Despite the fact that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s origin story has already been told in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a retcon in Avengers: Age of Ultron explored the history of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), but it’s possible that Magneto can still be a part of their past in the MCU.
For decades, Magneto was depicted as the father of the two mutant Avengers in Marvel Comics, but since the character's movie rights belonged to 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios had to go into a different direction when diving into their past in Age of Ultron. At the time, there was no expectation that Marvel would ever be able to use him in a story with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. However, the situation is different now that Disney has acquired 20th Century Fox, and along with it the film rights to both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
There’s no official word on what Marvel plans to do with Marvel’s Merry Mutants or exactly when the MCU will start making use of these characters. Marvel and Disney could be saving Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Beast, and all the rest for an X-Men movie in Phase 5 or later, or could start laying the groundwork for the team by introducing individual characters in Phase 4. For instance, Wolverine could have a cameo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Another possibility is that Marvel’s second Disney+ series, WandaVision, will use Magneto and rewrite Scarlet Witch’s MCU origin.
Scarlet Witch’s Origin Story In Marvel Comics
In Marvel Comics, there are three different versions of the story in which Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were brought into the world. Born in a small village in Eastern Europe, the two mutants were raised by two gypsies named Django and Marya Maximoff, who had lost their own twin children. Years later, Django came to believe that Pietro and Wanda were his real children, and decided to seek them out. In the 1980s, Marvel dropped a bombshell on readers with the reveal that their father wasn’t Django – it was actually their former master, Magneto. Magneto’s lover became separated from him years ago, causing her to be alone when she gave birth on the peak of Mount Wundagore. The evil energy emanating from the demon that lived within the mountain was supposedly responsible for all the power that now dwells within Wanda. Magneto was oblivious to this until he spoke with Wanda and Pietro’s caretaker, Bova, who lived on Mount Wundagore.
Magneto had used them as pawns in his schemes for years, but as it turned out, their connection was closer than anyone ever expected. This also explained why Quicksilver was drawn to look similar to Magneto. Until just a few years ago, this was the accepted origin story for Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Just in time for the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel frustrated fans by taking back everything it had previously said about Magneto, Wundagore, and Magda in regards to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and stating that Django and Marya were their real parents after all. And to sever all ties between them and the X-Men, Marvel also established that Wanda and Pietro were never mutants in the first place. Instead, their powers came from experiments conducted by the High Evolutionary. Marvel effectively wrote Magneto out of Wanda and Pietro’s lives, but erasing over 30 years of stories (some of which hinging on the two being mutants and Magneto being their father) hasn’t been so easy. Many have disliked the change, arguing that it was only done to keep the comics in line with the movies. Because of this, the 1980s origin with Magneto remains the most popular version of the story.
What Happened To Scarlet Witch's Parents In The MCU
Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn’t feature Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s parents, but they are alluded to in the movie. The MCU’s Pietro and Wanda had a normal family life growing up in Sokovia, but it came to a tragic end when their home was destroyed by a mortar shield manufactured by Tony Stark’s company. Pietro and Wanda survived, but both of their parents died in the explosion. As a result, the twins developed a deep-seated hatred of Stark. As the years ed, their resentment toward him and the Avengers motivated them into taking part in experiments engineered by Hydra scientists. Baron von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) oversaw a project that imbued the two with super powers courtesy of the Mind Stone from Loki’s scepter.
How Marvel Can Still Make Magneto Scarlet Witch’s Father In The MCU
Marvel may have already provided Wanda and Pietro with a complete backstory in the MCU, but it’s not so rock-solid that it can’t be changed or adjusted. Scarlet Witch’s original origin demonstrated how Marvel can easily retcon the character in the movies as well. Audiences know that the twins had a family in Sokovia, but it’s possible that they were adopted. There’s no concrete evidence that the parents mentioned in Age of Ultron are their biological mother and father. As previously noted, the comic book versions of Wanda and Pietro grew up with misunderstandings about their family as well.
An obvious problem that would come with Marvel suddenly revealing that Magneto and Magda are their real parents is that Age of Ultron offered a completely different explanation for Wanda and Pietro’s powers. In the 1980s, the understanding was that they inherited Magneto’s mutant genes, but the MCU characters received their powers from Hydra’s experiments instead. Marvel could retcon this by suggesting that that the Mind Stone simply awakened their true potential. Marvel is about to make changes to her powers anyway in Scarlet Witch into her classic comic book counterpart.
How could this revelation come out in WandaVision? Marvel has a tendency to shock audiences with unexpected guest appearances in their movies, and the same could apply to its Disney+ shows. Magneto could appear in a cameo as WandaVision’s mystery guest character. The Master of Magnetism (most likely without his iconic costume and helmet) could either appear in-person or an entirely new character could be the one who sheds light on Wanda’s past. Since it looks like WandaVision may be dealing with alternate realities, one of these worlds could offer those answers. There could be a timeline or reality where Wanda’s family situation is quite different. Alternatively, the father of Evan Peters’ Quicksilver in Fox’s X-Men movies was always presumed to be Magneto, so if theories about Peters playing Fox’s Quicksilver in WandaVision are true, it could be mentioned when he appears.
