'Scarlet Witch': 4 Stories A Potential Solo Movie Could Tell

After the massive success of WandaVision, and the hype surrounding her upcoming appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU's Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff, has gone from an ensemble dark horse to bona fide fan favourite.

The character's growing popularity has resulted in increased rumours of a Scarlet Witch solo project. The latest rumour suggests that a film may be in pre-production already, with plans for a 2024 release date to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Wanda's debut in the comics. If such a film were to be made, what kind of story would it tell?

Here are a few of the most likely possibilities.

1. Vision Quest

In this comic story, Wanda wakes one morning to find Vision missing. Knowing that her Husband wouldn't simply leave without telling her, the Scarlet Witch deduces that Vision has been taken, and she and her West Coast Avengers teammates set out to find and rescue him. Vision has been taken by rogue Government agents, but when Wanda reaches him, he has already been disassembled, and his synthetic skin irreparably damaged. When Vision is repaired, he is bleached white, and no longer holds any feelings toward Wanda or their children, Tommy and Billy.

This story has already been partially adapted in WandaVision, with Hayward reviving Vision's original body as an emotionless weapon and sending him to kill Wanda and Westview's Vision. However, when Westview Vision unlocks White Vision's memories, he departs without completing his mission, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

It is not difficult to imagine a film version of 'Vision Quest' reimagined as a Scarlet Witch solo adventure, following Wanda on a quest to find what remains of her lost love, either to further restore what he once was, or destroy the weapon he never wanted to become.

2. Nights of Wundagore

'Nights of Wundagore' dives into the backstory and origins of the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver, who it turns out were born at the foot of the mysical Mount Wundagore. Having sensed Wanda's probability altering powers upon her birth, Chthon, a powerful Chaos deity, imbues Wanda with a portion of his own chaos magic, and ties her to the Darkhold, a dark magical book worshipped by Chthon's followers. When Wanda is an adult, Chthon and one of his servants perform a ritual using Wanda's body as a conduit to bring Chthon to Earth.

The plan appears to work, at first, with Wanda briefly turning against her Avengers teammates when they travel to Wundagore to rescue her. However, the plan backfires on Chthon when she takes control of the chaos magic he gave her at birth and turns it back against him, defeating him. Wanda then agrees to train under Agatha Harkness in hope of achieving her full magical potential.

At the end of WandaVision, Wanda takes possession of the Darkhold, which she is seen studying in the series' post-credits sequence, and promises Monica Rambeau that she will learn to understand her power story similar to 'Nights of Wundagore', which dives into the Scarlet Witch's connection to Chaos, could provide an avenue to keep that promise. Some fans are also hoping for a redemption arc for the MCU's Agatha in the not too distant future, in the hope that Agatha's mentorship of Wanda could still be adapted onscreen. While 'Nights of Wundagore' is an Avengers story in the comics, it would not be difficult to prune the cast down to Wanda and a smaller group of supporting players, such as Agatha and perhaps Monica, to make the story work as a true solo adventure for the Scarlet Witch.

3. Saving Witchcraft

The 2016 Scarlet Witch solo comic opens with Wanda Maximoff sensing something amiss with the world's witchcraft. Accompanied by the ghost of her former mentor Agatha Harkness, the Scarlet Witch embarks on a globe-trotting adventure to get to the bottom of the problem, and hopefully, solve it. Along the way, Wanda finds a chance to explore her past, including the story of her biological Mother, Natalya, and deal with the guilt over her actions in past stories, such as 'House of M' and 'Avengers Disassembled'. By the end of the series' fifteen issues, Wanda has both successfully fixed witchcraft and made peace with her past, declaring she is ready to rejoin the Avengers.

The 2016 Scarlet Witch series is often considered underrated by comic enthusiasts, as it had the misfortune of some of its issues being overshadowed by the 'Civil War II' event going on at the same time (One Scarlet Witch issue ties in with 'Civil War II', but ends with Wanda choosing not to get involved). However, the book gained some appreciation when new Wanda fans began seeking it out after WandaVision, and many are now pointing to it as a perfect story to adapt for a Scarlet Witch solo film.

The comic has many scenes, particularly those set in the mystical realm of the Witches' Road, that could look visually spectacular on the big screen. Wanda's search for redemption may even have enough content to mine for multiple films, and could also be easily adapted to fit with current MCU storylines, possibly bringing Wanda back to a place where she is mentally ready to rejoin her fellow heroes in time to deal with the next big threat.

4. Darkhold Alpha

In the 2021 story Darkhold Alpha, the Darkhold falls into the hands of the dangerous villain Doctor Doom, who falls under the influence of Chthon, the chaos deity who wrote the cursed book. The Scarlet Witch is one of very few who would have a chance of standing against the deadly Doom-Chthon alliance, but quickly realises that even she cannot face the threat alone. Wanda gathers a team of heroes to help her, including Iron Man, The Wasp, Blade, Black Bolt, and Spider-Man. However, in order to enter Chthon's dimension and defeat him, each hero must read a passage from the Darkhold, an act which will drive them insane. Wanda must help her teammates fight the insanity and overcome their inner darkness in order to save the world from Doom and Chthon.

Originally scheduled for release in late 2020, just before the premiere of WandaVision, 'Darkhold Alpha' was delayed until 2021 after Marvel Comics' release schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to attempts to more closely tie the worlds of the comics and films in recent years, some fans speculate that 'Darkhold Alpha's' original intended release alongside WandaVision could hint at future plans for a similar story in the MCU. Though Wanda is at the centre of the story, given the number of other characters involved, such a film would probably be a team-up movie rather than a straight Scarlet Witch solo adventure, and some heroes, such as Iron Man and probably Black Bolt, would have to be substituted for others, perhaps Monica, Hawkeye, or Sam Wilson, with whom the MCU’s Wanda has an existing relationship.

Whatever the case, fans can't wait to see what's next for the Scarlet Witch.