Scarlet Witch actor Elizabeth Olsen finally revealed how she truly felt about her iconic character’s villainous turn in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a total 180-degree spin from her initially heroic portrayals before that point.
Olsen's Scarlet Witch joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier alongside her twin brother Quicksilver, with the siblings briefly clashing with the Avengers before joining their ranks and Wanda specifically going on to make several appearances fighting for the good guys. This was the case until her turn to the darkness in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, after falling victim to corruption from the Darkhold and her despair following the events of WandaVision, one of the phase four projects that helped Marvel in redefining some of its neglected female characters.
Speaking with Buzzfeed, Olsen admitted that Wanda becoming the villain of Doctor Strange 2 wasn’t something she had not seen coming. "I was shocked the moment they told me what it was about,” she said, describing the moment. “I was shocked at the moment they said, ‘You’re the villain.’ No one told me until right before we shot it, so that was shocking." This tracks with the star’s attitude in interviews soon after Doctor Strange 2's debut, as Olsen stated that she didn’t really see Scarlet Witch as a villain, despite her actions in the movie. The star also acknowledged her outlook on the situation, telling Buzzfeed, "...I think my goal is to make sure that nothing seems like a repeated arc. I try really hard now to make it repetitive because I think that might not be fun for fans."
Despite this conscious effort, many fans still felt Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness rethreaded her WandaVision character development. Eventually, Olsen let go of the stubborn outlook, embracing it as part of the character’s evolution. "I love having an evolution of the character. I love having a different tone to play. But Sam was always bringing me back to her humanity as well. As much as we were pushing elements, he always wanted to make sure that it was coming from a really pure place," Olsen said during a separate Screen Rant interview. "I mean, it was fun. Initially, I was like, 'Oh no! Not our Wanda.' But then it became something to lean into, and Sam definitely put me in situations where I was like, 'I can’t believe I’m doing this right now,' when I was playing the alt-Wanda often."
While both fans and Olsen are mixed on their preference for Wanda's alignment, there’s no doubt that her villainous turn led to some of the best Marvel movie moments of that year, ensuring the Doctor Strange sequel's success as much as the special effects and any other factor of the film did. How Olsen's true feelings about the change will affect her future portrayal in Marvel remains to be seen.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Buzzfeed, Screen Rant