#romani wanda is a need

[prettyevermores]

one of mcu wanda’s romani outfits to date

[vjestyca]

WANDA MAXIMOFF FANCAST    * bc nobody should be using el*zabeth olsen for wanda anymore.      here’s 8 of the many romani options out there. pick one. 

alina serban  /  franciska farkas  /  mihaela dragan  /  alba flores  /  gratiela brancusi  /  katalin barsony  /  taisiya schumacher  /  doinita oancea 

[illyanapryde]

Ok I’ve rediscovered TikTok recently after a long hiatus and I somehow ended up in a small corner where it’s just Elizabeth Olsen stans saying that Mihaela Dragan wore box braids once and therefore is the most evil wicked racist person in the world and for that reason, “Lizzie” is the best actress for Wanda and everyone else can go home

[immortalarizona]

“They say looks can kill, and I might try.” — Taylor Swift, “Vigilante Shit”

an outfit for my beloved Wanda if she ends up going to the 2024 Hellfire Gala (if there is one at all tbh)!! I wasn't personally a fan of her 2023 look, so I decided to try my hand at designing a look of my own despite knowing jack shit about fashion. design breakdown, inspiration photos, and just general rambling under the cut :)

main inspo:

top row: left by REEM ACRA, right by unknown

middle row: sketches by Kevin Wada

bottom row: garments by Zita Moldovan (website)

--

hehe, this is the part where I ramble about my design process!! I will confess, it took me four full sketches before I finally managed to purge the "high fantasy fairy queen dress" brainrot from my mind and arrive at a concept that actually felt like Wanda. given that as of her 2023 solo run, she's a self-employed business owner, a twist on a suit felt appropriate!! it's elegant, it's dramatic, it's sexy, it's powerful, and it's also a garment that, like, real people could wear?? which, I know this is a comic book and she also has magic, but, like. girl deserves a fit that's also reasonably comfortable. girl deserves pockets (I didn't showcase them, but the pants absolutely have humongous magic pockets.) talking fabric, I will confess that I really don't know much, but I picture the red fabric being pretty thick silk and the black fabric possibly being velvet? the shoes are beaded pretty much all over with the same crystal material as the crown.

as I continued to refine my concept, I looked to Kevin Wada's 2015 redesign for Wanda's last solo run for more inspiration. that's how I arrived at concepts such as the use of beaded accessories, floral embroidery, and especially the plunging neckline. I also knew I wanted to pay homage to Wanda's heritage without being stereotypical, so I decided to look to Zita Moldovan, a Romani designer whose site is linked above, to see how she incorporated her culture into her work. (as an aside, there's this other dress from her Romany Dreams collection that I would LOVE to draw Wanda in at some point, but that was not this project. maybe soon.) the dress I included in my (very, very trimmed down) inspo board was my primary reference as I drew the pattern for the pant part of the pantsuit. (I attempted multiple versions where the pattern was in color, but it wound up looking really muddy, so I opted for the slightly more subtle version you see here.) the pose for the final piece doesn't showcase the epaulette well (or the crown pin, which was another reference to the Kevin Wada design), so here's a bonus sketch that came out of the "design" part of this whole project that shows them both better:

anyone who has followed my art knows that I generally draw my Wanda with a high ponytail, but I decided to spice things up and draw her with a half-up like she has circa Uncanny Avengers #27 (this is when she and Jericho are being so very sweet together). the golden hoop earrings are another thing I carried over from my general Wanda design, and the makeup is just a quick thing I came up with on the fly. it's not the spiciest, I know, but I decided there was enough going on elsewhere that she didn't need a crazy makeup look as well. the full-finger ring is specifically a reference to her very first appearance in X-Men #4, where she calls upon her power by pointing her right index finger. I thought it would be cool to accentuate that finger as a result!!

and there you have it--a tribute to Kevin Wada and Zita Moldovan from an artist who knows nothing about fashion but does have severe enough blorbo brainrot to attempt to design an outfit regardless :D

shoutout to @jookpubstock for once again enabling my shenanigans :)

[scarlet--wiccan]

There are people on social media arguing that Wanda while Wanda and Pietro are Romani, they are white Romani and so people calling out the lighting of their skin tones are just "tokenising" or "fetishing" them. Is there any truth in this? Or is are these people just trying to say anything they can to argue the twins are white?

These arguments are completely baseless, and they are not being made in good faith. "White Romani" is an oxymoron. I don't believe that anybody actually identifies that way, and anyone who understands the history and circumstances of the Romani community should understand why it is an inaccurate and unproductive way to articulate the identities of mixed-race and/or white-presenting Romani people. You can be a white-presenting Romani person, or a white person of Romani heritage, but at the end of the day, we are talking about a racialized community that is not, and has never been, of white ethnic origin. That is a hard fact, and it is not up for debate.

I am a white-presenting person of Romani descent, and I don't feel the need to be prioritized above Romani people of color-- and I can tell you right now that the folks who're crying out "what about the white Roma" are not actually advocating for people like me. We could have a conversation about the diversity of experiences and identities within this community, and what it means to occupy different positions of proximity and privilege, but that's not what's happening here. There are other characters who are more well-suited than Wanda and Pietro to explore those subjects, but that's not what they want to talk about.

Because I have critical thinking skills and I understand history, I am able to recognize the modalities of anti-Romani racism in Western art and pop culture. The broad whitewashing of the Romani population-- by which I mean representing the entire community as virtually indistinguishable from white Europeans-- is a pervasive and harmful pattern which erases our history and origins, thus obscuring the racial element of our treatment by the white Western majority. That is what has been happening in American superhero media for the last 60 years, so when people in this fandom, including actual Roma, push for more inclusive representation, that is what we are trying to combat. Specifically, with Wanda and Pietro, we are pushing back as a direct reaction to the active whitewashing in the movies.

To be clear, the objectification of darker-skinned Romani people/characters is also a pervasive issue in media. When we look back at Western art history, "gypsies" are often the exploited subjects of orientalist works, and you can see those particular tropes and signifiers carrying over in things like Disney's Hunchback, and every Esmeralda archetype that's followed. This does happen in comics, but it often manifests as a distinct form of colorism-- the more exotic, morally dubious, or overtly mystical a character is, the more likely they are to have ethnic features, while the heroes and innocents are more often given fair skin and light hair or eyes. Amanda Sefton and Meggan Puceanu are prime examples.

There are ignorant, but typically well-meaning, people in this fandom who sometimes play into those tropes, and Marvel itself tends to be very tokenistic with Black and brown characters, so the representation is never going to be perfect. But this change is happening for a very good reason, and I believe that it is a net positive.

[fancylala4]

I didn’t know that Rita was a Romani person but I did know that she was forced to go through painful procedures like rising her hairline because she looked “too ethnic” and needed to fit the old Hollywood beauty standards.

I thought this was common knowledge but Wendy stans are probably too racist or too stupid to know that this these sorts of things happened in old Hollywood. Also, the fact of the matter here is that Rita is actually a Romani woman just like Wanda is supposed to be, not whitewashed like that trash ass mcu version. The artist is still in the right here.

[black-is-beautiful18]

Elizabeth Olsen needs to be so fr. Like I want Scarlet Witch to be a mutant too but she’s been disrespectful and so has Marvel. Casting a white woman as a WOC will never not be wild, but now that there are talks about bringing the X-Men into the MCU there should be changes made. Meaning that an actual Romani actress should play Wanda, cuz I don’t believe she’s dead, and they should be more respectful of Romani culture. Cuz this is literally Wanda and you want me to believe, whether the MCU be in a different universe or not, that she’s white??? Like there are white Romani ppl but they ain’t even make her Romani. They made up a country and just went with it. Meanwhile, this is the Wanda that actually is a mutant and is actually Romani. Like it’s not hard to do this.

[munchkinmarauder]

Am I the only person that would prefer Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to just be an ongoing rather than get another Scarlet Witch solo?

I know this is a foregone conclusion but honestly that makes more sense as the scarlet witch solo is just continuing the story from Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and honestly having Pietro as a co-lead has really given the little thing Orlandos previous scarlet witch series was missing.

I'm not trying to take away from Orlando's first Scarlet Witch run cause he did loads of good things with Wanda but like I said it now feels a missing piece has slotted into space and the books are more fun as a result. We have a character that Wanda can truely bounce off of and challenges her. Brings out aspects of her character that makes her more rounds. Something Orlando has tried but not really succeeded to do with Darcy cause that relationship and history just isn't there.

On Pietro's end it has been really good to see him use his powers in really creative ways and be allowed to be fun and powerful. Pietro is a character that shines when allpwed to bounce off other characters and this series is definitely doing him favours despite a rocky start. Also as fun as he has been we need a proper arc for him cause I'm not exactly sure what his arc is (Wanda's is that she needs people and that it's not for her to make certain decisions on others behalf) but it feels like he hasn't been given a clear one cause editorial is happy to shaft him.

Also in general it would be nice to keep the story focused. I do think the next Scarlet Witch solo is gonna have a lot more Pietro given Orlando has mentioned several times how much he enjoys writing Pietro and Pietro is a threat to the Giver as well but it seems we're going back to the episodic storytelling of the first Scarlet Witch run which is a shame cause were loosing all momentum and Orlando didn't particularly pace that one well.

Also I can't believe the sheer audacity of the annon to tell a Romani creator that Wanda's Romani heritage doesn't matter - ScarletWiccan I am very sorry you had to deal with that.

[thetimelordbatgirl]

"We should really be honoring the source material." Ah yes. Because obviously when it comes to source material that includes shitty storylines such as House of M (lord knows Marvel itself won't let that storyline go, let alone the MCU), they need to be honored. But the character being Romani and Jewish??? Apparently that cannot be honored by the MCU who decided whitewashing and a catholic cross in her room in Civil War is better! And hey, lets not forget the middle finger the MCU did to the comics version of Wanda when having her and her brother join Hydra, aka Nazi's!

But hey, at least the MCU honored shitty storylines in the comics just so they could have Wanda take a town hostage so she can play SIMs with her toaster husband and made up children and only give it up cause she had no choice, act like she's a hero at the end, only to then randomly turn evil cause she still isn't over the toaster husband and her made up children, so she decides to hunt down another child just to kill said child for her powers (because even when Wong points out she could just ask America to send her to the boys, Wanda says, "what if my boys get sick", so she straight up wants to kill a child no matter what) so she can go and find these kids real life versions, kill their Wanda and kidnap them basically!

Just...what the actual fuck is this bullshit. "Honoring the source material" my fucking ass.

[p-taryn-dactyl]

Kate Bishop x Reader! Maximoff. Reader was an experiment with Wanda and Pietro and she has the power to manipulate elements, but reader didn't escape with them when the Avengers attack a Hydra base they discover you're alive.

a/n: hi! I’m sorry this is so late but i tried my best! Thanks for the request! warning(s): hydra; timeline issues; i don’t really know how good i can write the maximoff siblings so I apologize if anyone is ooc; use of google translate, scandalous i know word count: 1.3k tag list: @coolbeans32 pairing(s): Kate bishop x fem!Maximoff!reader; wanda x sister!reader; pietro x sister!reader (even though he’s, uh, ded) ( A/N: just so everyone knows i write, or at least do my best, to represent Wanda and Pietro as Romani Jewish as that is their ethnicity in the comics, so for this prompt, I’m sorry, but i made it to where Y/N was taken by hydra bc of her power, still keeping the discovery of her being alive though. Idk how it works with age of ultron but in this AU Wanda and Pietro never joined hydra. I’m sorry if this is disappointing to anyone but this is important to me.)

Coming Home

Nothing made sense anymore. Not after the long nights spent in a cage, only ever leaving so the scientists could run tests. You didn’t know how long it had been. Day, months, years, you had no clue. Time faded into irrelevance with each passing second.

You sat in the corner of your cell, your hand pressed flat against the metal floor, willing it to bend. As per usual, you were expecting nothing to happen. But today, the walls shook. You shot upward, standing on your feet in an instant. After a few seconds, you realized you weren't the cause of the shaking. Someone was attacking the base.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

With every blast of power she sent at the walls, Wanda couldn't shake the feeling gripping at her gut. Like something was going to happen, something important. She landed on the ground, her mind searching out, reaching for someone she knew couldn't possibly be there. The sound of repulsor blasts startled her out of concentration.

"Hey Red you good?" Tony asked, stepping over the fallen Hydra agent he had blasted. Wanda nodded, not convincingly.

"There's a heat signature a few halls down. I sent the small hawk to go check it out but, I thought you should know."

Wanda scrunched her eyebrows, confused. Without elaboration, Tony flew off into the air to fight the war drones that were causing havoc on the other side of the base. Wanda shook her head at Iron Man’s antics but made her way to the location Tony had pinged her a second after he left. 

—————————————————————————————————

Your prison walls were crumbling as you punched at the force field keeping you caged in. The down side of your powers. You screamed in frustration and fear as other tremor went through the hall, threatening the foundations. Taking a step back, you ran your fingers through your tangled hair, tears forming in your eyes. But before they could fall, a voice spoke out.

“Hey, do you need help? Wait, that was dumb, sorry, lemme just-”

You turned towards the voice, where a girl about your age stood, a purple archers suit standing out against the grey walls of your prison. She cocked an arrow and fear shot through your spine. Was she about to shoot you? Is this how you die? The archer must’ve seen the conflict in your eyes because she was quick to explain.

“Oh no, no, no! Um, this arrow has a negative electric charge which should cancel out the positive charges running through the field.”

She continued after you stared at her, confused.

“It’s going to take the field down. I’m here to help!” She straightened her back at the last part, attempting to make herself look heroic. She took a step forward, into a stream of light, and you could properly see her. Your eyes widened when you saw the concentration on her face, your heart skipping a beat. Internally, you scolded yourself.

Y/N, you will not develop a crush on the first girl you see!

After the archer shot her arrow, eliminating your containment, she did a little victory dance and you found the warning you gave yourself fading away.

Hesitantly, you stepped out of your cell, taking a deep breath once you felt the call of the earth and the wind. Her arrow must’ve knocked out the power dampeners around your cell. She held out a hand.

“I’m Kate Bishop,” she smiled at you and you felt warmth gather on your cheeks. You took a step forward but stumbled over debris, causing her to catch you.

“Y/N,” you said, stuttering out your name, “Y/N Maximoff.”

Kate’s eyebrows rose in recognition, a blush on her cheeks as well. A few moments passed, silence stretching between you. After the base shook again, Kate snapped out of it, wrapping an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to her. Now you were very flustered.

You watched as she shot an arrow above you, into a hole in the ceiling.

“The exits on this floor caved in, this is the only way out.” With that, you felt yourself lifting in the air. Yelping, you wrapped your arms around Kates neck, the young archers eyes widening as a blush erupted on her cheeks.

Once you were on the next level, you realized how close you were to Kate, giggling awkwardly as you scooted away from her. You were about to thank the archer when a voice spoke out.

“Y/N?” The voice was shaky with fear but you would recognize it anywhere. Spinning around, you were met with the sight of your sister, hovering, her dark brown hair forming a halo around her. You felt her magic feel around your mind, not intrusive, but checking to see if this wasn’t a trick. With a cry, she lowered to the ground and ran to you, wrapping her arms around you. You returned the hug, tears streaming down your face.

“oh moja sestro,” Wanda cried over and over, leaning back to look at you. Her eyes hardened once she saw your state, bruises covering your body.

“I’m going to kill them.” She growled out, not noticing Kate awkwardly standing behind you, taking great interest in the floor. You shook your head, something dark forming in your mind.

“Don’t take that honor from me.”

Wanda chuckled a bit before hesitantly letting you go, noticing Kate.

Kate waved before heading off to where the rest of the team was. Wanda raised an eyebrow before turning towards you, her eyes widening playfully when she saw you watching Kate leave, a blush staining your cheeks. She bumped your shoulder with hers, making you glare at her.

“ućuti.” You mumbled, walking away as Wanda laughed.

Once you were outside the base, you saw Kate and the Avengers all lined up, waiting for you. Wanda walked out behind you.

“Well then, let’s send these fascists to hell.” Tony Stark said, raising his arm, where a missile would fly out to destroy the place you were imprisoned in for years. While you were still getting over the fact the Iron Man was talking to you and the fact you were standing with the Avengers, you processed what he said.

“Wait!” You called out, making the genius pause, opening his faceplate.

“Do you not want me to? ‘Cause I won’t. Your sister scares me.” He muttered the last part, making you laugh a little. You shook your head.

“I didn’t say that.”

Captain America sent you a confused look, practically scratching his head.

You faced the base, closing your eyes in concentration. With a roar, the earth below you came alive, turning rocks into mud with the amount of force you were sending out. In a matter of seconds, the base was completely destroyed. You sent a gust of wind to keep the dust and debris from getting in your eyes. Finally, you called on water from the ground to rise. Soon, where the Hydra base once stood, was a glistening clear lake, it’s water reflecting the sun peacefully.

“Okay, that was both terrifying and awesome at the same time. I’mma make you a suit.” Tony seemed to talk to himself before speaking to the group.

“Alright, back to the ship.”

As you walked with the group, Kate totally subtle, migrated over to you.

“So…elemental control huh?”

You laughed at her awkwardness, playfully bumping her shoulder. You nodded.

“So…archery huh?”

Kate laughed at your response, brushing hair behind her ear. You both talked and laughed on the way back to the jet, your mutual crushes growing.

Wanda trailed behind you, along with Natasha. The two shared a look before smiling.

She was worried about you, of course she was, you were captured, probably tortured for years, but looking at the scene in front of her, watching you and Kate flirt, she knew you would be okay.

a/n: thank you for reading! I’m sorry if this is a let down but i am up to a second part of this if anyone is interested!! (I probably will write one bc i want to dive into the sisterly dynamic between Wanda and Y/N and the romantic relationship between Y/N and Kate) have a great day/night!!

[alatabouleau]

You know, I was always theoretically aware that whitewashing was a problem, but it never occured to me to how many examples i'm completely oblivious.

So, I just learned through a YouTube video by a Romani person ( https://youtube.com/shorts/A-kF9BBVfu8?feature=share ) that Romani people were just as much part of the target for the "final solution" in World War II by the Nazi government. Which, first of all, came as a complete shock to me, because in school, we would learn all about antisemitism and how Nazi Germany executed Jews brutally and factory-like, but we rarely, if ever, talked about Roma meeting the same fate. Honestly, even most people around me growing up didn't talk all that positive about Romani people, usually reducing them to systemic beggars.

And this all plays into the fact that I never saw how Magda, you know Magneto's late wife, one of the few people in his life he actually loved, was not Jewish but actually Romani. So, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff are actually half Jewish, half Romani (because I REFUSE to accept the 2014 retcon it makes no narrative sense, I hate it)! And even their original adoptive parents were Romani as well.

So, why is it, that in the X-Men-movies, as well as in the MCU, their Romani side is COMPLETELY eradicated and their maybe-Jewish-background never touched upon?! Why are their parents in the MCU, real or not, white?! And yes, I feel like I'm late to the party, but my goodness! It's probably just that I now realise that I have been due to my ignorance, participated in white-washing, because in my Cherik fanfictions, I always use the movie version of Magda who is, maybe a Jew? But rather, just a Polish woman and IS ALSO WHITE, WHY?!?!?

I mean, not to start an oppression olympics, really not, but you know Jews have at least ~some~ examples of positive representation in the media nowadays. The only one in mainstream media for Romani people is probably Esmeralda in Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (https://youtube.com/shorts/zXHctFGKM1M?feature=share ) and even she falls into the trope of "Disney overse*ualising Disney princesses of colour". The other one is in the Paramount+ prpduction 1883 (https://youtube.com/shorts/j1DiLR27LyI?feature=share)

Man. This is bad.

I really don't want to make this into a white saviour complex thing, it's just something I realised I was unaware of before I found the Youtube-channel of florida.florian which has been really informative and made me see how little I actually knew about Romani culture and how much this demographic still faces severe discrimination to this day. Also in my country, Germany, which is probably why this hits so hard to me, personally.

If you now excuse me, I need to rewrite Magda's character in this one Cherik-fanfic I've been working on

[awesomerextyphoon]

Random Fox News Asshat: Where's this world coming to?! Turns out Captain America's a fa-

You: Turn that shit off!!

Nat: You would think they'd move on.

Wanda: The world found out that both Captain America and the Winter Soldier are bisexual. Also that Pietro and I are Jewish and Romani.

You: Let's not even get started on Loki.

Wanda: Right. So now the haters are coming out in droves.

Nat: I mean, with all the shit that's happening right now, you would think they would have something better to cover.

You: Nope. It's not like other news outlets are any better.

Sharon: Sorry I'm late. I had to take a shower after my last mission.

You: No worries. Honestly, you're the first one here.

Wanda: Yeah. I just got a text from Monica and Jen. Monica's just got a new project and Jen made a breakthrough in her case, so she'll have to do an all-nighter.

You: And Pepper?

Nat: Nope. Tony.

You: That woman's a Saint.

Sharon: Well, Maria said she'll be a little late. She needs to finish her report.

You: Fine. Le-

Brunnhilde: Ladies! I have arrived!

Everyone: Hilde!!

Brunnhilde: Apologies. Had to break up another fraternal squabble. What are we watching?

You: Girls! You are in for a treat tonight! We're watching Sailor Moon.

Brunnhilde and Nat: Huh?

You: Just watch. I also brought a ton of booze and homemade treats!

Nat and Brunnhilde: Booze!

You: Alright! Let's go.

[reallyhardydraws]

hi !!!! i have been a huge fan of ur art for a long time, esp since i found it via x-men fanart, and it's what introduced me to evo which is now like one of my fave shows ever. i've always LOVED all your kurt/wanda stuff, but since i only rlly have access to the movies & tv shows, and wanda isn't even in the xmcu (💔), i've always wondered if they're involved in the comics or if it's just something you'd wanna see? obvs your earth-number-i-forgot au is yours, but the other stuff? i guess if ur willing i just wanna know what makes you like them so much, since everything you draw for them is so cute, and i don't get to see any of the source material!!

hi!

a lot of my interest in kurtwanda came from my old days of writing as kurt in the xmcu RP fandom here on tumblr :') i had some of my best times writing with my friend who wrote as wanda, we had loads of headcanons and just yeah haha. i think there's something about their visual contrast that's fun obvs the red and blue and then their similar sort of romani upbringings give them common ground, they're both sort of goth too lol.

but there IS also the cartoon wolverine & the x-men. they go on a date and wanda gives him a kiss, and i think this is all sort of a nod to the fact that kurt & wanda are married in the universe that gave us TJ wagner/nocturne

and so yes they ARE in involved in the comics, but it's all entirely offscreen RIP!!! earth-2182 is their home universe - we only learn a little about their relationship via TJ, but she implies that her parents are a) married and b) very much in love:

(click through to view these properly, please excuse the antiromani slur used in the 2nd screenshot) there is also like... one extra panel where we see old man kurt watching wanda saving people on TV and he's like 'atta girl that's my wife' but i can't find it and you're not missing much b/c for whatever reason they said 'this version of wanda is as hot as always but this kurt is decrepitly old, bald, rocking a white goatee, and has an eyepatch.' really a weird turn for our favourite elf.)

but yeah i would recommend the wolverine & the x-men scenes: they appear together in episode 10 - greetings from genosha and episode 15 - hunting grounds i think they may appear in other episodes but it's been a while since i've watched the series, these are the only 2 where they are both main characters and their storylines interact.

anyway tysm for asking! i'm glad u enjoy my drawings of them and tbh i miss them!!! need some more free time to be drawing my faves they're honestly a ship for the ages!!!❤️💙❤️💙

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Why don’t you like Wanda?

It kind of boils down to my issues about redemption buuuuut…

1) Her entire reason to hate Tony is fucking DUMB. ‘The bomb hit our home and it said Stark’. Is just… okay so, the legitimate company that only sold weapons to the USA military somehow sold a weapon to your country? More likely Stane was at fault or it was fake. But even then, he designed it? Okay… why are you mad at HIM and not the people who SHOT IT?!? It’s just so dumb.

2) she worked with Hydra. No matter how you dress it up, she did. And ‘they lied to her’ doesn’t work when she can read minds.Plus like… Tony was working with SHIELD? So… she thought that they’d let her kill him? What?

3) I actually hate how far they changed her character for MCU because like okay, yeah change what’s needed for the movies, but having a Jewish Romani character become a white Nazi?!?!?!??!? Are you kidding?!?!?? What?!?! You could have made her an experiment kidnapped by Hydra and being threatened to comply while trying to sneak info to the Avengers! See, WAY better!!!

[immortalarizona]

icons of Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch in Scarlet Witch #9 (2023) with art by Lorenzo Tametta. please like or reblog if you save, and please give credit if you use!! in case anyone needs it, the background hex code is #dd7de9.

also here’s a friendly reminder to any Elizabeth Olsen stans who come across this post that Wanda Maximoff is Jewish and Romani and should not have been portrayed by a white actress in the MCU :)

[scarlet--wiccan]

Do you think Billy and Tommy suffer from intergenerational trauma ? Also we never see Billy and Tommy interact with Max. If you could alter their origins what would you do ?

(You don’t have to answer all these questions sorry lol)

When we talk about intergenerational trauma, we are usually referring to trauma which persists in our cultural memories, or to trauma responses which become cyclical patterns in our families. One of the things that's really interesting about this family of characters is that none of them were raised by their birth parents or grew up with a complete knowledge of/relationship to their cultural heritage. This is slightly less true now for Wanda and Pietro, post-retcon, but my point is that the way these people have inherited intergenerational trauma is typically non-linear.

I tend to get in trouble for saying this, but I think that Billy and Tommy's reincarnation makes the most sense as a metaphor for interracial adoption. Specifically, their relationship to Wanda, their Romani heritage, and their family history maps fairly well to that experience. So, while the course of their lives has been impacted by the trauma of past generations in a very material way-- and there is something to be said for epigenetics-- they may not have internalized the Maximoff family's intergenerational trauma in the way that you're picturing. The nature of their existence and upbringing creates its own traumas and fractured identities, but a lot of what they've inherited is going manifest in the course of processing new information about their background as young adults-- not to mention the ramifications of being publicly known as Wanda's children in a post-Decimation world.

I am not an adoptee, so this is not my experience to speak on, and you can take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, but I am a person of mixed Romani heritage, and family separation and cultural disruption in the wake of WWII are big parts of my inherited trauma. That's part of why I find the Maximoffs-- Billy and Tommy included-- so relatable, because that's a specific form of cultural trauma that they have had to endure in every generation, and in ways that reflect multiple periods of Romani history. Part of why I like to really emphasize the fact that Billy and Tommy are Romani characters is because their positionality and way of arriving at Roma identity adds nuance and diversity to Romani representation. I think the spectrum of Romani cultural & ethnic identity is something that a lot of comic writers and fans just don't understand, but I think that digging in to how Billy, Tommy, and Luna relate to those identities would be a really good, organic way to have those conversations in the text and bring a more authentic understanding of the subject to readers. But you absolutely need a Romani writer to do it, and that's why they need to start hiring us!!!!!

I'd also like to point something out that I don't think anybody really talks about-- the current version of Wanda and Pietro's origin story and how they got their powers reflects the real history of human experimentation, reproductive rights violations, and child abductions that have plagued Romani communities for a long time, especially in mid-century Europe. Their "mutations" are a product of that violence, and the fact that Billy and Tommy inherited those mutations reflects the medical and genetic legacies of this racial trauma. This is presented in direct contrast and conversation with the Maximoffs' magical heritage as witches, which is is a racial stereotype that here is subverted as a positive, enduring legacy of cultural empowerment and survival.

Of course, the text itself does not fully commit to these ideas on paper, but my point is that when you have the knowledge and you're invested in how Romani people are imagined and portrayed in this world, it's a very rich text!!! I love comics and I love these characters! There's so much to talk about!

Since you did mention Magneto, I want to note that Wanda and Pietro's relationship to his & Magda's history and their inherited trauma is also non-linear, and has shifted several times based on retcons and varying character treatments. There's no doubt that they have a lot of baggage, but again, it's a situation where they didn't grow up as children of Holocaust survivors, so the way they process it might just be different. I certainly do think that the Holocaust and the war are part of their cultural memory, even if we don't know how much the Maximoffs were directly affected. Billy and Tommy are more removed from Magneto in this sense, but it should go without saying that one or both of them are Jewish and would already have a connection to that history through their foster/birth families.