Marvel Studios revealed how the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver got their abilities in 2021’sWandaVision, but something doesn’t quite add up, leading to a shocking newMCUtheory that makes Wanda Maximoff even more powerful. When twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were introduced to the MCU inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, they were revealed to have undergone experimentation at the hands of HYDRA. This apparently gifted them their incredible abilities, butWandaVisionepisode 8, “Previously On,” confirmed that this actually was not the case.
After Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness revealed herself to Wanda Maximoff, she tookElizabeth Olsen’s popular MCU witchon a journey down memory lane inWandaVisionepisode 8.This episode seemed to confirm that Wanda’s magical powers were actually innate, but were simply amplified by exposure to the Mind Stone during HYDRA’s experimentsprior toCaptain America: The Winter Soldier’smid-credits scene. While this makes sense for the Scarlet Witch, it throws theorigins of Quicksilver’s superpowersinto question, but one MCU theory might have found the perfect explanation.
The Scarlet Witch Gave Quicksilver His Powers: MCU Theory Explained
The Mind Stone Didn’t Actually Give Wanda Maximoff Any Of Her Powers
The Mind Stone enhanced Wanda Maximoff’s natural magical abilities, but did not give her any new powers. This then raises questions about why the Mind Stone gave Pietro Maximoff brand-new speedster powers, though a theory posed byReddituser ghostrider8303suggests that the Mind Stone had nothing to do with this process at all.HYDRA’s experiments with the Mind Stone culminated in the deaths of all other subjects, and while Wanda Maximoff may have been saved by her innate magic, Pietro wouldn’t have been so lucky.
Knowing that the Mind Stone experiment would have killed her brother,ghostrider8303’s theory suggests that Wanda Maximoff herself gifted superpowers to her brother. This would have prompted HYDRA to cease experimenting on Pietro, considering him another success story alongside his sister, and therefore sparing his life and even considering him a"miracle.“Of course, if this is the case, one would imagine Wanda would have mentioned it, but her MCU history proves that she doesn’t always use her own abilities consciously.
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In the same way thatWanda Maximoff subconsciously created the Hex around the sleepy New Jersey town of Westview inWandaVision, she may have subconsciously imbued her brother with superpowers. She would have had no way of knowing that this would have culminated inPietro’s early demise in 2015’sAvengers: Age of Ultronafter the pair joined the Avengers in the fight against the titular tyrannical artificial intelligence, Ultron. While some may consider this theory outlandish, the MCU’s history andWandaVision’sown storyline actually prove this could easily be true.
WandaVision Proved Witches Can Easily Grant Power To Others
Both Wanda Maximoff & Agatha Harkness Gave Abilities To Others In WandaVision
WandaVisionsaw not just one, but two powerful witches bestowing abilities on otherwise unpowered individuals. Perhaps most notably, Agatha Harkness hijackedWestview resident Ralph Bohnerand gave him speedster abilities akin to Quicksilver before forcing him to masquerade as a resurrected Pietro Maximoff and infiltrate the Maximoff household.Bohner’s powers were connected to an enchanted necklace that Agatha had him wear, and her spell was broken when it was removed, so Wanda Maximoff must have done something different to her actual brother to give him permanent abilities.
Evan Peters originally portrayed Peter Maximoff’s Quicksilver in 20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise, so his appearance inWandaVisionled to theories suggesting theX-Menfranchise was being folded into the MCU, but this turned out to not be the case.
The Scarlet Witch may have done something similar to what she did to her own sons inWandaVision. Billy and Tommy Maximoff were born in the Hex via the use of magic, and had no physical counterparts already existing in Westview. They very quickly displayed superpowers, however, asthe twins soon aged up to ten years old, and then began to express mind reading and speedster powers, given to them by Wanda Maximoff.Agatha All Alongrevealed that these powers were permanent and growing, asJoe Locke’s Billy Maximoffcould read minds and created the Witches' Road from scratch.
No Other Hero Gained Permanent Powers From Direct Exposure To An Infinity Stone
Several Heroes Have Indirectly Gained Power From Infinity Stones
At first glance, it’s believable that simply being exposed to the Mind Stone could have granted Wanda and Pietro Maximoff abilities, as Infinity Stones are remarkably powerful. However, on deeper inspection, this seems more and more unlikely, asno hero in the MCU’s history has been empowered by direct contact with an Infinity Stone, even though many have Infinity Stone-inspired abilities. The fact that every previous Infinity Stone-empowered hero got their gifts through indirect contact with the Stones suggests the same for theScarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and supports the theory that Wanda gave her brother his powers.
Guardians of the Galaxy(2014)
Soul Stone
Avengers: Infinity War(2018)
The Red Skull touching the Tesseract inCaptain America: The First Avengertransported him to Vormir, rather than granting him the power he felt he deserved. Captain Marvel’s powers are also connected to the Space Stone, but Carol Danvers received her gifts after being exposed to the energy of Mar-Vell’s lightspeed engine, which was powered by the Tesseract.Vision was able to access the Mind Stone’s powers as it was connected to his own bodily systems, but he was quickly killed when it was removed, with no permanent abilities remaining.
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The Infinity Stones are the MCU’s most impressive source of power for good reason, facilitating some incredible feats of creation and destruction.
TheReality Stone did nothing to enhance Jane Foster inThor: The Dark World, and there have been theories suggesting it may have actually caused her cancer inThor: Love and Thunder. The Guardians of the Galaxy using the Power Stone also granted them no permanent abilities, and similarly would have killed them all had they held on for much longer. The Masters of the Mystic Arts continuously used the Time Stone, which gave them no innate abilities to access time, while the Soul Stone also seemingly had no permanent effect, soHYDRA’s Mind Stone experimentssimply don’t make sense.
What This Scarlet Witch Theory Means For The MCU’s Future
The Scarlet Witch Continues To Prove Herself One Of The MCU’s Most Powerful Characters
The idea that Wanda Maximoff was able to bestow superpowers on Pietro several years before officially embracing her identity as the Scarlet Witch proves just how powerful and dangerous she was in the MCU.Wanda always had access to reality warping and Chaos Magic abilities, but didn’t know her own strength, which means she could have unleashed destruction at any moment. She seemed to have significantly more control after becoming the Scarlet Witch, though this coincided with her descent into darkness and, ultimately, her demise in theDarkhold Castle on Mount Wundagore.
Marvel Comics' Scarlet Witch displayed the power to remove and bestow powers on individuals across the world, most notably in her"no more mutants"moment, which culminated in the majority of the Earth’s mutant population losing their abilities, including Quicksilver and Magneto, who was then the twins' father.
The Scarlet Witch’s access to reality warping abilities means it’s very likely she is indeed not dead. There have been hopes thatElizabeth Olsen will return to the MCUfollowing herWandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessandAgatha All Alongstorylines, and her return could also see her manipulate reality to bring back her long-dead brother.Aaron Taylor-Johnson will soon make his SSU debut as Kraven the Hunter, but it would be brilliant to see him return to the MCU as Quicksilver, perhaps once again being empowered by his sister.
WandaVision
Cast
WandaVision, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first TV show on Disney+, first aired in 2021. The series kicked off the MCU’s Phase 4 and brought back Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, and Paul Bettany as Vision. WandaVision strayed away from Marvel’s typical formula, this time formatting itself more like a classic sitcom as Wanda struggles to cope with the death of Vision.
