Marvel Just Confirmed Return of Elizabeth Olsen's Live-Action Scarlet Witch, First Look Given

Marvel has once again quietly addressed the future of Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, revealing her return after the character’s apparent demise in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Elizabeth Olsen first stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Wanda Maximoff in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), before fully joining the franchise in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

Over the years, the character evolved into a key player in the saga, eventually headlining Marvel’s first Disney+ series, WandaVision, in 2021 alongside Paul Bettany, who returned as Vision. WandaVision remains one of the MCU’s most well-received streaming projects–and interestingly, it was its first.

In 2022, Olsen’s character took a dark turn, becoming the primary antagonist in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Wanda waged war against Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in her desperate attempt to take America Chavez’s (Xochitl Gomez) Multiverse-traveling powers. However, her mission ended in tragedy as she sacrificed herself to destroy the Darkhold and seemingly met her end.

Since then, Wanda’s fate has remained ambiguous, fueling ongoing speculation about her return. In 2024, social media buzzed with reports that Marvel Studios was developing a Scarlet Witch solo movie for 2026. Then in October, Agatha All Along—the WandaVision spinoff—confirmed that Wanda’s son, Billy Maximoff, was still alive and hinted that Wanda herself was “gone,” though not definitively dead.

Almost three years since this supposed death in the live-action MCU, and not a year after her mention in Jac Schaeffer’s Disney+ series Agatha All Along, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, AKA the powerful Scarlet Witch has returned–just not where fans may expect. Commencing in mid-December 2024, the Marvel Comics “TVA” run features a slew of familiar faces.

“FOR ALL TIMES, ALWAYS!” the synopsis of the comic reads, via Marvel.com. “The Time Variance Authority has long watched over the timeline, protecting it from dangerous variations that could cause the end of EVERYTHING.”

“Now, as the organization begins to expand its tolerance of variants, it’s enlisted some new recruits from timelines that have been wiped from existence: Captain Peggy Carter, Super-Soldier of her world; Gambit, despondent and aimless from the loss of his lady love; and…this can’t be right…Spider-Gwen?!? Has her world been destroyed?!?” it continues.

Written by Katharyn Blair (Loki Season 2) and drawn by artist Pere Pérez (CARNAGE, SPIDER-WOMAN), the “TVA” series is a five-part comic book run, that explores the establishment first introduced in Loki Season 1 and last seen in Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).

The third issue of the “TVA” run, which hit shelves earlier this week, proved to be quite the surprise, as one page seemingly included the famous–and beloved by fans–Scarlet Witch.

Initially presumed to be Olsen’s version of the Scarlet Witch due to her costume and likeness to her live-action appearance, the artist on the project officially confirmed it was, in fact, the fallen Avenger. MCU Film News (@MCUFilmNews) shared the fan interaction on X (formerly Twitter):

Marvel Comics artist Pere Pérez confirms that the Scarlet Witch in the TVA comic is indeed Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda!

Marvel Comics artist Pere Pérez confirms that the Scarlet Witch in the TVA comic is indeed Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda! pic.twitter.com/sH4jpaYq1A

— MCU Film News (@MCUFilmNews) February 27, 2025

While this may not be the exact version of the character seen sacrificing herself at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness–the TVA is known for being a hive for Marvel Variants–it does add another layer to the story of Olsen’s potential return to the live-action universe, most likely in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday.

But fans will see the character on the screen before the Russo Brothers drop their highly anticipated next MCU project.

Set for release on October 3, 2025, Marvel Studios’ Marvel Zombies will mark Olsen’s next return as Wanda Maximoff—this time in animated form. A spinoff of the critically acclaimed What If…? series, Marvel Zombies will be rated TV-MA and helmed by What If…? director Bryan Andrews, expanding on the undead-infested alternate timeline first introduced in the show’s first season.

Related: “Not Currently Active,” Marvel Confirms Sad Fate of the Avengers in the MCU

Up until late last year, only Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel had been confirmed for the project. But recently, Marvel unveiled an ensemble cast that will join Olsen in the four-episode series. The show will feature Awkwafina (Katy), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Randall Park (Jimmy Woo), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye), Dominique Thorne (Ironheart), and Todd Williams in an undisclosed role.

Marvel Zombies is just one of several projects that will bolster the MCU’s growing Disney+ slate in 2025. The series will debut alongside Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which began in January, Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, Eyes of Wakanda, and Wonder Man, while the year’s theatrical lineup includes the recently released Captain America: Brave New World, May’s Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which launches Phase Six in July.

How do you feel about this quiet return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Scarlet Witch? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!