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[scarlet--wiccan]

Is the villain (wizard’s angel) in SWQS the same as the one (the undone) in Captain Marvel rn? They look very similar but idk if I’m jumping to conclusions (or it’s been stated outright they’re the same, I do not know)

The whole pursuit of entropy aspect of SWQS’s villain is interesting and lines up with Undone’s consumption of worlds I think

It's been heavily, heavily implied, and all by explicitly confirmed, that the "angel" in SW&Q is a character called the Griever at the End of All Things. The "angel"'s silhouette matches up perfectly with the Griever's distinct headpiece, her speech bubbles are stylized in a very distinct fashion that matches the Griever's previous appearances, and an image of Wanda facing off against a clearly-visible Griever was featured in a teaser montage in last year's edition of Timeless.

For some reason, Orlando, et al, are doing their best to draw out the suspense and act like readers haven't already figured out who she is, but people were clocking her from the silhouette months ago.

The Griever was introduced as a recurring villain in Fantastic Four (2018). She's an abstract entity, closely related to Eternity and the Never Queen, who will also appear in Scarlet Witch (2024). The Griever represents the eventual, natural end of the multiverse, which is part of a larger cycle that's been established where the multiverse is continually destroyed and renewed.

So, she's not exactly pursuing entropy-- her main goal is to make sure that the world ends when and how it's supposed, which is not for a very long time. That means protecting natural forces, like entropy, and confronting people whose powers threaten to throw off her timeline. In Fantastic Four, she came after Franklin Richards because he was running around creating new realities. Wanda's recent actions with Chthon and the Darkhold, as well as newfound power over chaos magic, similarly threaten the precise order that the Griever wishes to uphold.

The Undone is, as far as we know, a distinct, separate, character-- but I will admit that the similarities are striking. She speaks and acts in a very similar fashion, but while the Griever has a very specific, singular goal, the Undone's main purpose appears to be consuming worlds and energy for consumption's sake. She seems to reside in the Negative Zone, while the Griever, presumably, spends most of her time in Overspace. The Undone's origins are a mystery-- we don't know if she's an abstract entity or something else, but if I had to guess, I'd say she's probably connected to the Negative Zone itself.

[scarlet--wiccan]

After knowing about how Kamala's death was actually a Kevin Feige push, maybe Lore's redesign is Orlando and Dauterman's way of compromise with M C U synergy without affecting Wanda?

Doubtful. That's not really how it works. When we talk about synergy, we're usually talking about one of two things-- characters getting new solo titles/being featured more often, in order to capitalize on the increased buzz around their names; or editorial interventions that bring the characters more in line with their film counterparts.

Wanda's had both of those things. Both her solo title in 2015/2016 and the current arc, starting with Darkhold and ToM, coincided with major moments for her M C U counterpart-- her debut in Age of Ultron & Civil War, and then more recently, her starring turn in Wanda//Vision and MoM. We had a very obvious case of editorial intervention with the retcon which changed her and Pietro's backstory to divorce them from the X-Men IP, which is kind of the opposite of what happened with Kamala.

But to my knowledge-- and I obviously don't work for the company, so this is just speculation-- nobody is pushing for 616 Wanda to look or act more like M C U Wanda. This is not a situation like how Bucky needed to revert to an outdated costume and character treatment to suit the image that had been popularized by the movies. It's actually more like how Loki had to be reinvented to support the more attractive, sympathetic conception of the character that people had come to expect from the movies. It's complicated-- Wanda got pushed in a wildly different direction and because the movies needed her to be a fundamentally different character, but the character she became in the comics is really nothing like her movie counterpart.

Fortunately, in the case of both Wanda and Loki, the writers were given the freedom to actually create something.... actually good, that ended up being a lot more inclusive and authentic than what the movies were doing.

[scarlet--wiccan]

AIPT just published Scarlet Witch (2024) #1 inked page previews and a short interview with Steve Orlando.

I'm very impressed with Camagno's draftsmanship here-- I think there is a fluidity and clear imagining of the dynamic, magical elements at play that Tametta's work sometimes lacks. I'm particularly charmed by Wanda's magic hair, which is an effect that very few artists have managed to nail, so far.

[scarlet--wiccan]

After knowing about how Kamala's death was actually a Kevin Feige push, maybe Lore's redesign is Orlando and Dauterman's way of compromise with M C U synergy without affecting Wanda?

Doubtful. That's not really how it works. When we talk about synergy, we're usually talking about one of two things-- characters getting new solo titles/being featured more often, in order to capitalize on the increased buzz around their names; or editorial interventions that bring the characters more in line with their film counterparts.

Wanda's had both of those things. Both her solo title in 2015/2016 and the current arc, starting with Darkhold and ToM, coincided with major moments for her M C U counterpart-- her debut in Age of Ultron & Civil War, and then more recently, her starring turn in Wanda//Vision and MoM. We had a very obvious case of editorial intervention with the retcon which changed her and Pietro's backstory to divorce them from the X-Men IP, which is kind of the opposite of what happened with Kamala.

But to my knowledge-- and I obviously don't work for the company, so this is just speculation-- nobody is pushing for 616 Wanda to look or act more like M C U Wanda. This is not a situation like how Bucky needed to revert to an outdated costume and character treatment to suit the image that had been popularized by the movies. It's actually more like how Loki had to be reinvented to support the more attractive, sympathetic conception of the character that people had come to expect from the movies. It's complicated-- Wanda got pushed in a wildly different direction and because the movies needed her to be a fundamentally different character, but the character she became in the comics is really nothing like her movie counterpart.

Fortunately, in the case of both Wanda and Loki, the writers were given the freedom to actually create something.... actually good, that ended up being a lot more inclusive and authentic than what the movies were doing.

[scarlet--wiccan]

or maybe she just looks like kate kane....

[scarlet--wiccan]

Unfortunately, with Dauterman having previously taken inspiration from you-know-who for Wanda’s costume and him seemingly liking you-know-who, I don’t think it’s irony……

Yeah, but I do think there's something really funny about him choosing to reference/pay homage to M C U Wanda by projecting her aesthetics onto a version of the character that's an explicitly evil fucked-up corpse lady who is, literally, white-- as in, Mr. Sinister chalk white.

I don't really know what Dauterman's deal is. He and Orlando are very committed to depicting the twins as visible people of color, and he's responded positively to messages and comments, mine included, about Romani representation. I believe these people when they say that they care about this and understand the importance. On the other hand, I can also see them both demonstrating the cognitive dissonance of "I can understand these concepts but also enjoy the movie version as a separate thing," which I don't really agree with.

This may sound hypocritical, but I'm not really willing to push the issue too hard in this instance because they're still.... doing the right thing and making a meaningful, material change in the way this character is depicted. If I'm going to start discourse with or about either Dauterman or Orlando, it's going to be about opening the door for Romani co-writers/consultants/guest artists, etc. I'm trying to think a little more tactically, I guess.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Technically speaking, Wanda is also a New Jersey divorcée.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Scarlet Witch + Wiccan phone wallpapers

illust. Peach Momoko, fan edit/re-color @scarlet--wiccan

plz reblog if you use/safe; M C U fans DNI

[scarlet--wiccan]

America Chavez by Claire Roe

[scarlet--wiccan]

LORE IS BACK THIS IS NOT A DRILL LORE IS BACK!!!!!!!!!

It would be so fucking cool if you would provide.... literally any context for this. Fortunately, I'd already seen the news!

Marvel.com just posted a teaser for Scarlet Witch (2024) #3, which will be on sale 8/21 and will feature the return of Lore, a malevolent nexus being who Wanda defeated in Scarlet Witch (1995)-- and she's got a brand new look from Russel Dauterman! According the announcement, Wanda will be fighting to "reach the land of the living," and will be waylaid by Lore, who " won’t stop until her death at Wanda’s hands is avenged—but another one of Wanda’s nemeses may hold the key to her survival! "

That wording is interesting-- we know that in #2 Wanda will be trapped somewhere, apparently at the hands of the Queen of Nevers. This makes it sound like she's going to end up in some sort of afterlife, where she'll encounter the deceased Lore. The thing is, Lore is a necromancer, and has actually turned up in the land of the living since her apparent demise-- she was in a short run of Avengers Unlimited last year.

Here's Dauterman's cover, along with a variant by Joelle Jones, one of my favorite illustrators from the 2016 Scarlet Witch series.

[It's not lost on me that, between the red hair and the costume, Lore's new design has a striking resemblance to you-know-who. I'm choosing to believe that this was intentional irony. }

If I had to guess, the "other nemesis" in question may be Master Pandemonium, the demonic sorcerer and former servant of Mephisto who was responsible for destroying Wanda's babies back in Avengers West Coast. He and Lore have teamed up twice now, but Pandemonium has a habit of getting screwed over by his allies and sponsors. After SW (1995), he was reduced to a mostly powerless, clearly disabled old man who, for years, was squatting in Wanda and Vision's abandoned New Jersey home. More recently, Wanda's adult son, Tommy, has become his friend and caretaker. He's primed to come back in a more sympathetic role, if not a full-on redemption-- and Wanda is in the right place now to understand that Pandemonium was as much of a pawn and victim and she was. She doesn't owe him forgiveness, but reaching a resolution with Pandemonium would compliment all of her recent growth and healing nicely.

[scarlet--wiccan]

wait that's a lie i lowkey did not like the story Williams wrote for Voices: Pride last year, mostly bc i felt like there was completely uncalled for copaganda that could have been very easily avoided. So that was fucked up for me, but that's the only blemish on her record afaik

[scarlet--wiccan]

What do you think of Stephanie Williams as a writer for Wanda?

I loved the back-up story she wrote for Scarlet Witch #2. You know I'm picky about how writers handle magic, and I felt that Williams, even in such limited page time, showed that she has good instincts when it comes to demonstrating the logic, rhythm, and execution of magic, which is something a lot of comics-- even comics about spellcaster heroes like Wanda-- are missing. The other thing that stood out to me was that Williams had a clear interest in exploring heritage and ancestry as an important part of how characters like Wanda or Storm come into their magical powers, so I appreciate that a lot.

I don't think I've read much of Williams' work, but I believe I've enjoyed everything that I have read. She did that little Wolverine family story on Unlimited that, if nothing else, proves she can write a fun, but deeply messy, family dynamic, which is... definitely a plus, for Wanda. I think her largest body of work for superhero comics is probably Nubia, which I unfortunately haven't read because I am not Wonder Woman reader-- something I would like to correct, if anyone has recommendations! I imagine that a book like Nubia would tell me a lot about Williams' ability to do fantasy worldbuilding and carry a story about complex female characters-- and from everything I've heard, it's quite good in both of those areas. So, yeah, I think I'd like to see her work with Wanda again.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Do you have any favorite aus for Wanda (referring to the official canon aus in marvel, I mean). I feel like she often draws the short end of the stick when it comes to them. Which is kind of understandable at times (obviously not every character can feature prominently in every au) but with so many bad/offensive ones, I’m wondering if there are any worthwhile ones

I don't really, and you're right-- Wanda doesn't have very many cool or interesting alternate universe counterparts. She shows up in plenty of alternate worlds and timelines because she's a very prominent character, but she's also primarily an ensemble character, so she usually shows up as part of the Avengers or Brotherhood. Most versions of her are visually very similar to Earth-616, and usually less well-developed.

The ones that are more differentiated and unique unfortunately... kind of suck, like Ultimates, Noir, and, most famously, House of M. Sometimes, the adaptational choices are racist or just make me uncomfortable, like 1602, and weirdly enough, she has a tendency to turn up dead in a lot of alternate universes. Wanda, since at least the late 80s, has been a character who tends to attract tragedy, and there are a lot of writers who approach her with a specific sort of misogyny. I think of her sometimes like the Ophelia of Marvel comics.

I keep going over the list of alternate universe Wandas on the Marvel wiki, trying even one version that I actually like, and has enough page-time to be worth recommending. And I hate to say it, but I keep coming up short. I think my recommendation for now going to be Momiji from Peach Momoko's Demon Wars.

[scarlet--wiccan]

The Goddess of Stories

& the scanned line art version

First time that I realized convert brightness to opacity was a thing (is an idiot)

[scarlet--wiccan]

At time of posting, this Kickstarter has $68,030 in pledges. At 383 backers, that's an average of $177 per person, and the numbers are continuing to climb as I type this.

I'm backing this Kickstarter. I want this book. But I am painfully reminded, looking at this readout, of all of the countless Palestinian fundraisers that are struggling to make even a fraction of the money they need to get themselves and their families out of danger.

So, I've said it before, and I'll say it again-- and I'm sorry for hijacking a post, but I know it'll get more traction this way-- if you have money for comics, art, video games, whatever, you have money for donations. And I think if the media you're spending money on is generating revenue for companies that are in any way complicit or entangled with the structures of imperialism and genocide, then you're morally obligated.

Here are two links to fundraiser masterposts. Pick one. Pick several! If ya'll got $75-100 to drop on an art book (and I am so excited to get this in my hands) , you got $75-100 to help a family survive a war.

THE MARVEL ART OF RUSSELL DAUTERMAN is available NOW on Kickstarter! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 Head here to preorder the book, help support the project, and get bonus merch!

A hardcover art book from Clover Press and Marvel, 216 pages, 9 x 12" — filled with designs, covers, interior art, process, commentary, and more from my decade at Marvel. Available as the standard hardcover, with slipcase, reversible dust jacket, and signed.

And! We’ve been working on a bunch of extras, available through Kickstarter:

✨X-MEN trading cards!! ❌ Set of 40 cards, 2 x 3”

✨X-MEN ’97 poster, 24 x 36”

✨HELLFIRE GALA poster, 24 x 36”

✨stickers!

✨11 x 17” prints for X-MEN HEADSHOTS, X-MEN LEGENDS, SCARLET WITCH, JEAN GREY + EMMA FROST, STORM SKI CHALET, THE MIGHTY THOR, SPIDEY + MJ, EMMA FROST, and MARVEL ART OF RD

✨WOMEN OF MARVEL puzzle

✨limited number of original art remarques

I’m beyond thrilled about this project — I really hope you enjoy it!

[scarlet--wiccan]

Just finished this week's double release of Rise and Forever. If things go the way they're headed and [SPOILER] the vast bulk of civilian mutants are going to be lost to the White Hot Room so that From The Ashes can launch with mutants as a scattered minority at critically low numbers-- hated, feared, hunted, more vulnerable than ever, etc.-- then I NEVER, and I mean NEVER, want to hear shit from anybody about the Decimation ever again.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver (2024) #2

This is a fun, and very timely, deep-cut. Don't ask me what a "vampiric firebolt" is supposed to be, but vampires, in the Marvel world, were actually created in pre-cataclysmic Atlantis. The first vampire, Varnae, was created by an Atlantean Darkhold cult.

I mentioned this before, but vampires, along with other "monsters" like werewolves, have deep historical connections to the Darkhold. I'm hoping that the upcoming Blood Hunt event will do something with those connections, since Wanda is going to a prominent character. It's nice to see Orlando making this reference ahead of such a major vampire-centric event.