Marvel Subtly Hints Scarlet Witch Was Immortal, 1 Year After Her MCU “Death”

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If…? season 2, episode 6, “What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?”

Marvel Studios’ What If…? season 2 might have just revealed that Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is actually immortal in the MCU, despite her apparent death in Phase 4. Elizabeth Olsen debuted as Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch, in the post-credits scene of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and has since become an Avenger, a fugitive and a bona fide villain during 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Phase 4’s Doctor Strange sequel seemed to mark the end of the Scarlet Witch’s MCU journey, as she sacrificed herself to destroy Mount Wundagore and the Darkhold, but a previously-unseen ability for Wanda Maximoff may have just been revealed.

Despite Wanda Maximoff’s apparent demise at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there has been speculation that Elizabeth Olsen will still return to portray the Scarlet Witch in the MCU’s live-action future. Prior to this potential return, however, Olsen has reprised the role in Marvel Studios’ What If…? season 2, which premiered on December 22, 2023. What If…? season 2 has introduced several new variant heroes into the MCU’s Phase 5, including an original MCU character in episode 6, “What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?,” and the titular Kahhori’s Tesseract-based abilities hint at the Scarlet Witch having yet another powerful ability in the MCU’s live-action adventures.

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Marvel Sets Up Scarlet Witch’s Return In MCU Multiverse 1 Year After Her Death

Scarlet Witch’s return in What If…? season 2 is a reminder that the MCU can bring back Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff sooner rather than later.

What If…? Hints Scarlet Witch Cannot Die

During What If…? season 2, episode 6, “What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?,” the titular Kahhori, voiced by Echo’s Devery Jacobs, is transported to Sky World – a place affected by the Space Stone energy housed within the Tesseract. The residents of Sky World, all of whom had journeyed through the Tesseract-infused Forbidden Lake, have been gifted remarkable abilities, including enhanced speed, telekinesis, superhuman strength and a regenerative healing factor. Upon meeting Atahraks, another superpowered resident of Sky World, Kahhori learns that everyone with these abilities no longer experiences aging, and consequently don’t die, and this has previously been seen in the live-action MCU.

Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers became empowered by energy from the Tesseract in 2019’s Captain Marvel, and since the 1995-set project, Danvers has barely aged a day. It’s possible that the other Infinity Stones imbue these gifts on individuals, too, which could suggest that the Scarlet Witch may also have an elongated lifespan. While she was born a witch, Wanda Maximoff’s abilities were enhanced through exposure to the Mind Stone, allowing her to access chaos magic and become the Scarlet Witch. If the Mind Stone also gifted her immortality, it’s possible that the Scarlet Witch isn’t actually dead after Multiverse of Madness, hinting at her much-anticipated return.

Marvel’s Tesseract Retcon Causes An Issue For Phase 2

If the Mind Stone gifted the Scarlet Witch immortality as well as her other impressive gifts, Marvel Studios still needs to explain one discrepancy from the MCU’s Phase 2. Wanda’s brother, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Pietro Maximoff, also had his abilities enhanced by the Mind Stone, transforming him into the speedster Quicksilver. However, Quicksilver was killed-off in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, falling victim to a barrage of bullets, and this conventional death goes against the idea of him being immortal. It’s possible this could be explained as him and Wanda having an elongated lifespan and not invulnerability, but What If…? season 2 could soon fully explain this exciting new ability.

​​​​​​​New episodes of What If…? season 2 release daily at 3am ET/12am PT on Disney+.