The Avengers #19 by Jed MacKay, Farid Karami, Federico Blee, and Cory Petit sees Scarlet Witch stand tall alongside The Avengers confronting her former lover, Doctor Doom. Now that he's been anointed as the new Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Doom assesses how the Avengers uses their power, and in that same breath, declares that his would-be wife is "the hero to the hopeless," and one who is "finally exercising the power she keeps so in check without fear for damaging the false structure of the world."
Such a definitive exploration of Wanda confirms she has finally atoned for her sins.
What Does Scarlet Witch Need to Make Up For?
She Changed the Marvel Universe Forever
The unraveling of Scarlet Witch first begins in Avengers Disassembled, as Wanda Maximoff uses her abilities against her fellow Avengers. Her ever-growing disturbed mind compels Wanda to use her influence to cause her Avengers teammates to do catastrophic things, like convincing She-Hulk to attack the Avengers. The Scarlet Witch also manages to summon a Kree fleet that not only causes certain destruction but results in the death of Hawkeye. This forced Scarlet Witch into the care of her father, Magneto (who since then is no longer her biological father, but that's another story) setting the stage for House of M.
In House of M, Magneto feared the worst for his daughter as her friends in the X-Men and the Avengers tried to figure out how to deal with Scarlet Witch's reality bending powers. Some of the heroes even consider having Wanda killed, putting both Magneto and her brother Quicksilver under distress under that possibility. In the case of the latter, he manipulates Wanda into using her powers to create an alternate reality where mutants are the majority population on Earth. He also suggests turning their family into a monarch of the utmost power.
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When the Avengers and the other heroes discover Wanda's meddling (thanks in large part to Wolverine being immune to her magic), they all confront the House of Magnus. Stressed and disturbed that her children never existing, the Scarlet Witch does the only sensible thing she can think to do: utter the words, "No more mutants." With that said, the world goes back to normal, but with drastic changes. Besides Wanda managing to revive Hawkeye, she also inexplicably cuts the mutant population of the world down by millions, reducing the multi-million race to hundreds as many mutants suddenly lose their powers.
Scarlet Witch Has Been Redeemed (According to Doctor Doom)
Has She Really Been Redeemed
At the conclusion of the "Blood Hunt" summer story arc, which placed the Marvel Universe under the unruly decadence of a vampire invasion seemingly led by Blade (but was really pop culture's first vampire, Varnae, possessing him) Doctor Doom emerges as the Avengers' last hope. A dead Doctor Strange turned ultimate vampire hunter begrudgingly relinquishes his Sorcerer Supreme mantle to Doctor Doom, who uses his newfound power to save the world. Still maintaining that power, Doom puts the Avengers under trial.
Doctor Doom openly questions why The Avengers have yet to use their power to make the world a better place to live in, but he does take the opportunity to judge each of the Avengers as individuals. He calls out Iron Man's first addiction, war, but could conquer worldwide war. He praises and distinguishes the Avengers' two captains, Marvel and America, then, moves addresses Wanda. The nickname he gives her is indicative of the journey that Scarlet Witch has put herself on and endured in order to right those wrongs. Needless to say, those wrongs have finally been made right.
Breaking Down Doctor Doom's Words, and Scarlet Witch's Redemption
Her Presence in the Avengers Proves She's a Hero
Scarlet Witch's redemption arc largely begins in the oft-forgotten and criminally underrated Children's Crusade, the Young Avengers sequel to House of M where Wanda disappears following House of M. She winds up depowered with amnesia at Doctor Doom's doorstep. She nearly married Doom until she meets the Young Avengers, specifically her twin children, Speed and Wiccan. After trepidatiously attempting to reverse the damage she did with her "No more mutants" declaration before then declaring she wants to set out on her own path in an attempt to discover her identity outside of her family.
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Scarlet Witch HATES Her New Role on the Avengers
Scarlet Witch absolutely hates her new side-lined position on the Avengers, and since her redemption from House of M, she isn't afraid to say it.
She proceeded to try to earn the trust of her fellow heroes again, whilst trying to prove she was deserving of being a hero. Her new self-titled series and her recent re-induction into the Avengers by way of Captain Marvel has proven that she has redeemed herself. Doctor Doom is just acknowledging the hard work on her road to heroism that's been evident, suggesting the rest of the Marvel Universe notices, too. It's taken two decades for Scarlet Witch to feel fully redeemed, but the Avengers and Doctor Doom have taken notice.
The Avengers #19 is on sale now from Marvel
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