Scarlet Witch's Scariest Stories

Paul Allor and Alan Robinson's AVENGERS UNITED INFINITY COMIC (2023) #46 summons Earth's Mightiest Heroes to gather 'round headquarters for a creepy night of merriment on Halloween. What begins as a spooky night filled with treats, costumes, and mocktails soon takes a foreboding turn as the Avengers take turns sharing scary stories. After Tony Stark tells a tale about zombie-like super suits attacking him, Wanda Maximoff takes the stage to recount a harrowing adventure that spells doom for all the Avengers involved. 

Of course, the Scarlet Witch ratchets up the stakes and sends shivers down her team's spines. But, as is often the case with Wanda, there seems to be some trick at play with her harrowing tale. Will the team learn what trouble is really brewing here? Or will this just be another hint, one more allusion, to the many secrets of Scarlet Witch? 

While Wanda certainly has some ghoulish twists in store for the Avengers in future issues, this isn't the first time that Wanda has been involved in a hair-raising situation. After all, few Marvel heroes have encountered as many dangerous foes as Wanda. Death? Resurrection? Need to restructure reality or chain an evil Elder God to her soul? That's more or less a Thursday for our Queen of Chaos, who has commanded the Darkhold and bested Mephisto. If the opening tale in this Halloween-themed arc of AVENGERS UNITED (2023) has you clamoring for more chilling tales starring Scarlet Witch, prepare for the following to disturb you.

AVENGERS (1963) #186-187

Scare Factor: E (Kid-friendly)

Written by Steven Grant, Mark Gruenwald, and David Michelinie with artwork by John Byrne, AVENGERS (1963) #186-187 unwinds the tangled (and haunting) web of Wanda Maximoff's backstory. (No, she isn't a mutant. She's another disturbing experiment from the High Evolutionary!)

Here, we learn some vital facts about Wanda that helps readers better understand her complicated choices later in life: she has been manipulated by and marked since birth to become a vessel for the demented Elder God Chthon (via the Darkhold and those who wield it), who wants nothing more than to wreak havoc on the mortal plane. Of all Wanda's stories, this one is the least gory and most appropriate for all age readers craving a lil' fright.

In this terrifying tale, Wanda's face takes on a devilish twist that's unnerving to look at but also evokes the terrifying threat on her life. After this story, Wanda isn't truly the same; she can't help but wonder how much influence (or choice) she's ever had in life, which makes her reality-bending powers feel equal parts gift and curse—though the extent of either, she's not quite explored yet. But she will! And it'll be bad!

AVENGERS WEST COAST (1985) #52-57

Scare Factor: T (Disturbing images but not too scary…)

Written and penciled by John Byrne, AVENGERS WEST COAST (1985) #52 includes depictions that are pure nightmare fuel—specifically, Master Pandemonium with arms made out of the bodies of Wanda's twin babies.

This issue is a pivotal point in Wanda's tragically twisted story. Here, she learns that in her quest to have children with her beloved Vision, she accidentally conjured up pieces of Mephisto's soul to make them. Now, she must face the consequences. Sadly, this also meant realizing she never really had children at all—just the illusion of them. 

Between the devastating demon flame that uses Wanda's children-spawn as weapons to the scarred look on Scarlet Witch's face, this is an issue that'll haunt your mind in more ways than one—especially when Master Pandemonium's child-demon-arms try to bite off Wonder Man's head in battle! Winged beasts and fanged monsters abound as Wanda and the Avengers try to find a way out of this mess. 

The emotional pains of this adventure inevitably lead to one of Wanda's many dark turns later in AVENGERS WEST COAST (1985) #56-57, where she sought to demolish the West Coast Avengers. Soon, everyone started questioning the limits of her "hex magic" and power.

SCARLET WITCH (2015) #13

Scare Factor: T+ (Creepy good time that's sometimes headless!)

Written by James Robinson with various artists, SCARLET WITCH (2015) overflows with tales of creatures that go bump in the night, including monsters, ghosts, and heaping dosages of magic. The entire run is a mixture of globe-trotting and magical crime-solving (imagine 2012's HAWKEYE and 2001's ALIAS combined with spellcraft) that sets Wanda up to solve two problems: why is witchcraft broken—and who broke it? Along the way, she's guided by the ghost of Agatha Harkness. Wanda believes fixing magic might fix herself, too. 

A large part of this spellbinding storyline is its focus on Wanda connecting with her legacy. Scarlet Witch first saw a vision of her mother in issue #4 on the Witches' Road—a magical path full of as much as light as darkness (depending on what path you choose). She found her again in SCARLET WITCH (2015) #13, where Wanda faced all kinds of memories of her mistakes in visions desperate to consume her soul. 

For those well acquainted with her past guilt and craving more witchy vibes, this issue delves more into Wanda's psyche and power. However, if you're not invested in a longer arc, SCARLET WITCH (2015) #5 is a great one-and-done issue focusing on Wanda's revenge for all the witches burned at the stake amidst the Spanish Inquisition. (Yes, it's brutal…)

EMPYRE: X-MEN (2020) #4

Scare Factor: T+ (Brains won't be eaten on page but they're eaten somewhere!)

Written by Jonathan Hickman with artwork by Jorge Molina and Lucas Werneck, EMPYRE: X-MEN (2020) #4 is a romping zombie tale. Unlike previous comics in the four-issue arc, Hickman's writing leans more into the realm of dark comedy; that is, the zombies here aren't totally thrilled that they'll likely turn back to dust, but they're making the most of it.

EMPYRE: X-MEN (2020) marks another entry in Wanda's history of making impulsive magical decisions to make up for lack of foresight in previous spells. To make up for her disastrous decision to rid the world of most mutants in HOUSE OF M (2005), Wanda decided to bring back millions of departed mutant souls with an incantation. However, she accidentally ended up bringing millions of zombies to Genosha. If this wasn't complicated enough for Scarlet Witch to solve, Earth has also been visited by plant people from space?! 

Of all the comics on this list, this is definitely the zaniest entry that'll delight horror fans looking for a short but entertaining time. However, Hickman does sneak in an emotional gut-punch in its ending pages for Wanda's longtime readers, who may be more familiar with the deep regret she feels in these closing pages.

Scarlet Witch's terrifying new tale begins in AVENGERS UNITED INFINITY COMIC (2023) #46, now available on Marvel Unlimited!

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