What If...? Season 2 Trailer Shows Scarlet Witch's MCU Return - With A Magic Twist

When Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) returned to form in "WandaVision," the limited series finally showed the Scarlet Witch as she was meant to be seen, but it was also the end of an era. After depicting Wanda at the full power she is capable of in the comics, it seemed that Marvel had effectively washed their hands of her. Though she returns in a subsequent feature film, her character motivations are similar to "WandaVision," and she gets defeated by the end of "Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness." But for Wanda fans, this may not be the end of the road for her. As depicted in the "What If...?" Season 2 trailer, Disney+'s animated series will bring back the Scarlet Witch in a twist of her previous canon.

"There'll be an old variant of Wanda from hundreds of years ago that's a Merlin in one of those episodes," Hollywood insider @Cryptic4KQual posted on Twitter. @CanWeGetToast reported that she will be featured in Episodes 5 and 6 of the new season. Wanda appears sparingly in the trailer, demonstrating magic that we now know she is more than capable of. But as a variant of one of the most famous wizards in British lore, "What If...?" may portray her with several more twists and turns.

Judging from the title of Wanda's episodes, it's more than likely her Merlin variant will show up in "What If... The Avengers Assembled In 1602." The episode title indicates going back in time, which would align with Merlin in mythology. The episode is also a clear reference to the Neil Gaiman run of comics, entitled "Marvel 1602." In the limited run, the eight-issue series posits a reality where superheroes existed in the Elizabethan era. Typical of "The Sandman" creator, Gaiman delves into the weirder aspects of what it would be like if those with superpowers arrived 400 years early. Dubbed "witchbreeds" in the comic, mutants and the like encounter the same foes as in the modern era, but with a clever twist. 

As a mutant and witch herself, Wanda is an obvious choice for this particular episode. But as Merlin has been a part of Arthurian legend since the Middle Ages, "What If...?" is likely to have some more surprises in store. In mythology, Merlin wore many faces — both figuratively and literally. For centuries, the lore of Merlin has been retold and retooled to a degree where the animated series could essentially tell any story they wanted for the character. We will have to wait and see what's in store when the new season premieres in December 2023.