The Changing Visual Portrayal Of The Scarlet Witch, One More Time

Wanda Maximoff,  Scarlet’s Witch, has had what might call a mixed history at Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for X-Men #4 in 1963 (so she is 60 this year) as part of Magneto’s Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants, originally with a mutant ability to alter probability, she was later revealed not to be a mutant at all, but an experiment by the Human Evolutionary, and a powerful sorcerer instead.

She was revealed first to be, with Quicksilver, the mutant twin offspring of two unnamed parents. Later, it is said the children were given to the geneticist called the High Evolutionary, later that their true parents were The Whizzer and Miss America from Marvel’s Golden Age, then revealed to have been raised by human Romani parents, Django and Marya Maximoff, then that Magneto was their true father, before being revealed that her mother was Natalya Maximoff, the previous Scarlet Witch, whose father was the Scarlet Warlock.

Which might leave some comic book artists not entirely sure how to portray her. Whether they go to the original colour scheme from her earliest days.

Or the most recent series that revealed her true heritage. At least for now,

There was a fair amount of divergence between the artists and colourists of that series as well.

And even when she went for a recent death-and-rebirth in The Trial of Magneto series, it seemed to switch back again.

And it took her subsequent appearance in the X-Men’s Hellfire Saga for that look to be reflected again.

Although there was still considerable divergence and it would switch back even further in Damage Control.

But in her new series, out today, they are switching back again.

In and out of the costume.

And bringing something new the the Marvel universe.

The Last Door, always good to have a portal that takes you not where you want to go, but where you need to go.

Basically, it’s a more simplified TARDIS in reverse.

That door doesn’t lead to Krakoa, I hope? Or that’s a whole new kettle of worms to mix metaphors with.

SCARLET WITCH #1
MARVEL COMICS
OCT221147
(W) Steve Orlando (A) Sara Pichelli (CA) Russell Dauterman
THE SCARLET WITCH RETURNS!
There is a door that appears only to those who need it most, who have no one else in the world to turn to. On the other side of this door is the witchcraft shop. Friend or foe, human or otherwise-if your need is great and your hope is gone, there you will meet the SCARLET WITCH! Wanda Maximoff is familiar with hitting rock bottom-and now that she’s finally found peace, she’s pledged all her power to help others who are languishing at their lowest. But when a woman falls through Wanda’s door with a terrifying story of a town gone mad, the Scarlet Witch will have to muster her wits and chaos magic to deal with an insidious threat! Comic powerhouses Steve Orlando (MARAUDERS; Midnighter) and Sara Pichelli (ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN; SPIDER-MEN) join forces to open a groundbreaking new chapter in the Scarlet Witch’s history! Rated T+In Shops: Jan 04, 2023 SRP: $4.99