scarlet--wiccan

[scarlet--wiccan]

About you saying that the Kevin Wada suit design is a constant revolving outfit that can be mix-n-match with different pieces, in retrospect, we don't really get that much variation of the look itself tho? I think that's part of the reason why I think it's a shame it has to go soon despite seeing for half a decade, there's wasn't much attempt from the fans, either through cosplay or fanarts.

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. If anyone's not familiar, the character design for Scarlet Witch (2016) was meant to function as a wardrobe or lookbook, where artists could mix and match different pieces, or come up with their own designs based on the overall style, rather than committing to a specific, static costume. Each issue of the series was illustrated by a different artist, and many of them do come up with their own variation on the design, and some dressed her in coordinating civilian outfits!

Logistically, though, I don't think that this concept was ever supposed to extend beyond this series, so artists working on subsequent titles took the main design and streamlined it into a more typical suit. It did keep a lot of the detail and embellishment, which I appreciate, and often times, her street clothes would match the same vibe. I understand that a lot people got a little tired of the black and red, but I think it's cool that Wada was able to execute such a cohesive fashion overhaul for an ongoing character. You don't get to see that sort of thing very often!

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this cute variation that Eric Nguyen designed for Quicksilver: No Surrender! It's a lot of skin, but I do think it's really cool, and you can get away with doing stuff like this when you know it's going to be a one-off.

Aesthetically, this is my favorite era for Wanda, and I was sad to see it end. But as far as cosplay goes, it definitely inspired me!

[scarlet--wiccan]

Witchcraft Goddess cameo this week 😃

She still has the same fuckass design 😭

[scarlet--wiccan]

Would you be interested in Jim Zub writing Wanda? And especially, the pitch of him tying Wanda into the House of Idea?

I love everything Zub has written with Wanda, and I was having a great time as a Wanda reader during the late 2010s. I don't know about helming a Scarlet Witch title, but I would be very happy to see him work with the character again, especially if it lead to a WandaJericho comeback. And following Robinson's Scarlet Witch, I feel like Zub's Wanda maintained a more explicitly witchy style of spellcasting, and a really involved, studious, and spiritually fulfilling relationship with magic-- supported by her romance with Jericho-- that I find is missing in the current Scarlet Witch.

That said I do not have any interesting in connecting Wanda to the House of Ideas in any meaningful way. She could definitely do some interesting stuff with her powers in the House of Ideas if the story leads her there, as it almost did in No Road Home, but I don't want to replace or supplant her existing lore and backstory. I would rather invest time into deepening and expanding on her relationship with witchcraft, chaos magic, the Darkhold, and all the mythology surrounding those topics. I think it's cool and interesting enough to stand on its own. She doesn't need her own version of the White Hot Room, and I find the fixation on abstract hierarchies of power that come with this sort of thing completely insufferable. That includes the "eldritch orchard," for the record. That's more of a complaint about fandom than anything else, but still, I'm not personally into it. Part of what I like about the new understanding of nexus beings in relation to the Never Queen is that it gives Wanda a direct connection to those higher planes and creates a sense of cosmic importance, without fundamentally changing the nature of her powers or how we expect her to operate in the present-- and it intentionally makes room to include Pietro and balance things out between the two of them.

And maybe Zub could have pulled that off perfectly with his House of Ideas concept! But I'm too burned out by powerscalers trying to make it into a thing at this point. I'd rather let it rest.

[scarlet--wiccan]

“He alluded to it briefly in Scarlet Witch (2023) #10, when Wanda explains that she can't bring back the dead. That caused a bit of an uproar among readers because, of course, Wanda has successfully performed resurrections before, but they were all highly circumstantial.”

Can you explain this a bit more? 🙏🏻 I’m not a Wanda expert but I’ve read a lot of her comics. Can she bring back the dead or no?

Wanda has raised the dead, and returned from death herself, multiple times, but like I said, these instances are all circumstantial. In other words, it's not something she can do freely on demand, and there have always been extenuating factors to explain how or why it is possible. That's a good thing-- this is exactly the sort of ability that needs to be heavily balanced. We all know death is a revolving door in superhero comics, but we should always strive for resurrection to feel exceptional and well-earned, or, in the case of something like Krakoa, implemented thoughtfully as part of a larger premise.

Wanda is magical, and her magic is particularly expansive. In theory, she can do anything, and lesser magicians have raised the dead with far less trouble. The thing about magic, though, is that, more than any other power in superhero comics, it follows the needs of the story above all else. As a protagonist, Wanda needs to have certain parameters and boundaries, or at least be given some kind of challenge to overcome when she's pulling off big feats of magic.

I know there are a lot of contradictions and inconsistencies here-- you could probably come up with a counterpoint for anything I say about Wanda's powers. But if you look at stories that take her character seriously and respect her continuity, there is precedent for how some of her bigger abilities, like reality warping and resurrection, are supposed to work. Chaos magic can transcend life and death, but Wanda can't create life from nothing or conjure bodies out of thin air, and while she certainly can pull someone's soul back from the afterlife, she's never done it without some kind of challenge or consequence. And sometimes, it goes wrong-- hene, the zombies on Genosha.

The finale of Scarlet Witch #10 is not a great example-- I understand why Wanda wouldn't be able to revive Joseph with a snap of her fingers, but the fact that they're standing in a circle of magic healing crystals suggests that she might have more options. The final page shows what appears to be Joseph, back in his younger form, but this has never been acknowledged or explained again. It's a weird choice, and not one I would have made.

All told, there's enough material for a writer to justifiably decide when when Wanda can or cannot bring someone back to life. Again, it depends on the story, and if they've done their job correctly, it should make sense to the reader. Here's every example I can think of--

When Wanda conceived Billy and Tommy, her magic was temporarily amplified by channeling the collective power of the entire New Salem coven. Later, she learns that she did not create their souls from scratch, as Agatha states that even Wanda cannot create life from nothing. Instead, she subliminally repurposed lost soul fragments belonging to Mephisto, but notably, they were so transformed by Wanda's power that they did become autonomous human beings. Given that they seemingly flicker in and out of existence, it would appear that their bodies were magic constructs.

When she resurrected Simon Williams, part of the reason Wanda was able to summon his spirit was because they shared a close emotional connection. More importantly, she reconstituted Simon's body from ionic energy, which is a unique part of how his powers work.

Years later, Wanda sought to resurrect Billy and Tommy by using her nexus abilities to channel Earth's Life Force-- which, if Doctor Doom is to be believed, is one of the only powers capable of freely creating life and raising the dead. It worked, but not how Wanda expected-- the twins were retroactively reincarnated as other people's children, enabling them to have a "normal" human birth and have "real" bodies outside of Wanda's power. This came at a heavy cost, as the Life Force drove Wanda insane and led to the catastrophic events of House of M.

Wanda undid Pietro's death during House of M, but this was while she was still amped up with the power of the Life Force, and they were within an altered reality where Wanda had total subliminal control. This is not her default state, and it logically wouldn't work the same way in "normal" reality. This power was banished at the end of Children's Crusade.

In Trial of Magneto, Wanda died on purpose, with a very specific intention to perform a magical working from inside the Krakoan resurrection system. Within her "eldritch orchard," a unique chaos magic realm that, presumably, only she can access, Wanda had to unify fragmented aspects of her herself before she could fully return, and she needed the Five to create a new body. In the moment, Hope states that Wanda is resurrecting herself autonomously, but she still uses the egg and Cerebro to manifest her body and upload her mind.

In Scarlet Witch, when Wanda is killed by the Griever, she descends to the Land of the Dead, which is part of the Witches' Road. Again, this is worldbuilding put in place to facilitate her return, but it's not going to work for everybody-- presumably, only witches end up there. Wanda has to fight to make her way back up the Road, and even then, she relies on the Last Door and Hexfinder's alchemical powers to reconstitute her body.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Anyone you want to see be sorcerer supreme after doom? I’m mostly speculating here but since dr strange’s “sorcerer supreme of Asgard” book is apparently an ongoing, there might be a vacancy (however temporary) sooner rather than later.

Im not opposed to Wanda getting the title at some point, since it does change hands a lot (even though it always goes back to Stephen), but I’m not sure she’s the best fit. She’s an avenger first and foremost in ways Stephen isn’t. Billy’s probably too inexperienced, and he isn’t even really earth based anymore

I know that Marvel described it as an ongoing series, but I would not be surprised if Doctor Strange of Asgard ends up being more of a limited run. So far, it appears to be an event tie-in, and those don't usually translate into longer ongoings-- and I feel like they've been intentionally vague about this sort of thing lately.

Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but in a similar vein, I am, so far, expecting the title to go back to Stephen when all is said and done. That said, the Vishanti might be feeling a little fed up after this stunt with Doom-- as if him pulling the same trick with Clea and repeatedly defying them over "General Strange" wasn't enough-- so maybe they will make a move to pick someone new. I doubt it'll be Wanda, unless her solo run is getting cancelled or relaunched again, which I really hope it doesn't. Besides Jericho, who's already held the title, the most obvious choice is probably Wong, which, I hate to admit it, would make the most sense in terms of M C U synnergy.

In general, I doubt that we'll ever see Wanda or Billy become Sorcerer Supreme in the present-day 616 timeline.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Given that you made quite a few post about them, what's the appeal of the Hellstrom siblings to you?

I don't know, I think they're fun! And sexy, when the art is good and Daimon's not in his bald era. I'm not actually an expert on either Daimon or Satana, I just get excited when they show up. I appreciate morally complicated characters, and I think it's pretty easy to successfully implement these characters in those roles. And I think that Daimon, in particular, gets put on a lot of lineups where he really stands out in terms of both aesthetics and personality, so he's just an easy character to comment on. I'm not an expert on Patsy, either, but my general impression of their history and relationship is that it's kind of a perfect distillation of superhero melodrama.

"Quite a few" feels like an exaggeration-- I feel if you took a census of all the posts on my blog, it would be a pretty small fraction.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Would you prefer different shades of red for each aspect of Wanda's power? Also, what distinct sound effects did you have in mind for each part

I wrote about visual communication of Wanda's powers here and here. The exact colors that are used for magic or energy effects is probably gonna vary depending on the color artist themselves, and their style/technique. It's not something I would get hung up on. And from a production standpoint, I feel like it would be unnecessarily difficult to coordinate that level of distinction between color artist, illustrator, and writer.

As a rule of thumb, if you're using color to distinguish different characters' powers, energy signatures, etc. it's better to pick one color for each character, and commit to it. Switching it up too often makes the page feel visually messy, and it just doesn't communicate as effectively to the reader. Personally, I prefer Wanda to stick to red-- again, I'm not picky about the hue, and I'll never understand people who do get worked up about it, but she's the Scarlet Witch, not the Pink Witch or the Purple Witch. Her signature color is red. C'mon.

Also-- I don't think her powers make a specific noise. Like, why would they? That's really not something I've ever thought about. Sound effects and their placement are important, but that's a technical thing that I just don't have enough experience to weigh in on. I think it would depend on the action itself, rather than Wanda's magic producing a specific sound. That doesn't make sense to me.

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hi weird question but why wendy stans hate agatha i didn't watch the series something happened inside series

These are not conversations that I'm interested in having. Outside of conversations about racism and anti-semitism (and homophobia), and I'm not interested in talking about contents of the series or what feelings M C U fans might have about it.

[scarlet--wiccan]

They should have brought my boy back for Blood Hunt :( would've been a great opportunity to import him to main continuity.

I don't know if anybody remembers Kibblesmith and Vecchio's ill-fated New Warriors revival, but it got scrapped somewhere between pandemic-related delays and an overwhelmingly negative response to the original characters. That said, character design is Vecchio's forte, and I personally felt like some of these kids looked too cool for their designs to be wasted on a cancelled project. My favorite, unsurprisingly, was the little gay vampire goth, so you can imagine my delight when he showed in Darkhold: Blade!

This issue was written by Kibblesmith, and a Blade story is obviously the perfect time to revive his vampire OC. Unfortunately this is an AU, and a one-shot, so I don't think there's any reason to assume that B-Negative (yeah, that's really his name) will come back again. Someday I'll pitch a Midnight Sons-style team book comprised entirely of young-adult magic and horror-themed characters, and B-Negative can hang out with Cecil, the ghost boy from Gwenpool.

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how much does editorial demand actually affect comics storywise? its feels like most people just throw it around

I wouldn't really know, I don't work for Marvel. I imagine that this is something that varies case-by-case. When you've read enough comics and spent enough time paying attention to the people who make them, you start to get a sense for how certain decisions are made, but I'm not privy to the conversations that happen behind the scenes.

Generally speaking, I don't think that authors are handed directions on what story to write, if that's what you're asking. There's planning and coordination involved, especially around events and interconnected titles, but usually, when I pick up a comic book, I feel like I can trust that the person with their name on the cover came up with the story. For example, I do think that Agatha's transformation and the Contest of Chaos event were planned by editorial for a specific purpose, but I also think that Sacks, Zagaria, Phillips, and Orlando were allowed to make their own creative choices.

There are a lot of other ways that editorial might intervene, but again, I'm just not sure what, exactly, you mean by "editorial demand."

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Do you think it's the editorial demand that restricts Orlando from executing his ideas further?

I'm not sure what you mean by "executing his ideas further." Is there a more specific way that you could phrase your question?

I have a hard time imagining that Orlando's editors would feel motivated to limit or curtail his creativity, and in fact, that sounds like the opposite of how he has described his experience writing this book. By his own account, Orlando has felt encouraged and supported trying new things with Wanda and even taking risks with plot structure and formal devices, especially in the 2023 series.

Many modern comics have pacing issues due to weird publication schedules and uncertainty, and I think that's especially evident in the back half of the 2023 series and SW&Q. Beyond that, I think that any flaws in Orlando's execution are his own, but I want to note that I think that a lot of the ideas in this series are actually executed quite well. I really don't see the flaws that so many other people seem to see. That isn't to say that I don't have any criticisms-- for example, I wish the dialogue and narration were more organic, and I wish he knew how to write a coherent finale-- but I perfectly understand everything that's going on with Wanda's characterization, powers, and expanded lore. It's confusing to me that so many people don't.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Would you prefer if each Marvel spellcaster has their own unique set of spells rather than reusing established ones that belong to other characters/realms?

I mean, I think that characters who practice different types of magic should use different spells. Wanda's spellcasting should feel very different from Doctor Strange's, but it can be similar to Agatha's, because Wanda and Agatha technically practice magic the same way. And I don't even necessarily think that they need to have a list of specific spells, either. It depends on the story, how large of a role each character has, and so forth, but there are other ways to demonstrate how a character relates to and practices magic.

A lot of the spellcaster and magician characters in Marvel comics can fundamentally do the same stuff. That, unto itself, doesn't necessarily bother me, as long as some effort is made to distinguish their methods and backgrounds. And ideally, each character should have at least one unique ability or affinity to set them apart. The cast of Strange Academy is, for the most part, a pretty good example-- the kids all come from very different backgrounds, and many of them have very unique powers. Even though they're all studying the same magic, you'd never have trouble telling them apart in a fight.

One of the things that really bothered me in Scarlet Witch (2023) is that there's very little sense of... witchiness, for lack of a better word. The evolution and articulation of Wanda's powers is really cool-- I love watching her fight-- but I find myself missing a sense of magical atmosphere. Even the Emporium is weirdly plain, and when characterizing details are added in-- like the specific spells Wanda casts, or mystical supplies and artifacts around the shop-- it kind of just feels like she's cribbing from Strange.

As the series progresses, this gets better-- I thought that Nicola and her alchemy powers were really cool, and more of Wanda's spells and magical set-dressing, like the Praxidice festival, are based in either real-world folklore, or elements of the Darkhold and the Elder Gods, which is better-suited to Wanda's background as a witch. Expanding on the Witches' Road was a nice touch, and I hope we get to see more of that soon.

[scarlet--wiccan]

I feel it’s likely you have a post about this already (unfortunately, tumblr search feature doesn’t work) but do you have any thoughts on Wanda and Agatha’s current dynamic? It really sucks (imo) that it’s changed so much because of mcu influence, but it also makes a certain amount of sense for their relationship to change in the wake of… everything. Agatha’s death and resurrection, obviously, but also Wanda’s development in terms of both skill and finesse, outgrowing the need for Agatha’s mentorship

I also can’t help but feel like they’re overdoing it with the whole morally ambiguous frenemy type characters. Matronly magicians are also a common archetype, but i don’t think marvel has any significant ones atm who aren’t like, physically under 40. But if you’re looking for an occasionally helpful but often a bit edgier hottie in a physically youngish form… well, you’ve brought up Amara before, Wanda and Loki’s current dynamic is really similar to the one she has with Agatha rn imo (just a bit more charged). There’s also like, Maddy, Nekra, Margali.. even sersei or illyana at a stretch

Agatha's rejuvenation was frustrating for all the obvious reasons, but it also felt redundant and unnecessary. Agatha had already received a bit of a makeover in Scarlet Witch (2016), and she appeared slightly younger after regaining her body. I've been assuming this whole time that her resurrection just knocked a few years off for good measure. I understand the desire to make her less of an archetypical crone, but she doesn't need to be totally young again-- and honestly, it's not even a good design.

I wouldn't mind as much if it meant that Agatha could become a more active, present character, but it doesn't feel like that's the case. Pigeonholing her as an antagonist makes it harder for her to play any of her usual roles-- mentor, teacher, arbiter-- without conflict. Contest of Chaos was mostly underwhelming, and there's been no real payoff for the finale. But I enjoyed learning more about her past, and I'm glad that Orlando is investing the time in Scarlet Witch to give her new settings and characters to play with, and maintaining her primary motives-- fostering young magical talent; maintaining what she perceives to be the natural balance and laws of magic; and safeguarding Wanda, whether she likes it or not.

Given the direction they're working with, I think Orlando and Phillips do a remarkably good job navigating Agatha's relationship with Wanda. As you noted, the tension between them in the Scarlet Witch Annual felt natural. As Wanda re-negotiates her relationship with power, she must also renegotiate her boundaries with some of her closest friends and family. I don't always love the impetus, but the progression feels natural-- with both Pietro and Agatha, she becomes high-handed, overstepping boundaries and acting like she knows best. It's how they've both treated her in the past, and the fact that she mimics this behavior now that she has the upper hand in these relationships is a compelling flaw. She grows past it, and through it all, it's clear that these people still care for and respect each other.

As for Agatha, I completely understand her logic and actions in Contest of Chaos, I just wish that the contest itself hadn't made her seem like such a mustache-twirling villain. I think that's done more damage to her character than any conflict with Wanda-- like I said, there's still a clear sense of compassion and respect between them. Even when Wanda feels hurt and betrayed in CoC, she wants to protect Agatha and understand her choices.

The current arc of Scarlet Witch clearly has something to say about Agatha. I'm not sure what, yet, but she's making moves behind the scenes, and #7 was, largely, about Wanda and Nicholas hashing out their experiences with having Agatha as a mentor and mother-- and how Wanda feels about herself in those roles. However things shake out, moments like this give me hope that they'll be able to settle their differences.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Scarlet Witch | Marvel Rivals Season One

[scarlet--wiccan]

In Scarlet Witch (1994), it was established that each universe's nexus being is different from one another and personifies the unique essence of their respective universe. Although they can be similar, no two beings can be identical. Hence, Lore's Necromancy and other powers such as Geomancy, Sorcery, Psychometry, etc. Do you find this part most interesting? The idea that there might be other Nexus Beings that look like Wanda but don't share the same power as her?

I think it's an interesting concept that with a lot of fun potential, but unfortunately, it doesn't really work in the grand scheme of things. You can't define all magic in a given universe by single type, and no other depictions of the multiverse attempt to follow this principle. As a writer, I have no idea how I would reconcile this obscure bit of isolated worldbuilding against the rest of the entire Marvel canon-- so honestly, I can't blame Orlando for choosing to side-step it instead. He does so in a way that doesn't raise glaring contradictions, which I appreciate, and replaces it with a new context that I think is more functional in the long run.

In theory, Wanda's hex power and Lore's necromancy both work as reality-defining principles of magic, and they provide an exciting contrast-- you have one world where magic is expansive and anything is possible, and another where magic is consumptive and reality is doomed to death and destruction. Even in the new context where nexus beings are agents of change, chosen by the Queen of Nevers, they still work as compelling foils. Wanda is the ultimate nexus, and Lore, her darkest reflection, is... well, the opposite. But I'm not sure if those other examples are as effective-- what does a universe governed by psychometry look like? Isn't "sorcery" a little too vague? It's a fun idea, but it doesn't necessarily hold up under inspection.

Some of the other nexus beings in Scarlet Witch (1994) are definitely different people, but it was implied that there might have been other versions of Wanda besides Lore. To my knowledge, this series predates the notion of the "multiverse" and "variants" as we know them. In contemporary comics, most variants of Wanda have similar powers, but I don't believe any of them are named as nexus beings, and in Scarlet Witch (2024), however, the Queen of Nevers indicates that Lore is the only other Wanda variant to be chosen-- "you have a twin, as only one other nexus did... until she killed hers." If Lore is Wanda, she must have had a Pietro, so I assume this was about her.

Lore, whose magic is described as "necromancy," drains power from the people she kills and worlds she destroys. Interestingly, Marvel Tarot defines "necromantic magic" as "drawing on the potent energies generated by the termination of lesser energies, i.e. human sacrifice"-- and it also states that this form of magic originates from the Darkhold, and by extension, Chthon. So, if Lore's powers are the same as what's being described here, we can imagine that her origins are identical to Wanda's, except that her Chthon-given chaos magic manifests as necromancy, rather than hexes. If you want to get really granular, you could chalk it up to a difference in how Chthon altered her "mutation."

I like this interpretation because it justifies the variance in their powers and diametric opposition as nexus beings in a way that's meaningful to both characters, but again, it doesn't account for the larger system that was portrayed in the '94 miniseries. Personally, I'm comfortable leaving that behind, but I understand why some people are bothered by this sort of soft-retcon. For me, this works better and it opens up more potential stories for Wanda and Lore, which is my priority.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Has Billy ever met Jericho properly, not just in passing?

I wonder if you still have to get the approval of the kids when you're dating a single parent whose kids are grown up... Like. You know how with teenagers and under, single parents will try to slowly integrate their new SO into family stuff? I can't imagine how that might go for superhero families, especially ones like the Maximoffs.

Covered this in an older post, and unfortunately, the situation has not developed since then. Billy's been in team-ups with Jericho, but they've never had a conversation on page, and Billy is not as closely associated with the magic community-- which has increasingly been portrayed as a pretty tight-knit scene-- since moving to outer space.

I certainly don't think any of Wanda's potential partners would need to seek her children's approval, but Billy and Tommy are an important part of her life and anyone she's serious about would have to get to know them at some point. In the linked post, I suggested that Tommy would be the more wary of the twins, as he's pretty cagey about family and trust. In the most recent issue of Scarlet Witch, however, he was surprisingly quick to embrace Amaranth-- literally. He's come a long way from being Mr. "I don't have feelings and I don't hold hands." It's nice to see.

[scarlet--wiccan]

An unintended side effect of the tiktok ban is that i'm trying to dig up receipts on someone and a huge swath of their internet footprint is no longer accessible lmao