Fans are waiting eagerly for the return of Scarlet Witch, and a new theory suggests when she’s back, she’ll serve an intriguingly important purpose.
Warning: spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are ahead!Scarlet Witch’s return and role in Avengers: Secret Wars might be more than it seems according to a new MCU theory. At the onset of the Multiverse Saga with its inaugural project, WandaVision, MCU fans were eager to see Scarlet Witch’s story unfold and her powers grow. While the latter certainly happened, arguably solidifying her status as the MCU’s “Strongest Avenger,” fans weren’t, however, prepared for her getting taken off the game board in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Her villainous turn was telegraphed but no one could’ve expected that the film would actually culminate in her death.
It’s all even more interesting now with consideration for Kang’s fate in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Both of the supremely powerful characters are nexus beings and integral to the overarching multiversal narrative, so, naturally, they’ll have to return sometime. The upcoming Avengers films are likely possibilities, although Avengers: Secret Wars’ logo may actually suggest the rise of another iconic Marvel villain, Doctor Doom. This might actually be a tease for Kang’s evolution, which then begs the question of how Scarlet Witch will be brought back and what purpose her vast powers will serve in Avengers: Secret Wars and beyond.
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MCU Theory Suggests Scarlet Witch Could Fill The Molecule Man Role In Avengers: Secret Wars
Jumping off a theory that Kang may return as the MCU’s version of Doctor Doom from 2015’s Secret Wars run – God Emperor Kang – Scarlet Witch’s return may also link her to another important villain. Owen Reece, also known as Molecule Man, is a Fantastic Four villain and was among the villains transported to the Battleworld in the first Secret Wars series. However, his role in the 2015 series is far more important and applicable to the MCU. As such, the villain is needed in Avengers: Secret Wars, yet it may actually be Scarlet Witch who fulfills his important role in uniting the multiverse.
Molecule Man’s powers are just as impressive as Scarlet Witch’s, being able to essentially bend reality to his will. In Secret Wars, Doctor Doom used him to kill all the Beyonders and form his own Battleworld. He is the source of God Emperor Doom’s powers, acting somewhat like his own multiversal engine that Doom kept locked away in his castle. Additionally, Molecule Man is marked as a universal constant with there being one in every universe. He serves as a multiversal bomb for the Beyonders. Should they choose to destroy a universe, all they need to do is kill that universe’s Molecule Man.
His powers and multiversal status seem incredibly similar to Scarlet Witch’s as a nexus being. Scarlet Witch’s actions set up Avengers: Secret Wars already, and she’s prophesied to destroy the multiverse – all of which help suggest she’ll be pivotal in uniting it again. Essentially, the theory means that Scarlet Witch may be acting as the multiversal battery for Kang, or whoever’s powers in Avengers: Secret Wars, and that the film will largely entail bringing her back to the light to actually save the multiverse and break the prophecy. With her reality-warping powers and chaos magic, Kang can make his version of the Battleworld.
How Would This Affect Her Redemption Arc And The Future Of The MCU?
Naturally, Scarlet Witch shouldn’t just be brought back a hero like Captain America. Like many of the best Marvel characters, she operates better in the middle as an anti-hero, but after her villainous turn in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Scarlet Witch deserves true redemption. Perhaps Wanda may split from Scarlet Witch, allowing her to be free of the dark power that consumed her. However, that may be weird and confusing to casual audiences, and this theory suggests an easier, cleaner path back to the light. Plainly, if she helps reform the multiverse after it’s utterly broken, that goes a long way to making up for her misdeeds.
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Giving her the Molecule Man role in Avengers: Secret Wars and defining her as a prisoner in someone else’s dastardly plans would showcase her at her lowest. Therefore, she’d have the obstacle and emotional journey necessary for her redemption to land. In this way, she can not only confront her past and the harm she’s caused but also fulfill Scarlet Witch’s multiverse prophecy and forge a brighter path forward. She would have ample opportunities to continue growing after Avengers: Secret Wars, therefore. Plus, it could finally set the stage for what fans have been clamoring for and what the character and Elizabeth Olsen deserve – a Scarlet Witch film.
What Other Important Nexus Beings Are Still Missing From The MCU?
This theory plays right into her status as a nexus being, a uniting force across the multiverse. Significantly, the MCU will surely introduce more nexus beings as part of the Multiverse Saga, whether to serve similar functions as Scarlet Witch or not. At the least, they could easily define other established characters as such. Currently, Earth 616’s Wanda Maximoff and Earth-6311’s Kang are the only confirmed nexus beings in the MCU, yet likely additions could be Loki, Sylvie, and/or Doctor Strange – especially if the MCU abandons the “only one per universe” rule from the comics.
As for established nexus beings who could come into play, the list includes Lore, a Scarlet Witch variant, Leonard Tippit, an out-of-control nexus being, and a variant of Franklin Richards, Mister Fantastic and Invisible Girl’s son with tremendous reality-warping powers. Another interesting consideration is Merlin. The legendary magician from Arthurian legend is integral to the multiverse in the comics. Plus, he created Black Knight’s Ebony Blade and is connected to the Captain Britain Corps, both of whom may be important to upcoming projects. As such a nexus being, he’d be a logical addition to the MCU, especially considering the vast potential for Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Secret Wars.
