Amongst the various theories about how Scarlet Witch could return to the MCU, there is still one option to bring her back that won’t affect her existing legacy. Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch has been a fan favorite since her official debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the excellence of her solo series WandaVision just catapulted her into the spotlight. Fans may have been disappointed that Marvel didn’t capitalize on her newfound success, as Scarlet Witch’s MCU story was cut short after WandaVision by her death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

With the character development that Wanda had in her solo series, as well as her new official identity of the Scarlet Witch, it feels like there is still a lot left to explore with her character in the MCU timeline. Luckily for fans, Olsen’s return as Scarlet Witch feels inevitable based on recent comments from Kevin Feige and Olsen herself. There is concern that certain storylines would take away from Wanda’s legacy, and undermine the impact of her original death. However, there is one direction Marvel can go in that wouldn’t affect the character’s past.

Scarlet Witch’s MCU Death Doesn’t Stop An X-Men Variant Of Her From Entering The Franchise

Scarlet Witch Has A Close Relationship With Magneto

Even though Scarlet Witch’s primary affiliation in the comics is conventionally the Avengers – and the MCU reflects this – her ties to the X-Men are also undeniably crucial. She and her twin brother Pietro originally joined forces with Magneto to fight for mutant supremacy, and the pair even believed they were his children at one point. Once Magneto’s methods to achieve his goal became too cruel, the two switched sides to fight with the Avengers. It was later revealed that they weren’t actually biological children of Magneto, but Wanda still maintained a bond with him as her chosen family.

Because of Wanda’s prominent tie to Magneto, she and her brother have made appearances in X-Men storylines. Quicksilver especially has been a core member of the mutant team throughout the X-Men franchise, and there might be a timeline out there where Scarlet Witch is too. The fact that the Multiverse Saga allows for the studio to play around with storylines is a huge advantage for their Scarlet Witch return. Her time with the Avengers may have ended, but an X-Men variant of her could enter the MCU next.

The X-Men will inevitably make their MCU debut, and Marvel will no doubt make sure it is a grand entrance considering the audience reaction to Deadpool & Wolverine. Having a variant of the Scarlet Witch arrive with the rest of the X-Men would be a way to provide a big twist to the MCU. It would also allow Olsen to return as the character, who would be a different enough version to feel entirely different from her past MCU portrayal.

Scarlet Witch’s X-Men Return Could Fix Her Ending Problems Without Undoing The Impact Of Her Death

Wanda’s Death Was Her Personal Atonement

One of the biggest issues with bringing the Scarlet Witch back through reincarnation is that it would undo the impact of her death. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda recognizes her corruption, acknowledging all of the wrongs she did. To make up for her mistakes, she sacrifices herself to destroy the Darkhold so that no one will ever be corrupted by it again. Her choosing to destroy the cursed book at all costs felt like the ultimate atonement for her actions in Doctor Strange 2.

Though fans may agree or disagree with the direction that Marvel Studios went with her character, it was a grand ending to her time in the MCU that should not be retconned. There have been several MCU characters that did not stay dead, but that doesn’t mean everyone should be brought back. Similar to Iron Man and Black Widow’s impactful deaths in Avengers: Endgame, Wanda’s death was substantial to the greater MCU. If the studio were to easily reincarnate her, it would send the message that nothing matters in the franchise and stakes are low.

If Elizabeth Olsen does make her live-action return as Wanda, the X-Men route would be a unique storyline. It would allow Olsen to bring the same nuance to her character that she did before, but with a version that is clearly different. Her Multiverse of Madness death is too impactful of an event to just undo, so introducing her in a new team that she already has canon ties to could be the way for Marvel to go. Scarlet Witch has become such a popular character, and putting her with the highly-anticipated X-Men would give the studio so much potential to work with.