Wanda Maximoff's most recent appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness displayed the character not acting in the most heroic way, but actress Elizabeth Olsen who plays her is coming to the Scarlet Witch's defence.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda is shown trying to steal the multiverse-travelling powers from MCU newcomer America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez). Wanda sets out to steal this power so she can reside in a different universe to be with her two children, who exist in every universe but the one Wanda lives in.
Throughout this battle across the multiverse to steal America's powers, Wanda murders many who stand in her way, with no real remorse for the lives she's taken. In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Olsen answered a collection of fan questions and was asked what it’s like to play an evil character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Olsen responded, “I will never think of her as a baddie. I think she learns a lesson, but I think of her as just processing big emotions."
These big emotions Wanda is processing come after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, when Wanda lost the love of her life, Vision (played by Paul Bettany) during the epic battle for the Infinity Stones against Thanos. Following this loss, Wanda's character had a major shift in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with her decisions becoming completely clouded by her grief. This is shown in the Emmy award-winning Marvel Studios Disney Plus miniseries WandaVision, where Wanda uses her powers to turn a normal neighborhood into her ideal oasis, where she gets to live happily with Vision, her two children, and her brother Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who died in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, when authorities figure out what she's done, Wanda must face the consequences of her actions and the major effects on her reputation.
Although many believe Wanda now belongs in the catalog of Marvel villains following her behavior in WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there is room for the grief-stricken character to redeem herself in the future, and Olsen definitely agrees that Wanda is in no way the bad guy everyone’s painting her out to be.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: Good Morning America