Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch may have had the best character arc outside of the Holy Trinity of the Avengers. Her tragic character arc resonated with audiences. Her inner turmoil and vulnerable side provided a lot of ethos and relatability. Despite being arguably the most powerful MCU character, a lot of care was put into making the character lovable and emotionally rooted in her motivations.
Olsen’s portrayal of the complex character received enormous praise from critics and audiences, especially in projects such as Avengers: Infinity War, WandaVision, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The actress was surprised by the immense love for the character, as the character had a grey shade, something not many of the beloved Avengers had.
Elizabeth Olsen is Still Surprised By the Immense Love from Fans for Scarlet Witch
Elizabeth Olsen has played Scarlet Witch in the MCU for almost a decade now in various movies and TV projects. The character had a tragic and emotional arc throughout the films mostly centered on the loss of loved ones including her brother, lover, and her kids. Audiences have connected with her tragedy and showered enormous love on the character and Olsen’s portrayal of her.
Olsen expressed her amazement and surprise about the love for such a grey character that has complex sides to her. She does not have the typical wit and charm like other beloved members of the Avengers and thus she did not expect such enormous love and support from fans. She told El Pais,
“Wanda is someone who we allow to make mistakes and go through big struggles, to fail and maybe make the wrong decisions. She isn’t a perfect role model, but I do think she is an example of a woman who has strength and power and is also deeply sad and has a lot of loss. Her vulnerability is her strength. But, you know, she also makes big, big mistakes, but she’s an independent thinker.
The biggest surprise has been people caring about this character. I always thought people love the Marvel characters for being so witty and funny and charming, and I was surprised that people even cared about our characters. What Jac Schaeffer wrote for WandaVision is what made that show special,”
Scarlet Witch’s arc reached its crescendo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where she got to show off the full scope of her power and the most broken she’s ever been. While it was recently revealed that she died at the end of the film, it remains to be seen if Marvel decides to bring her back somehow.
Elizabeth Olsen is Ready to Move on From Scarlet Witch For Other Roles
The role of Scarlet Witch has been a major part of Elizabeth Olsen’s acting career. She played the character from 2015 to 2022. Now after her supposed death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Olsen wants to move on from the role and do other non-MCU characters that excite her. She told The Times,
“I’m trying to figure out… Because, specifically in the last four years, my output has been Marvel. I don’t want… it’s not that I don’t want to be associated as just this character. But I really feel like I need to be building other parts back up for balance. I so much want to do films right now. And I hope some of them come together in the way I feel like they can. But yeah, that’s something that I need. I just need other characters in my life. There’s no longevity in one character.”
Olsen recently starred in HBO’s Love and Death. She has an upcoming drama film called His Three Daughters which premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. The film will be released by Netflix at an unspecified date.
Also read: “What?”: The Doctor Strange 2 Star Elizabeth Olsen Couldn’t Believe Was Reportedly Being Replaced
