WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men: Trial of Magneto #3, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
The X-Men's mutant nation Krakoa has been reeling since the discovery of the Scarlet Witch's apparent murder, with most of the island torn apart by the question of who actually killed the longtime Avenger and if there's any chance to have her restored. While the mutants used their cloning process to revive a version of Wanda Maximoff, this Wanda was essentially outdated, limited by the memories of a long-gone era.
As the X-Men and Avengers try to make sense of the situation, X-Men: Trial of Magneto #3, by Leah Williams, Lucas Werneck, David Messina, Edgar Delgado and VC's Clayton Cowles, reveals that the figure haunting Scarlet Witch in her apparent afterlife is an older incarnation of Wanda Maximoff, which hints that the full details of her possible resurrection may be tied to the chaos magic that fuels her powers.
RELATED: The Most Powerful X-Men Villain Beat X-Force’s Strongest Power - And That’s Huge
The Scarlet Witch's apparent demise during the tail-end of "The Hellfire Gala" has left various figures from across the Marvel Universe in incredibly difficult positions. The X-Men and their allied branches on Krakoa have been trying to solve the murder, with their investigation naming Magneto as the prime suspect and the potential involvement of Hope Summers raising plenty of questions. The Avengers have been shaken by the loss of their longtime ally and are equally shaken when she then suddenly reappears after seemingly being resurrected with an old copy of her mind and memories. Magneto himself seems volatile, being manipulated and lashing out in the process.
However, the most mysterious element has been the fate of the true Scarlet Witch herself. Following her apparent demise at the hands of a mysterious figure on Krakoa, Wanda Maximoff has found herself in a strange and almost ethereal place. Confronted by a figure in a white cloak, she tries to defend herself but is attacked and promptly killed by the figure -- spewing flowers from her wound. But upon the apparent resurrection of Wanda, something is different. Some element of her has gone missing in this mystical place, and her memories are faulty too. Confronted by the robbed figure again, Wanda decides that she's tired of running and dying, only to be brought back so the cycle can continue.
Exhausted and seemingly growing angry, Wanda conjures an axe from a sigil and fights back, confronting the figure and seemingly realizing she's supposed to kill her before she can be "killed" again. It turns out that Wanda is truly lost in the realm of pure chaos magic -- the same kind of power she controls and that makes her so powerful. Realizing this, Wanda is able to firmly and finally make a stand by confronting the figure in white and vowing to not be killed in her own realm ever again. This seems to be the key, as the hooded figure lowers their cloak and reveals themselves to be Wanda -- albeit an older incarnation of the Scarlet Witch, with the end of the issue teaser confirming this is "Old Lady Wanda."
It's a massive turn, suggesting that Wanda's fate has deeper meanings than it initially appeared. The older Wanda implies that this is a genuinely mystical series of events and that Wanda's potential true resurrection may have something to do with her powers instead of relying on the X-Men's cloning technology. However, the presence of a version of Wanda, even an outdated one, on Krakoa could drastically complicate the situation. If nothing else, the presence of that clone could reveal the X-Men's resurrection capabilities to the unaware Avengers, which could set off a firestorm in its own right.
Given her evaluated importance in the Marvel Universe lately -- including at the heart of the ongoing Darkhold storyline and her starring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series WandaVision -- it's not surprising to see Wanda active after her apparent death. However, Wanda's resurrection seemingly taking place on multiple fronts could dramatically affect the rest or her revival, since neither version of her seems fully complete. But for now, the spirit of Wanda and the cloned Scarlet Witch both have found themselves in strange situations. For now, it seems like Wanda's most pressing issues involve determining what's going on in her apparent afterlife and what secrets Old Lady Wanda is hiding under her cloak.
KEEP READING: Wolverine Gave The X-Men's Greatest Enemies Marvel's Most Valuable Weapon