Elizabeth Olsen Loves Playing Scarlet Witch, But Doesn't Mind If Her MCU Days Are Over
The Scarlet Witch star Elizabeth Olsen doesn't seem to be missing the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While speaking with "The White Lotus" Season 2 star Meghann Fahy during Variety's "Actors on Actors," Olsen candidly discussed how she doesn't miss playing Wanda Maximoff. "I think it's been almost 10 years of playing her. And I've loved it," Olsen said. "And I think the reason why I am not calling Kevin Feige every day with ideas is because I'm really proud of what we were able to do." Olsen first debuted as the character in 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron." She quickly became a fan favorite, especially after her character suffered a profound loss in "Avengers: Infinity War."
When Olsen got the call for "WandaVision" on Disney+, the Scarlet Witch emerged as one of the MCU's headlining acts. "I think 'WandaVision' was a really surprising opportunity," Olsen added. The nine-episode series serves as a deep dive into Wanda's psyche, displaying just how powerful (and devious) she can be. The Scarlet Witch finally gets a violent scene in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which picks up where "WandaVision" leaves off.
As it stands, there are no definitive plans for the character going forward. Will Olsen return to the franchise that turned her into a household name? "If someone were to tell me that I'm fired from Marvel movies, I will feel proud of what we made," Olsen continued, saying that she's currently concerned with tackling "other films and characters so it becomes less about the Marvel of it all."
Elizabeth Olsen is grateful to move on from the Scarlet Witch
While she's headlined critically acclaimed indie dramas like "Ingrid Goes West" and "Wind River" in the past, her recent output has mostly been Marvel-focused. She's only recently stepped away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, spearheading Max's true crime miniseries "Love & Death." While the subject matter of the series is certainly heavy, Olsen was grateful to receive a break from Kevin Feige's toy box of superheroes. "I just did two years straight of [Marvel]," Olsen told Variety earlier this year. "I'm grateful for this show ["Love & Death"] because it came at a great time — after playing Wanda for two years straight, and then I had to talk about it for another year."
Olsen has previously expressed her frustration with the back-to-back nature of Marvel productions, specifically calling out the lack of communication between "WandaVision" and "Multiverse of Madness" writers. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Olsen explained how both projects, which feed into one another, feature a similar arc for the Scarlet Witch. "There could be parallel stories being told there of dealing with grief and loss," Olsen said. She continued by recounting how she asked the "Multiverse of Madness" writers if they were aware of the plot of "WandaVision." "Have you seen it?" Olsen asked them. "And no, they had not seen it 'cause it wasn't finished yet."
While Scarlet Witch stans may find Olsen's recent comments about leaving the MCU behind troubling, they have nothing to worry about. The actor, who thinks we haven't seen the last of the Scarlet Witch, will be reprising her role in the upcoming season of the animated series "What If...?"