Current Events > Seriously though, what the hell IS Scarlet Witch?

(+) Yeah! (+)

And what is that red stuff she shoots out? It reminds of the aether from thor 2 the dark elves world red aether thing.
---

She's a human female
---

She is a mutant again or will be soon. She controls chaos energy and can manipulate probabilities. The movies don't do a good job of explaining it or portraying it

Muffinz0rz posted...

She's a human female

Actually shes classified as a Homo superior so shes not strictly human.

I think having the power of jinxes (probability manipulation) is abstract, though. Like...how is that a thing?
---

In the movies she's telekinetic and telepathic for some reason. I'm willing to forgive that though, because it's really hard to show on-screen what probability manipulation would look like. Even in the comics, a visual storytelling medium, the narration had to literally tell you what she was doing with her powers. Eventually they threw their hands up and mostly limited her to throwing 'chaos bolts' (generic energy blasts) at things.
---

Whatever the comic book writers and convoluted movie deal shenanigans decide this month.

She knows how to put everyone in a completely different world or dimension.
---

hollow_shrine posted...

In the movies she's telekinetic and telepathic for some reason. I'm willing to forgive that though, because it's really hard to show on-screen what probability manipulation would look like. Even in the comics, a visual storytelling medium, the narration had to literally tell you what she was doing with her powers. Eventually they threw their hands up and mostly limited her to throwing 'chaos bolts' (generic energy blasts) at things.

The Flash TV show has a character this season where they portray that pretty well. She basically constantly has good luck by making everyone around her have bad luck. Hazard is her name I believe.

She's a witch!
---

If you ever want to know the real truth of a character, read the comics. Even the best movies never get it right. And Scarlet Witch is one of the most confusing ones if you don't read the comics

Apparently one of her powers is having a mental breakdown then transporting everyone to a reality where her father is an emperor.
---

Solid Sonic posted...

Actually shes classified as a Homo superior so shes not strictly human.

heheheheheheheheheh
---

Mister_Spyker posted...

She's a witch!

---

Ricemills posted...

Mister_Spyker posted...

She's a witch!

I believe she was accused of witchcraft as a young girl in eastern europe. If I remember right, a mob tried to burn her alive or something. like an actual old fasioned witch trial

Her X-Men Evo outfit is the shit. It makes being goth look fashionable. Wish someone cosplayed as that.
---

Zikten posted...

chaos energy

But That's not a thing. I literally get Sonic related media when I try to google it.
---

saspa posted...

Zikten posted...

chaos energy

But That's not a thing. I literally get Sonic related media when I try to google it.

The regular kind, or the weird stuff?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_Witch

Abilities

Probability manipulation
Reality warping
Chaos magic

When the Scarlet Witch was first created by Lee and Kirby, her powers were not well defined. She had "hex powers", that could cause random unlikely events to take place. This gave creative freedom to the writers, as it actually meant that her powers could be used for any purpose required by the plot.[4] Despite the character's name, she had those powers as a mutant, and not because of actual witchcraft. Later writers gave her an increased control over her power, so that she could cause specific events and not just random ones. Englehart also made the character explore witchcraft under the tutelage of Agatha Harkness, a trait that was kept by later writers. The effects of her powers are varied but almost always detrimental to opponents, such as causing the artifact the Evil Eye to work against the inter-dimensional warlord Dormammu,[111] forcing the robot Ultron to short circuit,[112] or a gas main underneath the Brotherhood of Mutants to explode.[113] Scarlet Witch also has the potential to wield magic and later learned that she was destined to serve the role of Nexus Being, a living focal point for the Earth dimension's mystical energy.[114]

Writer Kurt Busiek redefined Scarlet Witch's powers, and maintained that it was in fact an ability to manipulate chaos magic, activated due to the demon Chthon changing her mutation at birth into an ability to wield and control magical energy. This was offered as an explanation for her various feats that seemed to go beyond probability alteration, as well as why her hexes almost always have an effect that is favorable to her goals.[66] During Busiek's run as well as the subsequent run by Geoff Johns, she was shown to be capable of large-scale spells given enough concentration and time to shape the chaos magic to a specific goal, including the resurrection of Wonder Man.[66]

Her powers were retconned in Avengers Disassembled, removing chaos magic and turning them into reality warping. In House of M, this new power was enough to change the whole universe.[115] Her powers were retconned back to their previous ones in The Children's crusade, and the previous events attributed to an outside force that had temporarily increased them.[84]

She has a degree of resistance to the Phoenix Force and can cause pain to its hosts, such as Cyclops when he tried to stop Hope from going with her.[116] This becomes less effective as the Phoenix Force portions are divided among those who have not yet been defeated.[volume & issue needed] A vs X #12 confirmed that her powers involve chaos magic, and stated that she has "Mutant Magic", and the "primal source of her chaos" magic is cosmic.[volume & issue needed]

In the new Scarlet Witch series (2016), it is confirmed that Wanda was born with the ability to utilize witchcraft and that this has been seen in other women within her family.[volume & issue needed] Wanda believes that The High Evolutionary genetically altered her, making her more receptive to magical energy.[volume & issue needed]

saspa posted...

Zikten posted...

chaos energy

But That's not a thing. I literally get Sonic related media when I try to google it.

Just go to her wiki page on the marvel wiki.

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Wanda_Maximoff_(Earth-616)
---

In the MCU, she's discount Jean Grey
---

Ivynn posted...

In the MCU, she's discount Jean Grey

You act as if the MCU hasn't always been the second-stringers, except maybe Hulk.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Ivynn posted...

In the MCU, she's discount Jean Grey

You act as if the MCU hasn't always been the second-stringers, except maybe Hulk.

At worst Captain America is third behind Spider-Man and Wolverine.
---

The avengers are not 2nd stringers. in the actual comic world they are extremely important figures in the world. it's just that those characters never hit it big outside the pages. Captain America is way more famous and important in the world than Spiderman. Spiderman looks up to Captain America like a mentor and personal hero

hollow_shrine posted...

In the movies she's telekinetic and telepathic for some reason. I'm willing to forgive that though, because it's really hard to show on-screen what probability manipulation would look like. Even in the comics, a visual storytelling medium, the narration had to literally tell you what she was doing with her powers. Eventually they threw their hands up and mostly limited her to throwing 'chaos bolts' (generic energy blasts) at things.

What does that mean though? Is she shooting out the same red stuff cyclops shoots from this eyes, only she does it with her hands?
---

saspa posted...

hollow_shrine posted...

In the movies she's telekinetic and telepathic for some reason. I'm willing to forgive that though, because it's really hard to show on-screen what probability manipulation would look like. Even in the comics, a visual storytelling medium, the narration had to literally tell you what she was doing with her powers. Eventually they threw their hands up and mostly limited her to throwing 'chaos bolts' (generic energy blasts) at things.

What does that mean though? Is she shooting out the same red stuff cyclops shoots from this eyes, only she does it with her hands?

she is manipulating the chaos energies of the universe. it's not the same stuff that cyclops uses.

Solid Sonic posted...

Her X-Men Evo outfit is the shit. It makes being goth look fashionable. Wish someone cosplayed as that.

*googles*

ew. She literally looks like a hideous ogre (which differs from a regular ogre)

No it looks kinda vampirey. At least in wolverine and the xmen she actually looks much better, albeit insanely goofier with the stupid helmet and cape. But at least she has long hair and looks like an actual woman.
---

saspa posted...

Is she shooting out the same red stuff cyclops shoots from this eyes, only she does it with her hands?

the red stuff from cyclops's eyes was some kind of cosmic energy and his eyes is a portal to another dimension.
---

Zikten posted...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_Witch

Abilities

Probability manipulation
Reality warping
Chaos magic

When the Scarlet Witch was first created by Lee and Kirby, her powers were not well defined. She had "hex powers", that could cause random unlikely events to take place. This gave creative freedom to the writers, as it actually meant that her powers could be used for any purpose required by the plot.[4] Despite the character's name, she had those powers as a mutant, and not because of actual witchcraft. Later writers gave her an increased control over her power, so that she could cause specific events and not just random ones. Englehart also made the character explore witchcraft under the tutelage of Agatha Harkness, a trait that was kept by later writers. The effects of her powers are varied but almost always detrimental to opponents, such as causing the artifact the Evil Eye to work against the inter-dimensional warlord Dormammu,[111] forcing the robot Ultron to short circuit,[112] or a gas main underneath the Brotherhood of Mutants to explode.[113] Scarlet Witch also has the potential to wield magic and later learned that she was destined to serve the role of Nexus Being, a living focal point for the Earth dimension's mystical energy.[114]

Writer Kurt Busiek redefined Scarlet Witch's powers, and maintained that it was in fact an ability to manipulate chaos magic, activated due to the demon Chthon changing her mutation at birth into an ability to wield and control magical energy. This was offered as an explanation for her various feats that seemed to go beyond probability alteration, as well as why her hexes almost always have an effect that is favorable to her goals.[66] During Busiek's run as well as the subsequent run by Geoff Johns, she was shown to be capable of large-scale spells given enough concentration and time to shape the chaos magic to a specific goal, including the resurrection of Wonder Man.[66]

Her powers were retconned in Avengers Disassembled, removing chaos magic and turning them into reality warping. In House of M, this new power was enough to change the whole universe.[115] Her powers were retconned back to their previous ones in The Children's crusade, and the previous events attributed to an outside force that had temporarily increased them.[84]

She has a degree of resistance to the Phoenix Force and can cause pain to its hosts, such as Cyclops when he tried to stop Hope from going with her.[116] This becomes less effective as the Phoenix Force portions are divided among those who have not yet been defeated.[volume & issue needed] A vs X #12 confirmed that her powers involve chaos magic, and stated that she has "Mutant Magic", and the "primal source of her chaos" magic is cosmic.[volume & issue needed]

In the new Scarlet Witch series (2016), it is confirmed that Wanda was born with the ability to utilize witchcraft and that this has been seen in other women within her family.[volume & issue needed] Wanda believes that The High Evolutionary genetically altered her, making her more receptive to magical energy.[volume & issue needed]

Oh wow. That's actually... even more confusing. At first it sounds like her powers are similar to spiderman's black cat (causing bad luck to people/good luck to happen to her) but then they go into that chaos energy thing and reality warping, which again sounds pretty darn vague. It seems purposely vague to allow her or anyone wielding it to do anything and be explained away as magic, with no real rules, standards or limitations to it.
---

X-Men Evolution's take on Scarlet Witch's powers seemed to give one of the best animated previews of the probability effects she can make happen short of straight up reality manipulation. Anything from an old roof suddenly caving in, a conveniently centered earth tremor, machines short circuiting, to even causing the powers of a fellow mutant to temporarily fizzle out. It's kind of appropriate to call an attack from her a "hex" because she's almost always trying to cause something "negative" to happen to opponents, like jinxing them.

She can also produce "positive" outcomes, especially when she needs a lifeline to save herself from harm(like a building collapsing around her and the section she's standing in happens to remain stable long enough for her to escape. Although the range for how far she can take these effects is always up in the air with writers. She really was introduced as a plot device first and a developed character much later...

Personally I've always thought "chaos energy" was a cheap way of defining what she can do without admitting she's just a wild card writers toss about when they want something random to happen. If she could really control probability to a significant extent as proposed, she wouldn't have had such an unlucky history and she could instantly kill anyone in thousands of ways that would appear as natural occurrences. She would be grossly overpowered for most comic showdowns she participates in.
---

Chaos energy does seem pretty cheap as far as explanations go. Looking for good clips of sw on x-evo, got any to demonstrate her powers?
---

Mister_Spyker posted...

She's a witch!

She turned me into a newt!
---

Lol reference to roald dahl's the witches?
---