Scarlet Witch

"I can show you what you truly fear!" "You know what I fear?"

- Wanda Maximoff and Ulysses Klaue

Wanda Maximoff is a native of the Eastern European country of Sokovia who grew with her twin brother, Pietro. In an effort to help purge their country of strife, the twins agreed to undergo experiments with the Scepter under the supervision of Wolfgang von Strucker's HYDRA cell, and achieved superpowers as a result, with Wanda attaining various telekinetic and energy manipulating abilities. When HYDRA fell, the twins joined the robot Ultron to get their revenge on Tony Stark, but eventually switched sides and joined the Avengers when they discovered Ultron's true intentions. Maximoff became a member of the Avengers during and after the War against Ultron.

Early Life
"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed on their apartment building. Sokovia has had a... rough history, it's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special."

- Maria Hill and Steve Rogers

Wanda Maximoff was born in the Eastern European country of Sokovia along with her brother, Pietro. At the age of ten, while having dinner with her family, a mortar shell hit their apartment building, killing Maximoff's parents and trapping her and her brother. A second shell hit the apartment near them but did not go off; the Maximoff twins were left trapped for two days staring at the unexploding shell reading the name on it, Stark Industries. This traumatic experience gave the twins a great hatred for America, especially Tony Stark and later the Avengers. They often took part and led protests against the Avengers. They dedicated much of their lives to this hatred and began searching for ways to bring down the Avengers; this constant political activity put them on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar.

Joining HYDRA
"There's nothing more horrifying than a miracle!"

- Baron Von Strucker about Wanda and Pietro

When the twins reached adulthood, Sokovia had become a warzone, with foreign forces invading their streets frequently. Wanda and her brother took part in various riots to drive the foreign forces out of their streets. What the twins did not realize was that the riots were orchestrated by HYDRA, who had taken up residence in the country and were using the riots to cover up their illegal experiments. One day, Wanda and Pietro were approached by List, a scientist at the HYDRA cell in Sokovia, who offered them the opportunity to achieve the power needed to drive war out of Sokovia. Initially skeptical, Wanda was convinced by Pietro to agree.

Along with other volunteers from the town, Wanda and Pietro underwent a series of tests where they were exposed to energy from the Scepter, which had fatal effects on the others. Wanda and Pietro, however, experienced exceedingly different effects. The power of the scepter unlocked latent supernatural powers within the pair; while Pietro achieved superhuman speed, Wanda attained a number of mental powers such as telekinesis, hypnosis, and energy projection.

Soon after, the Avengers arrived in Sokovia and raided Strucker's facility, stealing the scepter and arresting Strucker. In the confusion, Wanda and Pietro escaped from their holding cells and, though inexperienced, were able to use their powers to evade the Avengers and escape. Wanda herself used her powers to distract Iron Man, tricking him into believing that a dead Leviathan specimen that Strucker had been studying was still alive, and showing him a dark vision where the Avengers are dead and Leviathans invade Earth from a wormhole.

A Misguided Partnership
"Ultron can't see the difference between saving the world and destroying it: Where do you think he gets that from?"

- Wanda, about Ultron, referencing to Stark

Wanda and Pietro were soon called by Ultron to join him in his plans to destroy the Avengers, knowing that with their powers, they can tear the opposition apart. Soon after, Wanda and Pietro accompany Ultron in acquiring Ulysses Klaue's supply of vibranium. Wanda manages to knock Captain America back with her powers and began "hexing" the minds of Thor, Black Widow, and the Cap. She attempted to "hex" Hawkeye, but was subdued by him. Pietro saved her in the nick of time and took her outside Klaue's base, where she caught sight of the Hulk and manages to "hex" him as well. When the Twins arrived in Seoul, Wanda learned of Ultron's plans upon touching the Cradle and left the facility, much to Ultron's rage. The Twins then assisted Captain America in fighting off Ultron on a moving passenger train and Wanda managed to stop it when it went off the rails. Wanda and Pietro then accompanied Captain America back to Avengers Tower and tried to stop Stark and Banner from bringing Vision to life. Wanda was held back by Banner in the scuffle, but she managed to escape his hold, only to witness Thor bringing Vision to life. She reluctantly stood down as Vision introduced himself to them. She and Pietro then join the Avengers in stopping Ultron and saving Sokovia.

An Avenger
Wanda played a significant part in evacuating civilians from Sokovia, using her powers of mind control on dozens of innocents. When Ultron's army began their attack, Wanda tried to shield innocent civilians from enemy fire with her powers. Eventually, Ultron forced a large part of the city to levitate so that once it reached a certain height it would cause an extinction level event once it it made impact with the earth. This, along with the carnage that was falling upon her home, overwhelmed Wanda. Hawkeye told her that she needed to make a choice, to stay hidden and wait for her brother to take her somewhere safe or get out there and be an Avenger. When Clint was surrounded by Ultron's robots, Wanda made the save. Wanda was then taken by Pietro to help rally the civilians and assisted in escorting them to the transporters sent by Nick Fury. Then, she and the rest of the Avengers stood together in defending the drill that would activate Ultron's plans for extinction and managed to wipe out a majority of his forces.

Pietro's Death
"Wanda, if you stay here, you'll die." "I just did. Do you know how it felt? It felt like that..."

- Ultron and Scarlet Witch

Wanda opted to stay behind to guard the key while the others went their separate ways to accomplish their objectives, making Pietro promise to come back for her when their mission is over. Unfortunately, Pietro was killed saving Clint Barton and a young boy from Ultron and Wanda senses this, causing her to cry out in pure anguish. Wanda then left her post to avenge her brother by taking down Ultron's primary body with her powers, though she had inadvertently allowed an Ultron drone to activate the key that sent Sokovia plummeting towards Earth. Fortunately, Stark and Thor averted the cataclysm and Vision saved Wanda just in the nick of time.

The New Team
"Avengers, A..."

- Captain America

Wanda was recruited into the Avengers' roster along with War Machine, Vision and Sam Wilson as a permanent member of the team. They arrived at the New Avengers Facility and began their training under the leadership of Captain America and Black Widow.

Personality
Having dealt with tragedy and turmoil at such a young age, Wanda desired to free her country from the terrors of war. This desire grew to such a point that she volunteered to be experimented on by HYDRA, eventually gaining the formidable powers she now possesses. Compared to her brother, Pietro, Wanda is quieter and less aggressive. Despite that, she appears to have full control of her power and would not hesitate to use it on her enemies to achieve her goals. She was not the type to face a foe in direct combat, opting to disable her foes with her powers when their guard is down.

Despite her desire to destroy the Avengers, she ultimately chose to betray Ultron after learning his true intentions and sided with the very people she tried to take down. This shows that Wanda is willing to set aside personal grudges for the common good, as she ultimately joined the Avengers in evacuating Sokovia and opposing Ultron.

Her hatred for Tony Stark's role in the destruction her country endured and the death of her parents motivated her to implant visions of a bleak future into his mind, thus setting up the events that led to the eventual destruction of Sokovia. Wanda acknowledges this to Hawkeye, sordidly blaming herself for the carnage and questioning why she let such chaos happen.

However, after being encouraged by Hawkeye, Wanda displayed great courage and selflessness, aiding him in fighting off the Sentries and protecting and escorting civilians to safety before standing alongside the Avengers in wiping out most of Ultron's forces. This is paramounted by how she chose to stay behind and guard the key, reiterating that it was her job, and making Pietro promise to come back for her only when everyone else is safe.

Wanda and Pietro share a deep, emotional bond, though they would occasionally bicker like normal siblings. Wanda was looked after by Pietro and she would always rely on him for support. Pietro's death by Ultron's hands unleashed a fury within Wanda that pushed her to leave her post and rip out Ultron's central processor to make him feel the pain he inflicted, avenging her beloved brother.

Despite the pain of losing her brother and the loss of her home, Wanda still chose to join the second team of Avengers, led by Captain America and Black Widow.

Powers
"Her thing is neuro-electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation."

- Maria Hill

"You and I, we can hurt them but you, you can tear them apart from the inside.."
 * Psionics: As a result of exposure to the cosmic energies from the Scepter, Maximoff acquired an array of psionic powers, which manifest in the form of reddish glowing energy currents and mist-like shapes, much like fire or gas. Maria Hill describes her powers as "neuro-electric interface and telekinesis" and called Maximoff "weird" because of them. When using her power, her irises sometimes glow a dark reddish color, especially when she concentrates. The currents she creates can control and distort molecules and forms of physical forces, such as friction, kinetic energy, pressure, state of matter and even gravity. This energy is capable of controlling many forms of matter on a molecular level and can be used to control molecules and physical forces in various ways. Scarlet Witch Blocks.png
 * Telekinesis: Maximoff has the ability to mentally move and manipulate objects through force of the mind. She can also affect and control particles and molecules, as well as physical forces such as kinetic energy, friction, pressure, state of matter and even gravity. She demonstrated this when she moved wooden blocks around while imprisoned in Wolfgang von Strucker's secret facility. She pulled them apart with her power, and suspended them in the air, removing all motion and gravity from the pieces. Maximoff used this power to create a shield to protect innocents from enemy fire, stop an off-rail train in Seoul, knock back Captain America, tear apart Ultron Sentries and rip out the central processor of Ultron's primary body. It also appears that her emotions are linked to her powers as she unleashed a wave of reddish energy that disintegrated attacking Ultron Sentries when she sensed Pietro's death and cried out. Her telekinesis is enough to break through Vibranium as she did managed to rip Ultron's primary body apart to get his central processor.
 * Levitation: Maximoff was able to use this power to move herself through the air and simulate flight.
 * Energy Shield: Maximoff was able to create a shield of telekinetic energy to protect innocents from enemy fire and deflect attack from Ultron Sentries.
 * Telepathy: Maximoff can read or mentally communicate and experience memories and thoughts of others or project her own thoughts through a neuro-electric interface that gives her telepathy. While she was using her hypnotic powers in conjunction with this power against the Avengers in South Africa, she herself viewed the Avengers' memories. When using her power, her irises sometimes glow a dark reddish color, especially when she concentrate it on certain targets. She also used this ability to temporarily merge her consciousness with Ultron's, and it was thanks to this that she was able to discover his genocidal intentions and rebel against him. Maximoff can also sense the minds and emotions of those around her as she could see Stark's fear in an earlier encounter with her and sensed Pietro's death, knowing exactly what happened to him, as if she had seen it directly.
 * Psionic Energy: Maximoff can project energy blasts, orbs, waves and bolts by projecting her own psionic and kinetic energy, or gathering particles, molecules and physical forces into a contained space, allowing her to either blow or direct her hits at her enemies. These contained spaces could be in any shape and form and outlined her telekinetic spheres of influence, making her telekinesis visible and in reddish color. When a target of hers is hit with her energy, she can use her telekinesis to inflict further damage. Maximoff unleashed a wave of reddish energy that tore apart and disintegrated surrounding Ultron Sentries when she sensed Pietro's death and cried out in grief and anger. She can also generate a bolt of hex energy to project light.

- Ultron to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch


 * Mental Manipulation: Maximoff was able to deploy a form of mental inertness upon others through a form of hypnosis. This power is possible through a neuro-electric interface, just as her telepathy is. She was able to use this ability to cripple the Avengers, forcing them each to recall the darker events of their pasts and were put inside daydream-like visions of them, allowing them to be subdued by Ultron. When this ability is in use, Maximoff's reddish energy takes a more mist-like form, floating into the head of the victim in the form of neurons. The effects also distort the victim's iris coloration, causing them to shine a dark reddish color. This also allows her to control other people's actions, as she did with a considerable number of civilians in Sokovia to aid in their evacuation. Maximoff's mental power is strong to reverse the effects of the Mind Stone, one of the most powerful objects in existence, as shown when she freed Dr. Helen Cho from the stone's control. She can also manipulate the memory and senses of others at will, induce sleep or pain and create illusions without any difficulty.

Abilities

 * Multilingualism: Wanda is fluent in Sokovian and speaks English (though with a heavy Sokovian accent).

Family

 * Father †
 * Mother †
 * Pietro Maximoff † - Twin Brother

Allies

 * Avengers - Enemies turned Teammates
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Former Thrall turned Ally and Leader
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Former Enemy and Thrall turned Ally
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk - Former Thrall turned Ally
 * Thor - Former Thrall turned Ally
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Former Thrall turned Ally
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Former Enemy and Attempted Thrall turned Ally
 * Vision - Savior
 * James Rhodes/War Machine
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon
 * Helen Cho
 * Nick Fury
 * Maria Hill

Enemies

 * Ultron † - Ally turned Enemy and Victim
 * Ultron Sentries †
 * HYDRA
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * Doctor List †

Appearances
In chronological order:
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude - This Scepter'd Isle
 * Captain America: The Winter Soldier
 * Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Season Two
 * The Dirty Half Dozen (mentioned)
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron
 * Captain America: Civil War (unreleased)

Trivia

 * In the comics, Quicksilver is a mutant and a founding member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, being initially identified as the son of Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) and his then-wife Magda Lehnsherr (née Eisenhardt) in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 (1983), 19 years after Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's first appearance. Magda leaves Erik while pregnant and takes sanctuary at Mount Wundagore in Transia, the home of the High Evolutionary, where she gives birth and later dies. The High Evolutionary then places them instead in the care of the Romani couple, Django and Marya Maximoff, who raise them as their own children. Prior to that, in Giant-Size Avengers #1 (1974), they were revealed to be the biological children of Golden Age superheroes The Whizzer and Miss America, a fact that was later retconned. In Avengers &amp; X-Men: AXIS #7 (2014), it was revealed that Pietro and his sister have no blood ties to Magneto and are not related after all. In Uncanny Avengers #4 (2015), it is confirmed not only are they not related to Magneto but they are also not mutants, as the High Evolutionary was the one that genetically altered them as infants, giving them their powers, before returning them to their true parents, the Maximoffs.
 * Although Wanda's comic book moniker was never spoken by anyone during the course of the film, Iron Man did disparagingly refer to her as a "witch", alluding to her Scarlet Witch moniker.
 * The credits did in fact credit her as "Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch".
 * In the comics, Wanda married Vision, and had two sons with him.
 * Wanda ultimately destroying Ultron's primary body in the film is probably an allusion to the fact that her powers in the comics are considered one of Ultron's most significant weaknesses.

Behind the Scenes

 * Elizabeth Olsen was uncredited for her appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
 * Both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were originally going to appear in the post-credits scene for Guardians of the Galaxy.