2008’s Iron Man kick-started the Marvel Cinematic Universe and 2012’s The Avengers put the connected franchise into the mega-spotlight for featuring one of the biggest live-action comic crossovers ever. The trend continued in the coming years as Marvel Studios upped its scale and ambitions with new characters and storylines, complemented by a star-studded Avengers series, culminating it all with the end of its Infinity Saga, or phase three.
Following it, the next two phases, four and five, have remained largely devoid of any big crossover, as the multiverse saga branched out into dozens of appearing and announced new characters with little to no connection with the wider universe, or even without a screened project, alienating the fandom. One of the biggest victims of this treatment is Mahershala Ali’s long-overdue Blade. To add to fans’ woes, another flick involving a beloved long-time character may be heading to a similar fate.
Hints at a solo outing for an Avenger come amid Blade uncertainty
Announced way back in 2019, the Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali as the half-vampire, half-human dhampir known as Eric Brooks. However, Marvel Studios failed to materialize a slot for the project on its release calendar, with three release date changes and several storyline changes. Now, as per a report by The Cosmic Circus, the studio is looking to push forward the development of a Scarlet Witch solo project, starring Elizabeth Olsen, despite having no story attached to it yet.
The purported development is concerning as the Kevin Feige-led team has already divided the fandom with the character’s last outing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which somewhat messed up her development after her appearance in WandaVision. A half-baked or rushed story, or one with no major connection to the ongoing scenario in the MCU will not only doom the project, but also hamper the franchise’s future.
The happenings also hauntingly mirror that of Blade. Lapped up by the fans during the announcement and shelved for a long time, the vampire movie’s problems stem from Marvel Studios’ inability to find the right circumstance to introduce Ali, despite a cameo in The Eternals.
Additionally, its director Bassam Tariq parted ways over production issues, predicting a similar fate for Wanda Maximoff, especially when there already are tons of projects in various stages of development, including an Avengers 5 movie that may pack as many as sixty characters. The project is currently looking at a 2026 release, making it very hard for any filmmaker to find the right slate.
Fans lash out at Marvel Studios for ruining Scarlet Witch
Soon after being brought to the Battle of Earth by Doctor Strange in Avengers: Endgame, Wanda Maximoff laid bare her unlimited potential as she nearly crushed Thanos single-handedly. Moreover, the riveting piece of acting by Elizabeth Olsen etched the segment into immortality, making it stand out as one of the best performances by a Marvel actor.
Regardless, Marvel Studios’ reckless decisions and rushed storylines for the multiverse saga came to light in full force as fans voiced their complaints against her unnecessary outing in the second Doctor Strange movie. Many feared that a solo Scarlet Witch project may further degrade the character’s persona and wished the juggernaut studio to instead focus on wrapping up existing projects first.
Nobody wants this, its a waste of time and money, they should spend this resources on more spider-man, wolverine, deadpool movies
— Omni man (@omnimanfan) June 9, 2024
they can't find the right story because they accidentally put it in doctor strange 2
— Heylin's World (@HeylinsESCworld) June 9, 2024
Why not announce a film after you have a good story outline first.
— Lord Nikolaus (@duffy1551) June 9, 2024
She was straight up buried under rock because they couldn't find a way to continue her story LOL.
— DJ_Mohawk (@DJ_Mohawk) June 9, 2024
Isn’t it too late to do a scarlet witch movie
— Mr B (@theRealFakeGEEK) June 9, 2024
"Marvel would love to make a great Scarlet Witch film but has no ideas"
Cool
— Zach (@realzwood) June 9, 2024
Taking a step in the right direction, the MCU is headed for a soft reboot of sorts with Deadpool & Wolverine. The Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman collaboration will also be the sole film from the studios this year. Although hints and theories have come up regarding Wanda Maximoff’s future, there are a lot of new characters and connections to fix before the broader narrative moves ahead.
