What is a Scarlet Witch? WandaVision episode 8 explained

What is a Scarlet Witch? Let’s get the WandaVision character and episode 8 explained as audiences continue their journey with the MCU.

Disney+ continues to demand the attention of MCU fans with the continuation of WandaVision.

The first two episodes were made available on Disney+ from Friday, January 15th 2021 and many weren’t quite sure what to make of it upon arrival.

Created by Jac Schaeffer, the series centres upon Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) while surreally blending sitcom elements with what we’ve come to expect from the MCU a little later on.

The show takes place before the events of Avengers: Endgame and episode 8 – titled ‘Previously On’ – brings new information to light which essentially changes everything.

But first, let’s ask something. What is a Scarlet Witch?

Marvel Studios | Disney+ WandaVision: What is a Scarlet Witch?

Needless to say, after around half a decade, audiences are considering it a pretty big deal.

As for the name itself, readers were first introduced to the character in the comics – The X-Men #4 – back in March 1964 and she was a supervillain at first, along with her brother Quicksilver.

The name speaks for itself, as her costume has long been a striking red.

Ahead of episode 8, most audiences felt that they had the character figured out. After all, they had been chronicling her since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, a grand reveal has changed our perception of the character, rooting her more firmly in the comics…

Scarlet Witch in WandaVision episode 8

As noted by CinemaBlend, we’re encouraged to reflect more intently on Wanda’s trauma in episode 8.

She and her brother witnessed their parents’ death after a mortar attack on their childhood home and it was Stark Industries that produced the weapons. A missile landed in the living room which fortunately turned out to be a dud; well, not quite.

Surviving the experience, the twins grew to hate Stark and volunteered for experiments conducted by Hydra. It’s believed that Wanda’s abilities were achieved as a result of the experiments involving Loki’s staff, yet, it turns out she had powers long before this, just like in the comics.

The missile may not have been a dud after all, as Wanda was able to mentally change the odds of the weapon being defective, saving her and her brother’s lives.

This makes sense, as the volunteers for the Hydra experiment before Wanda died. Perhaps it was Wanda’s existing powers which allowed her to survive the tests and so forth.

WandaVision fans react to the Scarlet Witch reveal

After Wanda’s superhero name finally got an MCU shoutout, fans have taken the time to excitedly react on Twitter.

Check out a selection of tweets:

In other news, let’s explore Wanda’s powers?