As all Marvel fans know, the Civil War is coming, but now we know another character will be along for the ride: Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch will appear in Captain America: Civil War. The Scarlet Witch first made her appearance during a mid-credits teaser at the end of Captain America: Winter Soldier. She and her brother, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor), were last seen being experimented on by Hydra, but the siblings are set to play a major role in Avengers: Age of Ultron, premiering in theaters May 1.
Civil War will pit Captain America and Iron Man against one another, forcing many other heroes, including Hawkeye, Black Widow, Bucky Barnes, Crossbones, War Machine, Falcon, and more, to choose sides. In the comics, the Civil War is sparked by an initiative created to bring superheroes onto the government payroll, provide them training, and, ultimately, have them do the bidding of politicians. The loss of autonomy does not sit well with soldier Captain America, but it is championed by Iron Man. (If that seems like a role reversal, remember Tony is responsible for creating Ultron.) If the movie follows the same themes, we have to ask ourselves, which side will Scarlett Witch be on? Whichever one she chooses would gain a hugely powerful asset thanks to her perception-bending prowess.
Given what we know about Scarlet Witch so far, it would make the most sense for to align herself with Cap. Once a person has been weaponized, it is safe to assume they will not want to go down the same path again. The Civil War comic does not offer any hints on where Scarlet Witch's loyalties will lie, since her character did not play a role in the original story line. However, she is directly responsible for the events in House of M, a comic that saw Scarlet Witch upend the very fabric of time, and ultimately led up to Civil War. (Both arcs are part of the larger chain of events that leads to Avengers Disassembled).
Spoiler alert for fans who have only seen the movies:
Scarlett Witch is destined to become an Avenger, placing her on the team alongside the characters whose minds she will be manipulating in Age of Ultron. Even though Marvel tried to keep Olsen's role in future films quiet, Scarlet Witch is a major player in the Marvelverse. It only makes sense for her to show up in Civil War— the real question is how will her world manipulating abilities impact the storyline? And if she is on Team Cap, will her presence be used to change one of the most iconic (and way too spoilery to mention here) endings in comic book history?
Perhaps her role hinges on a major unknown: where is her brother? If Taylor-Johnson is in Civil War, the news has not been announced yet. Ultimately, the deciding factor for Scarlet Witch may have to do with the fate of Quicksilver. If she believes the government can prevent factions like Hydra using powered people for ill, she could side with Tony, but if Ultron gets Quicksilver killed... Iron Man had better watch his back.
Catch Olsen as Scarlet Witch in theaters Friday, May 1.
Images: Marvel; profeminist/Tumblr
