Elizabeth Olsen Doesn't Miss Being The MCU's Scarlet Witch
When the character of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she was a refugee from the fictional Eastern European nation of Sokovia. She and her brother Pietro sported thick Moose-and-Squirrel accents and were initially villains who served the evil super-robot Ultron. In the original Marvel Comics, Wanda was a mutant, and also originally a villain, who came by her magical circumstances by a fluke of her genetics (she is the daughter of the X-Men supervillain Magneto). In the films — because Marvel didn't have the rights to use the term "mutant" — she was said to be the result of eerie medical experiments by the neo-Nazi cabal known as Hydra. She can float objects, manipulate reality, and fire scarlet blasts of magical energy.
Eventually known as the Scarlet Witch (after Marvel Studios re-secured the rights to the name), Wanda appeared in eight MCU projects, including the "What If...?" animated series, and the "WandaVision" miniseries. She went from a villain to a hero, eventually fighting alongside the Avengers. After a run-in with a Necronomicon-like book, however, Wanda was converted back to evil and served as the central villain in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." For the character, and for Olsen, that seemed to be the end of her arc.
Olsen was very ready to bid Wanda farewell. After playing the character on and off for a decade, and modulating the character from Sokovian to American, from villain to hero to villain, there didn't seem to be much else to explore. Olsen said as much in a recent interview with Variety, where she was asked point-blank if she missed the superhero role. She was blunt in her response.
'No, I don't.'
Olsen said merely:
"No, I don't. I think it's been almost 10 years of playing her, and I've loved it, [but] I think the reason why I'm not calling [Marvel Studios executive producer] Kevin Feige every day with ideas is because I'm really proud of what we were able to do. I think 'WandaVision' was a really surprising opportunity. If someone were to tell me that I'm fired from Marvel movies, I will feel proud of what we made. And I really am just trying to figure out how to load up other films and characters so it becomes less about the Marvel of it all."
After 30-something movies, and 20-something TV series, all presented over the course of 15 years, it does seem that the Marvel machine is getting a little long in the tooth. The MCU changed the way blockbusters were made, but it seems that Olsen is quite ready to give it all a rest and move on to roles that are more interesting or challenging.
It's notable that Olsen was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her performance as Wanda in "WandaVision." It seems, though, that the makers of "WandaVision," and the makers of the follow-up, "Multiverse of Madness," weren't openly communicating, as Olsen's character experienced similar character arcs in both. Perhaps Olsen was merely tired of the groaning, outsized machinations of the MCU, which demand constant forward movement, the setting up of future stories, and no proper conclusion to anyone's story. She, along with many audiences, no longer see the use of a post-9/11 superhero power fantasy as late as 2023.
Leaving the MCU
Given the overwhelming and constant success of the MCU, a fan might wonder why anyone would want to leave. For an actor, however, one must remember that the MCU has almost become a career killer. MCU actors often sign up for five, seven, twelve movies at a time, leaving them on the hook for major blockbusters and unavailable to pursue smaller, more interesting projects. After so many years of publicity and wearing motion-capture wetsuits, one can understand why an actor would tire of it.
Indeed, many MCU actors have talked openly about their desire to leave Marvel in the rear-view mirror. Michael Douglas once said that he would only return for another "Ant-Man" movie if his character was permitted to die. In 2021, Dave Bautsita swore that "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3" would be his final appearance. Chris Evans has no intention of reprising his role of Captain America. Chris Hemsworth once said that "Thor: Love and Thunder" might very well be his last appearance as the character, a fact compounded by the actor's recent decision to retire from acting after being diagnosed as being at risk for Alzheimer's Disease.
Additionally, Hugo Weaving, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, and several others have said no to acting in further Marvel projects. There's a very good reason why the MCU is building up a new team of new characters like the Marvels, Ironheart, the new Black Panther, the new Captain America, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. The old guard would very much like to retire.
It seems that the MCU isn't as fun as it once was, and actors feel like it's time to expand into other realms.
Olsen is certainly done.