"HEX Be a Lady!" Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff Appreciation 2021

[GenericUsername]

Hope was able to mimic wanda’s powers so that’s not out of the question, it can’t just be an elder god blessing, the IE confirmed there is more.

Other people have been able to tap into chaos magic without being blessed by Chthon. Doctor Strange is one of them

[Daedra]

Other people have been able to tap into chaos magic without being blessed by Chthon. Doctor Strange is one of them

The fun part is that while Strange went looking for power, power be it trough genetics, elder gods, matrilineal mystical heritage, etc... always seems to be looking for Wanda, it’s like she’s a magnet, must be due to her status as Nexus.

[GenericUsername]

The fun part is that while Strange went looking for power, power be it trough genetics, elder gods, matrilineal mystical heritage, etc... always seems to be looking for Wanda, it’s like she’s a magnet, must be due to her status as Nexus.

Probably. The nexus stuff was interesting. It made her some multiversal glue. She needed to exist to keep everything together. Which has HoM make even less sense.

[gurkle]

To calm myself down while waiting to see what happens in the last three weeks, I thought I'd collect some of the interview quotes where people involved with the show talk about Wanda in a hopeful way. If the show ends by making her a villain (which, even without these quotes, I would think is very unlikely) then they're all very good liars, but I really do have to believe that the people who want Wanda to be the villain are just a very loud minority on Twitter and clickbait websites.

Elizabeth Olsen: "She's really resisted the role that has been given to her, being this person with abilities and powers. [WandaVision] is like a full accountability and realization of ownership of what makes her unique and the accountability of her life experience. It feels like a coming-of-age story in an adult, womanly way for her with this show." -- USA Today

Matt Shakman (director): "She's in this long journey to find out who she is, who she wants to be, and the life she wants to make for herself. It's a beautiful way to tell the story about how we need to deal with grief and loss, and find hope at a time when we're facing difficult circumstances." -- Firstpost.com

Matt Shakman: "The world just keeps putting up obstacles for her, and she has all of this untapped power that she doesn’t fully understand. Her journey for this show is to come into her own. She’s an incredibly powerful figure who’s been manipulated and used over the years. This is her opportunity to rediscover herself, and at the same time, it’s a brilliant love story." Marvel production brief

Jac Schaeffer: "We were not interested in a portrayal [of Wanda] that made her seem like her powers were too much for her, and she was crazy. The sort of crazy lady narrative is tired so I would hope as fans continue to watch the show what they will see is a nuanced portrayal of a very complicated woman." -- Fandom.com

Jac Schaeffer: "There are a lot of really terrific comics and stories about Wanda. But I do think she is often used as a tool, and diving into what’s really happening inside of her was a real challenge because of the thinness of her characterization in so many storylines... [the] working process made me understand Wanda much more. There’s this misunderstood element to her that’s a constant injury to her because no one can see her for who she is and all of her complexity except for Vision, and I think that’s a lot of what their connection is." -- io9.com

Jac Schaeffer: "The key to the show is the love story. There's a purity to them, and to their connection. But it's very much about Wanda coming to more of an understanding about who she is, where she comes from, and what she's capable of." -- Empire magazine

[Oberon]

This reminds me of Wanda around the time she first defeated Ultron, what was that story; one of my all time favorites; Shards of Crystal Doom on the cover, # 180s I think. Ultron is trying to drain Jan's energies into Jocasta, Wanda saves the day but at great emotional stress. I remember Ms. Marvel, Carol in it and Thor consoling Wanda at the end, and she says "It's never over and each new trial is worse than the one before". This was a blistering time for the Avengers and Wanda was nearly one of the lead characters in a way.

But these quotes make me think of pre-DA/HoM Wanda, when she really was a much better portrayed character. Pre Dark Scarlet (which i sorta liked a little). Pre Vision Quest.

Wanda was tried like few have and that is one of the things I will always love about her (and why I hate what Bendix did)

[Phoenixx9]

This reminds me of Wanda around the time she first defeated Ultron, what was that story; one of my all time favorites; Shards of Crystal Doom on the cover, # 180s I think. Ultron is trying to drain Jan's energies into Jocasta, Wanda saves the day but at great emotional stress. I remember Ms. Marvel, Carol in it and Thor consoling Wanda at the end, and she says "It's never over and each new trial is worse than the one before". This was a blistering time for the Avengers and Wanda was nearly one of the lead characters in a way.

But these quotes make me think of pre-DA/HoM Wanda, when she really was a much better portrayed character. Pre Dark Scarlet (which i sorta liked a little). Pre Vision Quest.

Wanda was tried like few have and that is one of the things I will always love about her (and why I hate what Bendix did)

I remember that story you mention. Wanda was very shaken physically and emotionally at the end. It seemed the the power she used really drained her. I knew the Avengers had a hard 30 issues worth of stories with many powerful foes. But I always wondered if there was more to it that was not stated, like Wanda was alluding to something unknown at the time that would later manifest?

[GenericUsername]

I remember that story you mention. Wanda was very shaken physically and emotionally at the end. It seemed the the power she used really drained her. I knew the Avengers had a hard 30 issues worth of stories with many powerful foes. But I always wondered if there was more to it that was not stated, like Wanda was alluding to something unknown at the time that would later manifest?

I think it's just that for Wanda her whole life was always a struggle and it was just her being truthful. Life is a constant struggle. But her hallmark was perseverance, which later stories forgot. And even then they wouldn't have been bad if they lead into that better and with more respect for the past. Forgetting obvious moments of canon to force something into being was not the way.

[Daedra]

This reminds me of Wanda around the time she first defeated Ultron, what was that story; one of my all time favorites; Shards of Crystal Doom on the cover, # 180s I think. Ultron is trying to drain Jan's energies into Jocasta, Wanda saves the day but at great emotional stress. I remember Ms. Marvel, Carol in it and Thor consoling Wanda at the end, and she says "It's never over and each new trial is worse than the one before". This was a blistering time for the Avengers and Wanda was nearly one of the lead characters in a way.

But these quotes make me think of pre-DA/HoM Wanda, when she really was a much better portrayed character. Pre Dark Scarlet (which i sorta liked a little). Pre Vision Quest.

Wanda was tried like few have and that is one of the things I will always love about her (and why I hate what Bendix did)

It was issue 171, by issue 181 we were at the dawn of the storyline that lead to her Chthon posession

[Oberon]

I think it's just that for Wanda her whole life was always a struggle and it was just her being truthful. Life is a constant struggle. But her hallmark was perseverance, which later stories forgot. And even then they wouldn't have been bad if they lead into that better and with more respect for the past. Forgetting obvious moments of canon to force something into being was not the way.

You have it exactly right. Wanda was one of the best possible images for an empowered character, a woman

and they went back to '60 damsel in distress needing rescuing or whatever.

[Oberon]

It was issue 171, by issue 181 we were at the dawn of the storyline that lead to her Chthon posession

Thank you. I last read that maybe 30 years ago. Still it always stayed with me.

At that time we mostly wrote snail mail to the comics to review, ask questions etc. I know this was a story that i wrote about to Marvel. And so did my wife. I believe mine was printed but not her's. I probably had a total of 4 letters printed in the late '70s, early '80s. My first one was in a John Byrne issue of Fantastic Four.

[Daedra]

Thank you. I last read that maybe 30 years ago. Still it always stayed with me.

At that time we mostly wrote snail mail to the comics to review, ask questions etc. I know this was a story that i wrote about to Marvel. And so did my wife. I believe mine was printed but not her's. I probably had a total of 4 letters printed in the late '70s, early '80s. My first one was in a John Byrne issue of Fantastic Four.

And what did they tell you when you enquired about that panel?

[Oberon]

And what did they tell you when you enquired about that panel?

I'm not sure of your question. It was very long ago. I know my wife was upset that her letter wasn't printed. It really was better than mine. She is by far the better writer; she actually finished journalism in college and went on to a Masters, unlike me, never graduating.

But I always feel for myself, that panel with Wanda telling Thor it never ends, was a strong, but sad statement of how she took being an Avenger.

They had the best Wanda in those days, but they kept retconning things as others have mentioned. The idea about writing snail mail was more about "this is how us oldies did it" I didn't really have a question on this story, but in general people wrote (mostly male fans, lol, back then) and may ask questions or draw up variances. Like we do, but we don't have to wait months for a print and possible response.

[Daedra]

I'm not sure of your question. It was very long ago. I know my wife was upset that her letter wasn't printed. It really was better than mine. She is by far the better writer; she actually finished journalism in college and went on to a Masters, unlike me, never graduating.

But I always feel for myself, that panel with Wanda telling Thor it never ends, was a strong, but sad statement of how she took being an Avenger.

They had the best Wanda in those days, but they kept retconning things as others have mentioned. The idea about writing snail mail was more about "this is how us oldies did it" I didn't really have a question on this story, but in general people wrote (mostly male fans, lol, back then) and may ask questions or draw up variances. Like we do, but we don't have to wait months for a print and possible response.

Oooh ok, got it, when I started reading comics internet was still out of the picture and reading the letter page was part of the experience, I remember many answers being quite insightful.

[Covetous_One]

I kinda want the comics to go deeper into what it means for Wanda to be a nexus-being. There has to be more to it than just being a focal point of mystical energy. Like could she be the mystical equivalent of Franklin. Also I want to see a one-on-one fight between her and Chthon, like a raven vs trigon match. I also want for Wanda, like others have said, to be more confident in herself. To have that personality that says “I will do what’s best for me.” Though still have a motherly feeling to it.

[Witchfan]

Wanda has now had five sets of parents:

1. Django and Marya Maximoff- the people who raised Wanda and Pietro
2. Whizzer and Miss America- origin story given in Giant-Sized Avengers #1
3. Magneto and Madga- origin story of the Yesterday Quest
4. Natalya Maximoff and an unknown father- Scarlet Witch series
5. Oleg and Irina Maximoff- WandaVision