How Marvel Rivals Scarlet Witch compares to her MCU adaptation

by

Marvel Rivals has not only reintroduced old and niche characters from Marvel Comics to its roster of characters, but redesigned aspects of Marvel characters that the public has grown attached to thanks to the MCU. No character better represents a return to comics than Marvel Rivals' adaptation of Scarlet Witch.

Although not all characters featured in the MCU and Marvel Rivals has major differences, Scarlet Witch is definitely one of the few. Only a few signs of Marvel Rivals the list has yet to appear in the MCU, including Peni Parker, Luna Snow, Jeff the Land Shark, Venom, Squirrel Girl, and all members of the X-Men.

young avengers marvel rivals

Family

The MCU's long game could change Marvel Rivals' character roster

The MCU is known for its long plots and intersecting storylines. A team is planned because phase two could be good for Marvel Rivals

The MCU's adaptation of Scarlet Witch

Then the main hook to Marvel Rivals' lore focuses on the multiverse, the game can justify tweaking characters to be very different or more similar to MCU or different Marvel Comics universe versions of characters. As for the Scarlet Witch, Marvel Rivals seems to lean more towards her original characterization in Marvel Comics, representing some key differences in the MCU's adaptation.

Since mutants have yet to be introduced to the MCU and Age of Ultron released before Disney's acquisition of Fox, the MCU gave the Maximoff twins their powers through experimentation rather than birth. While this change was understandable due to copyright, it cannot be overstated how important Scarlet Witch's mutant identity is in Marvel Comics. Her impact on mutantkind left a drastic mark on the series' history and remains a major point in series runs to this day.

Additionally, the Maximoff twins are of Jewish-Romance descent. While Elizabeth Olsen first gave Scarlet Witch an accent when portraying her Age of Ultronthis accent eventually disappeared. Olsen is also not of Jewish-Romani descent, leading some fans to be critical of her casting.

The MCU's depiction of Vision and Scarlet Witch's romantic relationship is pretty accurate. WandaVision and Agatha All Along continue this plot by introducing their twins, Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd. This story is also quite comically accurate, with Wiccan being officially introduced in Agatha All Along.

Marvel Rivals adaptation of Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch's abilities in Marvel Rivals are quite congruent with her powers in the MCU and Marvel Comics. The descriptions of her abilities specifically mention “Chaos Magic”, which has been mentioned both in the MCU and in the comics alongside Scarlet Witch in the past. Scarlet Witch's “Reality Erasure” ability is also in line with these abilities, given that she can manipulate reality at will.

However, there are important differences between the MCU's adaptation and Marvel Rivals'. Namely, Marvel Rivals took the opportunity to make Scarlet Witch more comically accurate. Marvel RivalsThe design of Scarlet Witch is an example of this. Her skin and hair are darker, more in keeping with her appearance as a Judeo-Roman woman, and she has an accent. Players can see the design difference between Marvel Rivals and the MCU as one Multiverse of Madness skin is available for Scarlet Witch in the game.

Scarlet Witch is a mutant again

Magneto is the biological father of both Maximoff twins i Marvel Rivals, as discussed through several lines of voice between Magneto and Scarlet Witch. The characters also have a team-up together.

Also, Scarlet Witch has a voice line that mentions “No more mutants.” This is also an achievement that Scarlet Witch players can unlock after taking down mutant enemies ten times like her. The quote “No more mutants” is a direct reference to the “House of M” storyline, where the Scarlet Witch removed mutant abilities from the majority of mutantkind. This plot point radically changed Marvel Comics. Of course, the MCU hasn't officially introduced mutants to its main timeline, making Wanda's legacy and this important plotline impossible to adapt thus far.

In the end, most of the differences between the Scarlet Witch in the MCU and Marvel Rivals is courtesy of Marvel Comics. Scarlet Witch is a sign of that Marvel Rivals will likely look to the comics for character roster inspiration going forward, rather than basing anyone primarily on their MCU counterparts.

Leave a Comment