervention. Once again, Wanda never answers for this crime.
6 She Only Changes Her Mind After Figuring Out Ultron's True Plan
While Ultron's consciousness is being uploaded into a body created by Helen Cho, Wanda steals a look at his mind. She then discovers his true plan, one that involves destroying humanity itself. The twins switch sides, joining the Avengers in their fight against Ultron's forces. There's nothing really heroic about their decision, as it is basically done out of self-preservation. They don't suddenly have an epiphany that they'd been doing something wrong before.
5 Her Refusal To Acknowledge The Sokovia Accords Suggests She Doesn't Accept Her Responsibility
After her brother's death in Age of Ultron, Wanda becomes an Avenger. She seems reformed and she works with Captain America to hunt down the remnants of Hydra. During an operation in Lagos, she tries to incapacitate Crossbones, who is wearing a suicide vest at the time. She ends up directing the blast at a nearby building, killing its inhabitants.
The collateral damage isn't truly her fault, but her later behavior suggests that she has learned nothing from her past. The Sokovia Accords may have been harsh, but as a former criminal experiencing guilt over her actions, Wanda should have supported it. Instead, she chooses to disregard her responsibility and embrace the freedom Captain America offers.
4 She Attacks Vision Who Is Only Trying To Help Her
During her stay at the Avengers compound, Wanda bonds with Vision. He stays with her after the tragedy in Lagos, trying to cheer her up, but also keeping an eye on her. When Clint Barton comes to tell her Captain America needs her help, Vision tries to make her see sense. Wanda refuses to listen.
She even claims that she cannot control other people's fears, when this is a complete falsehood. She takes control of the Mind Stone and of Vision's vibranium body, shoving him through several floors of concrete. It's a terrifying attack against someone she presumably cares about, and who is only trying to help her.
3 The Confrontation At The Airport Shows She Has No Qualms About Harming Her Supposed Allies
The battle between Team Cap and Team Iron Man at the airport in Leipzig reveals some extra unpleasant things about Wanda. She visibly hasn't surpassed her anger with Tony, as she dumps a whole garage of cars on top of him. This may be somewhat understandable, considering Tony's armor and the tense relationship between them.
However, Wanda also attacks the unenhanced Natasha, violently throwing her against a metal box. Natasha is one of the Avengers who welcomed Wanda into the team, even comforting her after the disaster in Lagos. The fact that Wanda chooses to disregard this is yet another red flag.
2 She Bends Reality To Suit Her Own Idyllic Fantasy And Refuses To Free Westview
Despite her actions during Civil War, Wanda and Vision reconcile, only for him to tragically die at Thanos's hands. Grief-stricken and more lost in her trauma than ever, Wanda retreats to Westview, where she and Vision bought a plot of land. Her chaos magic recreates a version of Vision from her own mind and twists the whole city to suit her own idyllic fantasy.
For a while, her actions seem understandable as she is only a victim of her own grief. However, it soon becomes obvious that this isn't exactly the case. She attacks Monica Rambeau when Monica accidentally threatens to shatter her fantasy. Even after realizing what happened, she refuses to free the citizens of Westview. During her confrontation with SWORD, she makes it clear that she already has what she wants.
1 WandaVision's Finale Suggests She May Be Embracing The Darkest Side Of Her Power
While fighting Agatha, Wanda embraces her true self, the Scarlet Witch. After she defeats Agatha, she decides to drop the Hex, which suggests that she understands the consequences of what she has done. She chooses to isolate herself, perhaps wishing to understand her powers better. But she is last seen reading the Darkhold, the Book of the Dead. This is concerning, as it may mean that in the future, her life may take an even darker turn.
In the end, Wanda isn't a hero or a villain. She is a grief-stricken, traumatized woman with too much power at her fingertips and too much anger in her heart. Time will tell if her character arc will finally lead her in a better direction, or if the Darkhold will corrupt her further. Her history with it in the comics isn't promising, as the book causes her to be possessed by the Elder God Chthon.