Despite sacrificing herself in Phase 4 of the MCU, the Scarlet Witch is sure to return to live-action, and she will need the help of an original Avenger when she does. Elizabeth Olsen debuted as Wanda Maximoff in the post-credits scene of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier alongside her brother, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Pietro, setting them up for a larger role in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Phase 2’s crossover event saw Wanda’s Scarlet Witch and Pietro’s Quicksilver join the ranks of the Avengers in the battle against the artificial intelligence Ultron, but ended in tragedy for the superpowered twins.
Avengers: Age of Ultron marked the end for Pietro Maximoff, who laid down his life to spare Clint Barton’s Hawkeye and a Sokovian child. This prompted Wanda to become an official member of the Avengers, and subsequent projects saw her become one of the MCU’s most popular characters, appearing in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, WandaVision, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Even though her most recent MCU appearance saw Wanda Maximoff meet her demise, there may still be hope for the popular Scarlet Witch, especially since she still has one remaining ally.
Scarlet Witch’s MCU Return Seems Likely
After the events of WandaVision began to set up Wanda Maximoff as a villain in the MCU, her acquiring of the Darkhold completed the transformation. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Wanda, now embracing her identity of the Scarlet Witch, try to capture and kill America Chavez in an effort to steal her multiversal power, allowing her to join a reality in which her children, Billy and Tommy Maximoff, were alive. Of course, the Scarlet Witch wasn’t successful, and, after seeing the error of her ways, she instead decided to eradicate the Darkhold, sacrificing herself in the process.
Marvel Studios has since confirmed that Wanda Maximoff is currently dead in the MCU’s main continuity, but there are high hopes that the Scarlet Witch will return to the MCU. It seems unlikely that Marvel Studios would willingly remove one of the MCU’s most popular characters, particularly without having her embark on a redemption arc first, so there has been a great deal of speculation suggesting Elizabeth Olsen will reprise the powerful role. Olsen has noted several times that she appreciates the break from the MCU, but her return to the character she’s portrayed for almost a decade is inevitable.
Hawkeye Is One Of Wanda’s Few Living Allies In The MCU
When the Scarlet Witch does inevitably return to the MCU, she will need to enlist the help of the world’s other heroes to figure out what next steps to take on her redemptive journey. What she did in the MCU’s Phase 4 will certainly not be ignored, and this recent villain arc could make it difficult to imagine who might help Wanda. Pietro has remained dead since 2015, Vision is in locations unknown, expected to return in 2026’s Vision series, and Doctor Strange likely won’t welcome her back with open arms, but Wanda does have one remaining ally.
Since Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda Maximoff and Clint Barton have had an incredibly strong bond that persisted throughout Captain America: Civil War, and provided one of the MCU’s most beautiful moments at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Clint Barton is the perfect candidate to aid Wanda in her redemption arc, particularly since he can relate to her story, as he too was twisted involuntarily into a villain by Loki in The Avengers, while Wanda’s corruption came from the Darkhold. Phase 4 neglected to develop Wanda and Clint’s friendship, but it would be great to see this special bond revisited.
Helping Wanda Can Keep Clint A Hero Even If He’s No Longer Hawkeye
Jeremy Renner most recently appeared as Clint Barton in his self-titled Disney+ series, Hawkeye, in 2021. Hawkeye saw Barton work alongside Kate Bishop to take on the Tracksuit Mafia, Echo, and Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin, giving the young hero a strong introduction to the MCU as the new Hawkeye. The series seemingly ended with Clint Barton passing the mantle to Kate Bishop, perhaps allowing him to retire from his superhero career, though his current status hasn’t yet been confirmed by Marvel Studios. Even if he has retired, however, Clint Barton’s return as an ally to Wanda Maximoff would make complete sense.
Clint Barton could become the hero who helps Wanda Maximoff become a more benevolent and redeemable hero in the MCU, and this evolution of their friendship wouldn’t feel out of place at all. Barton was the one who prompted Wanda to actually become an Avenger in Age of Ultron, the one to free her in Captain America: Civil War so she could join the fight, and the one to comfort her in Endgame following Natasha Romanoff and VIsion’s deaths. It makes sense that Hawkeye would also bring the Scarlet Witch back to the side of good in the MCU’s future.
