In Sorcerer Supreme #10 (2026) by Steve Orlando and Bernard Chang, the Scarlet Witch sacrificed her role as the Sorcerer Supreme to save the world and to save all magic. In the end, she proved herself to the Vishanti, who always doubted her worth, but it was all too late, as she has now moved on from her role, and Marvel Comics now needs a new Sorcerer Supreme. Wanda Maximoff had taken on the role of Sorcerer Supreme after Doctor Doom’s death following “One World Under Doom,” but she did it without permission and used her will to force her way into the position. Ultimately, she proved worthy, and whoever follows will have a lot to live up to.
This was a great Scarlet Witch storyline, and one that really showed how heroic and smart she is. It was a nice way to continue to rehabilitate a character who has been abused and misused by Marvel Comics creative teams for years. However, the road for the Scarlet Witch has not always been that bad, and there have been some great stories for the character throughout her Marvel Comics history.
“The Sorcerer Supreme” is the Scarlet Witch’s most recent comic book, and it already deserves its place among the best stories that she has ever appeared in. That is because this was a chance for Wanda to prove that she deserves to be seen as a hero and not as whatever Marvel has tried to paint her as over the years. The Vishanti stand in for most of the people who have always seen Wanda as a loose cannon who is too dangerous to hold her powers, and she proved them wrong every step of the way.
The series opened with Wanda claiming the Sorcerer Supreme title without permission or acceptance from the Vishanti. She did have the acceptance of the Sorcerer Supreme’s magical relics, as the Cloak of Levitation and the Eye of Agamotto accept her as their new master when she rescues them from the ashes of Doom’s fall. However, she gets no backup from the Vishanti, and she has to imprison or force other magical demonic entities to help her in her mission. In the end, Wanda sacrifices her role as the Sorcerer Supreme to save all magic, proving the Vishanti and all her doubters wrong in a perfect ending.
“The Last Door” was a storyline that began in Scarlet Witch Vol. 3 #1 (2023) by Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli, and it was more of a story about Wanda helping people in need than anything else, which was an important step in her life as she had been involved in way too many world-changing situations over the previous three decades. The series begins when Wanda opens a new metaphysical shop called the Emporium, where she then crafts the Last Door, an enchanted pathway where people with nowhere left to turn can pass through and receive her help.
This was such a brilliantly set up story because it made Wanda a hero who helped people in need, one at a time, and used her powers to help the people who needed it the most. It even brought Darcy Lewis into the story, after her breakout in the Thor MCU movies and WandaVision on Disney+. This also led to stories with her brother Quicksilver and a reunion with the Vision, the latter of which (Vision and the Scarlet Witch Vol. 3) celebrated the anniversary of their marriage in comics, and had one of the best endings of any story between the two former lovers.
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade was the comic book series that brought Wanda Maximoff back to Marvel Comics after the events of “House of M.” Wanda had disappeared after “House of M,” and for good reason. A lot of heroes wanted her dead, and everyone considered her a dangerous threat to the world. It was a tough time for Scarlet Witch fans because Marvel continued to demonize the hero and make her trauma turn her into a villain more and more by the year.
This series attempted to reverse course, as it had the young heroes who served as hosts to the souls of her former twins (Billy and Tommy) looking for their mother, with their allies in the Young Avengers by their side. The story had the Young Avengers find Wanda in Latveria of all places, an amnesiac who Doctor Doom planned to marry to use her powers as part of his plan for world dominance. It took Wanda, her sons, and the Young Avengers to thwart Doom’s plans and save the Scarlet Witch. The end, which reunited Wanda with her sons for the first time, was well worth the wait.
“Avengers: Disassembled” was one of the worst moments in Marvel Comics history for the Scarlet Witch, but it was also a great storyline regardless of the damage it did to the character. The story began innocently enough with Wanda and Janet Van Dyne lying out by the pool together when Jan said something stupid. She mentioned Wanda having kids before, which had been erased from the Scarlet Witch’s mind after the kids were taken away. This unlocked the memories, and Wanda lost control.
What makes this story so good is that it shows how powerful Wanda Maximoff really is. Forget about changing reality in “House of M.” In “Avengers: Disassembled,” Wanda destroyed the Avengers. She killed Agatha Harkness, proving she had eclipsed her master. She brought Jack of Hearts back to life and sent him to Avengers Mansion to explode again, killing Scott Lang’s Ant-Man. Wanda took control of the Vision and used him as a weapon to attack the Avengers and then hexed She-Hulk, who ripped the Vision apart in anger. Her plans also killed Hawkeye during a faked alien invasion. Wanda was responsible for all these deaths, and it showed the true extent of her powers.
After Scarlet Witch’s return following Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, the storyline that helped redeem her the most was “The Witch’s Road.” This is easily the best Scarlet Witch story that Marvel Comics has ever told. While she had a few adventures with the Avengers before this, Scarlet Witch Vol. 2 (2015-2017) gave Wanda a solo series, and it allowed Marvel to really delve into who the character is and what her place in the world really is.
When this series begins, witchcraft is broken, and it is up to Wanda to figure out why and find a way to fix it. To do this, Wanda begins her journey down the Witch’s Road. She is accompanied by the ghost of Agatha Harkness, and along the way, Wanda meets her real mother, Natalya Maximoff, who was also a Scarlet Witch. This really helped finally break Wanda away from Magneto and the lies that he was her real father, and it placed her securely in her own mythology with witches and magic. This brought back Agatha and helped the Scarlet Witch finally stand on her own after years of relying on others.
What are your favorite Scarlet Witch stories? Let us know your favorite moments with Wanda Maximoff in the comments below.
