Real name: Wanda Maximoff
First Appearance: X-Men #4,
1964
Base of Operations: Avengers Mansion, New York City, New York
Occupation: Adventuress
Place of Birth: Transia, Europe
Classification: Mutant
Marital Status: Separated/single
Membership Status: Regular member
Known Relatives: Quicksilver (brother), Crystal (sister-in-law),
Vision (ex-husband), Magneto (father), Magda (mother, deceased),
Django Maximoff (adoptive father, deceased), Marya Maximoff
(adoptive mother, deceased)
Affiliations: Avengers, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Force Works,
Lady Liberators, West Coast Avengers
Powers:
Wanda Maximoff was born Wundagore Mountain (earthly prison to the
chaos-demon called Chthon). The otherworldly entity imbued the
Scarlet Witch with magical abilities, as he one day hoped to use her
as a host to aid his escape. If not for the demon's intervention,
Wanda simply would have been an energy-wielding mutant like her
father, Magneto. Instead, she can channel chaos-magic in a number of
useful ways. Chief among these are her probability-altering
hex-spheres -- finite pockets of reality-disrupting, psionic force
that cause random disturbances in the molecular-level probability
fields surrounding their targets. As a result, unlikely phenomena
occur. With greater preparation time, Wanda can cast her hex power
to garner specific results.
The Scarlet Witch possesses the mutant power of affecting
probability fields. By a combination of gestures and mental
concentration, she creates a hex-sphere, a finite pocket of
reality-disrupting quasi-psionic force, which upon reaching its
intended target, causes disturbance in the molecular-level
probability field surrounding the target. Thus, unlikely phenomena
will occur. Among the many phenomena she is able to cause are: the
sudden melting of gun barrels, the spontaneous combustion of any
flammable object, the rapid rust or decay of various organic and
inorganic materials, the poltergeist-like deflection of an object in
flight, the sudden evacuation of air from a given volume, the
disruption of energy transmissions and fields, and so on. These
phenomena occur practically instantaneously after the completion of
her hex. Her sorcerous training has given her a set of powers
separate from her mutant abilities, honing her control over her
existing abilities. She has a special affinity for the natural
elements and materials that true witches utilize in their spells:
the four alchemical elements, wood, organic substances, etc. The
reliability factor of her hex-casting ability is also limited by her
physical condition: when well rested, in good health, and mentally
and emotionally alert, Scarlet Witch can cast numerous hex-spheres
in rapid succession and attain desirable results for almost an hour.
Mutant ability to control chaos magic and affect probability fields
and accomplished martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant
Basically she can focus her powers to cause some bad stuff to happen
to people whenever and wherever she wishes. She also has grown to
gain more abilities that have given her powers a boost. She also now
knows more magical abilities, which have helped in battle with the
likes of Morgan Le Fey. These abilities all have grown to the point
where she could be the foe behind Avengers Disassembled. Causing the
recreation of Jack of Hearts, the explosion of the mansion, Vision
being taken over by an army of Ultrons and spitting them out, and
also the Kree attack on the Avengers. If you will notice Wanda was
missing during most of these events and also there has been a
magical force behind the events occurring in Avengers at this
moment. Her powers have grown to a level now where she could even
rival Doctor Strange.
History:
Wanda Maximoff is the daughter of Magneto, mutant Master of
Magnetism, and his former wife, a gypsy named Magda. Prior to
Wanda's birth, Magda fled Magneto, terrified by the recent
manifestation of his bizarre powers and his newly adopted doctrine
of world domination. Seeking refuge, Magda came upon the scientific
citadel of Wundagore in the Balkan Mountains of Transia. She was
taken in by Bova, a humanoid cow created by the master geneticist
known as the High Evolutionary. Magda gave birth to twins, a boy and
a girl, and named them Wanda and Pietro. Still afraid her estranged
husband might hunt them down them, she walked into the frozen
mountain wilderness to perish.
Bova presented the twins to the High Evolutionary, who agreed to
find them human foster parents. He chose Django and Marya Maximoff,
a gypsy couple camped nearby, who had lost their own twins. The
Maximoffs accepted the gift and cared for the children as if they
were their own. As adolescents, Wanda and Pietro discovered they
possessed unusual superhuman abilities. Wanda could cause strange
phenomenon to occur simply by waving her hands, and Pietro was able
to move faster than the blink of an eye. When Django stole food to
feed his starving family, enraged villagers attacked the gypsy camp.
Using his phenomenal speed, Pietro took flight with his sister. The
circumstances of the youngsters' separation from their family were
so traumatic that not until well into adulthood could they remember
anything but the barest details of their early existence. For the
next few years, Wanda and Pietro wandered central Europe, living off
the land.
While visiting a small village, Wanda accidentally caused a house to
burst into flame with her then-uncontrollable hex-casting abilities.
Superstitious townspeople took up arms against the young mutant,
mistaking her for a witch. Despite Pietro's attempts to defend his
sister, the siblings soon were overpowered. They were about to be
killed when Magneto came to their rescue. The genetic terrorist
pressed them into service in his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants,
costumed them, and rechristened them the Scarlet Witch and
Quicksilver. For months, Wanda and Pietro served their new master
out of a sense of obligation -- and for fear of reprisal. As members
of the Brotherhood, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver aided Magneto
in his terrorist campaigns against humanity and helped him combat
the idealistic team of mutant heroes known as the X-Men. Magneto did
not realize Wanda and Pietro were his children, nor did they know he
was their father.
When the alien entity known as the Stranger stamped out the
Brotherhood, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch petitioned for
membership in the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. They were
inducted -- along with Hawkeye, arrow-slinging ex-con -- to replace
the team's charter members, who wished to take leaves of absence.
However, humanity's hatred and fear of mutants still disturbed
Quicksilver; he briefly rejoined Magneto, compelling his sister to
follow. Ultimately, the siblings confronted the Master of Magnetism.
Combining their abilities, Wanda and Pietro helped the Avengers and
X-Men defeat their former savior.
Since then, both Wanda and Pietro have been among the most notable
members of the Avengers, and have tripped around with them on many
crimefighting journeys and adventures.
Scarlet Witch