WandaVision: 5 Ways Scarlet Witch Redeemed Herself (& 5 Ways She Hasn’t)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been lauded by critics for the way WandaVision presented a multifaceted view of the protagonists. Scarlet Witch, in particular, can be considered both a protagonist and a villain due to the way the events unfolded in Westview.
While she had redeemed herself a little in the eyes of the viewers by defeating Agatha, it is clear that Wanda now feels as if she has lost the right to call herself a hero. Although she never intended to hurt anyone, Wanda's actions did lead to many civilians being harmed and traumatized. It's likely that the next time the viewers see her that she will be trying to reconcile with what she did.
10 Villainous: Attacking Those Who Wanted To Help Her
Scarlet Witch’s grief caused her to distrust anyone that attempted to interrupt her idyllic life. If she suspected that there was an individual who was a threat to her family then she was seen to get extremely angry and lash out.
Unfortunately, this was something everyone saw quite frequently as she was shown to expel members out of Hex by physically attack them - including Monica. While many fans could understand that Wanda was still processing her grief, they did feel that she had overstepped a boundary more than once. Not only was she shown to hurt Monica but she also threatened to kill anyone who interfered or took the Hex away from her.
9 Redeemed: She Left S.W.O.R.D. Without Incident
Director Hayward had doctored footage of Wanda to make it appear as if she had attacked S.W.O.R.D. to reclaim Vision’s remains. At that point, it seemed that Wanda was a "villain," only for later exposition to reveal the truth.
In reality, Wanda had witnessed Vision being dismantled and was distraught at seeing her lover’s body treated that way. However, after realizing that she couldn't feel Vision's presence anymore, she left without stirring any problems. This meant that she wasn’t the one to instigate the antagonism between herself and S.W.O.R.D.
8 Villainous: The Refusal To Reverse Her Spell
The dangers of chaos magic are well known to comic book readers. This was shown at its most dangerous in WandaVision when Scarlet Witch cast her spell on Westview. Despite realizing this later, she refused to reverse the effects.
Scarlet Witch also came to know that she had placed the people of the town under mind control, yet wasn’t prepared to let go of the reality she created. Upon being asked point-blank to undo the spell, Scarlet Witch still didn’t budge.
7 Redeemed: The More Manipulative Activities Weren't Her Doing
Many fans noted how the strange mannerisms of Scarlet Witch and Vision were meme-worthy. It seemed as if all of it was a manipulation by Wanda. However, as the song went, it was “Agatha All Along.” She was the one who had caused the more malevolent happenings in Westview and caused Scarlet Witch to remain enthralled by the fake reality.
Agatha was also the one to control Ralph Bohner into acting as Quicksilver, whose blame was initially blamed on Wanda for “recasting” Pietro. While Wanda did have mental control of Westview, she didn’t harm them in the manner that Agatha did.
6 Villainous: She Only Fought Back Due To Agatha Harming Her Family
Fans still have questions about Wanda’s family after the finale, as the boys were heard even after the Hex had been pulled down. Many fans have begun debating whether they will make an appearance in the Dr. Strange sequel or in one of the future MCU tv shows. Another question they have also been debating is whether Wanda would have also relinquished control over the Hex if her family hadn't been threatened.
The only reason why this question came up was because Wanda didn't seem to have any qualms with living in Westview, indefinitely, had Agatha’s deception not become apparent. In essence, her heroic turn at the end did feel as if it was because of a personal benefit rather than a guilty conscience.
5 Redeemed: Not Embracing The Dark Nature Of Her Powers
The potential for Scarlet Witch becoming evil is known to comic book readers. However, the MCU version didn’t embrace the dark nature of her powers, as she channeled this energy for better use. Had she been like Agatha, Scarlet Witch would have manipulated her powers to their worst depths.
Instead, she unlocked these abilities with the express intention of fighting Agatha’s machinations. In the end, she fled Westview to understand her powers rather than make use of them for malevolent means.
4 Villainous: Keeping Vision Locked Into The Fake Reality Against His Wishes
While fans were delighted to see the two versions of the Vision come to blows on screen, they were particularly sad when they had to say goodbye to the Hex version. This was the one that fans had become particularly attached to as the viewers spent several weeks seeing his devotion and love he had for his family.
However, that doesn't mean that their family was perfect. Wanda and Vision did get into several arguments over the fact that she would deliberately manipulate his thoughts and feelings in order to keep him tethered to this reality. Tensions between them escalated further when Wanda also refused to answer his questions or let him leave.
While many fans could sympathize with Wanda's situation, they felt more inclined to sympathize with the synthezoid's pain in this instance. It was unfair to keep him in the dark and try to control him when he was feeling so vulnerable.
3 Redeemed: Relinquishing Control Of The Hex
While there were multiple predictions for how the finale would go, it turned out to be quite simple. Scarlet Witch realized she had to undo the hold she had on Westview and break her control over the people.
While Agatha was no doubt one of the antagonists of the show, she did raise some strong and reasonable points. Scarlet Witch may have genuinely believed that she was providing a better life for the residents of Westview but she needed to know the pain she had put them all in. Once Wanda realized the pain her powers had caused them to be in, she immediately felt remorseful and wasted no time in letting them go.
2 Villainous: She's Placed The Avengers In A Negative Light
The perception of the Avengers had been negative after Captain America: Civil War. It was after defeating Thanos that Steve Rogers’ faction was pardoned, but this goodwill might just be undone due to Wanda’s actions.
This was apparent straight after she removed the spell on Westview as the residents all eyed her with fear and loathing. While still technically an Avenger, Wanda had to flee in order to avoid being captured like before. This bad business is certain to affect the perception of the Avengers at large.
1 Redeemed: Genuinely Seeking Peace And A Family
Those looking for similar shows to WandaVision will be interested in the idea of a happy family life. This is what Wanda had wanted the whole time as the idyllic life of Westview stemmed from her need to have a family.
By the end of WandaVision, it was confirmed she didn’t do anything out of malice and that the spell around Westview was born out of a genuine desire for peace. While no one is condoning her for the way she kept the residents controlled, they could understand why she wanted to find some semblance of happiness considering how much tragedy she’s had to face. It is certainly relatable.