Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, has become an all-star character in Marvel's Phase 4. First making a mark in her Disney+ series Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is sure to change the MCU forever.
Now that she has had the chance to become a fully fleshed-out character in the MCU, Wanda Maximoff has developed certain personality traits that are distinctive of who she is as a character, and by which any fan could identify the most powerful Avenger.
Fear Of Her Own Power
As a wise man once said: "With great power must also come great responsibility." It would appear that Wanda Maximoff is incredibly aware of this maxim, especially considering that she is one of the most powerful beings on the planet, though she does not always have the control over her powers that she would like.
Wanda's fear of her own powers has proven to be warranted on a number of occasions in the past, as brief lapses in judgment have led to the deaths of innocent people, most notably during the Lagos Incident of Civil War. However, as Wanda begins to embrace her own powers, she may once again have to learn to have a healthy fear of what she is capable of doing.
Self-Made Sense Of Justice
Wanda's childhood was far from that of the other Avengers, growing up in the war-torn country of Sokovia. After sustaining tragedy after tragedy both prior to becoming an Avenger and thereafter, Wanda has emerged with her own sense of justice that does not always align with that of the other heroes in the world.
Perhaps the best example of Wanda's unique brand of judgment is how she dealt with Agatha Harkness at the end of Wanda being a villain in Multiverse of Madness as she becomes more and more capable of dispensing her own judgment on the universe that has consistently failed her.
Loneliness
Wanda Maximoff never wanted to be alone yet has consistently found herself robbed of all those near her, plagued to walk in this world by herself. Her closest companions that have seen her through difficult times always seem to fade before long, leaving Wanda alone once more.
As her next appearance in Multiverse of Madness draws ever nearer, Wanda is more alone than she has ever been before, having lost the pocket reality she had created, along with her sons and husband. It now remains for audiences to see just how Wanda will deal with this loneliness, and how she plans on amending this state of being.
Humor
Despite the many tragedies of her life, Wanda continues to have a prevailing sense of humor stemming from her love of sitcoms as a child. This trait was most on display during the events of WandaVision, where her unconscious mind concocted several hilarious sitcoms based on the events of her life.
While a sense of humor is always a worthwhile character trait, Wanda's humor often proves to be masking a deeper pain that she is afraid of addressing. Much to the Avenger's chagrin, the jokes she waved through her sitcoms often descended into the darkness that she herself felt in her heart, confirming that her humor is merely a guise, masking the hurt deep within.
Misunderstood
While the audience knows and loves Wanda Maximoff, having spent a considerable amount of time with her, much of the world in the MCU fears her as one of the most powerful beings in the world. Thanks to events like the Lagos Incident and the Westview Hex, much of the world lives in fear of what the Scarlet Witch will do next that could alter the course of their lives.
Fans of the MCU recognize that, though Wanda's choices have not always been the most moral, she is by no means a malevolent menace. Never has Wanda intentionally caused pain to innocent people, though, as her powers grow, this consistently seems to become the byproduct of her newfound abilities. Nevertheless, the Scarlet Witch is not and never has been the villain that so many people take her for.
Independence
After living a life that has largely required her to fend for herself, Wanda Maximoff has fostered independence that has seen her through many difficult times. While she is not afraid to lean on the help of others, Wanda by no means requires their help but is perfectly capable of sustaining herself.
As the Scarlet Witch, Wanda has proven to herself that she needs no one else to help her. Though she leaned on other Avengers like her brother Pietro or Hawkeye in the past, the Maximoff twin has discovered an intensely strong side of herself that is powerful and unyielding--even when she is acting selfishly.
Rage
Wanda Maximoff is a woman that has endured more pain in her life than most ordinary people could bare. Though her experiences have largely increased her heroism, they have also fostered a remarkable amount of rage in the Avenger, which peaks through every so often.
Aside from Avengers: Endgame. This match-up proved the extent of Wanda's righteous indignation, as she very nearly defeated the Avengers' Big Bad single-handedly.
Love For Family
Because of the loss of her parents and brother, Wanda knows to cherish and adore the family she has built for herself in her adult life. Her husband Vision and their twin boys, Billy and Tommy, are the most important thing in the world to her, and she would do anything to protect them.
WandaVision dedicates several episodes to building the family dynamic between the Maximoffs, showing Wanda both as a loving mother and wife. This dynamic was doomed to be lost, however, and the death of this family proved to be one of the worst things that ever happened to Wanda Maximoff.
Power
Wanda Maximoff is undoubtedly one of the most powerful Avengers yet, if not the most powerful. Her abilities, a combination of a mutant gene and the power of the Mind Stone, have proven to be a match for mighty beings such as Thanos himself and even yet have not been tested to their limits.
As Wanda grows more powerful as the Scarlet Witch, it appears that her powers can stretch to the very limits of her own mind. This power could even prove sufficient to cause the MCU's version of "House of M," the famous comics storyline in which the Scarlet Witch erased mutantkind from existence, as many have theorized will be the case when Wanda returns in Multiverse of Madness.
Grief
A central theme of Wanda's character arc throughout the MCU has been dealing with grief. The loss and pain caused by suffering so much grief have driven her from a very young age, and it has been her defining trait in the later years of her tenure in the MCU.
Wanda has lost more than most in life, including her parents, brother, husband (three times), and sons. Approaching Multiverse of Madness, Wanda is suffering from more grief than ever before in her life, leading many to wonder if she has finally reached the breaking point.
