Summary
Marvel Studios has already enjoyed success with their animated shows on Disney Plus, asWhat If…?,X-Men ‘97, andYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhave all been well received by critics and fans. Two more are due to hit the small screen in 2025, withEyes of WakandaandMarvel Zombiesdue for release in the year’s second half. The latter, which is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, will be the 16th television series in theMarvel Cinematic Universe,and it’s set to feature the Scarlet Witch as its central villain, which could have significant implications for the character moving forward in the MCU.
The four-episode miniseries will be set in the same alternate timeline introduced in the “What If… Zombies?!” episode of the aforementionedWhat If…?animated series and the version of the Scarlet Witch that’s set to appear will be a zombified Wanda Maximoff, referred to as the Dead Queen. Elizabeth Olsen will reprise her role (in a voice capacity, of course) as Maximoff, adding to the character’s rich history in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, which goes back to 2014 when she first appeared inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier’smid-credits scene.
Olsen’s character has since appeared in 2015’sAvengers: Age of Ultron, 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War, 2018’sAvengers: Infinity War, 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, and 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as theWandaVisionseries in 2021 and in two episodes ofWhat If…?In that 2022Doctor Strangesequel, the character appears to perish by bringing Mount Wundagore, the source of the Darkhold’s power, to sacrifice herself and destroy all copies of the magical grimoire across the multiverse. But could her upcoming appearance in Marvel Zombies hint there’s more to come from her in theMCU? What else could it mean for the franchise?
What Implications Could It Have On The Wider MCU?
Scarlet Witch as a zombie inMarvel Zombiescould be Marvel Studios testing the waters regarding terrible fates for some of its beloved and powerful heroes.
First and foremost, a character like the Scarlet Witch being shown as susceptible to a zombie virus explicitly indicates that even the most powerful beings can fall victim to breakdowns in reality. Having an undead Wanda Maximoff roaming around causing havoc could be foreshadowing the concept of the MCU’s strongest and most cosmically potent individuals becoming helpless casualties of cataclysmic events. With so many multiversal eventsin the franchise’s immediate future, Scarlet Witch’s predicament inMarvel Zombiescould set the scene for Thor, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and other formidable MCU characters to suffer unthinkable fates.
Additionally, as much as Olsen’s Scarlet Witch has been a troubled character who’s even been an antagonist, she’s a beloved one, and having her depicted as a monster could be Marvel Studios dipping its proverbial toes in the water to see how fans react to outright evil versions of their favorite characters. 2026’sAvengers: Doomsdayis rumored to featureRobert Downey’s Doctor Doomputting together a team of evil multiversal Avengers (such as Steve Rogers as Agent Hydra and Bruce Banner as Maestro). Fan feedback on the Dead Queen could be key to whether or not that happens.
What Could It Mean For Scarlet Witch’s MCU Future?
Keeping the Scarlet Witch relevant long after her Sacred Timeline death suggests audiences should expect to see more of the character.
Given the Scarlet Witch’s apparent demise inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it seems somewhat pointless to keep her relevant by including her in Marvel Zombies unless there are plansto bring her back in the main MCU timeline(or unless it turns out she didn’t really die in the first place). Therefore, it’s possibly a precursor to Olsen reprising her role in live-action in one of the upcomingAvengersmovies.
However, perhaps most excitingly, given that some prominent versions of characters featured in What If…? ended up appearing in live-action projects — such as Captain Carter and Strange Supreme from the first season appearing inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness— it could mean this specific undead version of the Scarlet Witch is in line to appear in a movie imminently. A zombie territory led by the Dead Queen in2027’sAvengers: Secret Warswould be amazing to see. This version of the Scarlet Witch could even provide the bridge between the Marvel Zombies universe and the Sacred Timeline of the MCU, using her monumental reality-warping abilities to cause an incursion that connects the two, potentially triggering the events of the upcoming Avengers movies.
One thing is almost certain: there’s more to come from Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. There isn’t too long to wait before finding out if herMarvel Zombiescharacter gives us an indication of what to expect from her going forward. The series is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on Jul 03, 2025.
