The Scarlet Witch Saves Magic in Her Solo Series

Witchcraft is broken—and only the Scarlet Witch can fix it! In her critically acclaimed solo series, SCARLET WITCH (2015), Wanda Maximoff journeys the globe to solve the mystery of magic’s final days alongside the dead ghost of Agatha Harkness. From the back alleys of Manhattan, to the serene Greek Isles, to the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Wanda will have to face down her foes and find out who her true friends are. But as Wanda solves magical crimes and pieces witchcraft back together, the most important question remains: Who is the mastermind that broke it in the first place?

Now, through May 27, Marvel Insiders who read issues #1-5 of SCARLET WITCH on Marvel Unlimited will gain 1,000 Marvel Insider points to use towards redeeming exclusive rewards! Read our top highlights from the opening story arc by writer James Robinson, “Witches’ Road,” and join Wanda Maximoff on her quest to restore a world unbalanced.

“THIS WILL HURT”

In the series’ first issue by Robinson and artist Vanesa Del Rey, Wanda Maximoff starts out on a redemptive note. Aware that the world (and even her fellow Avengers) have vilified her for misusing her powers in the past, Wanda is encouraged to work her abilities towards a greater cause. Namely, investigating mystical disturbances that indicate a shift in the world’s magic! In the series opener, Wanda picks up on a trail of dead cats, unprovoked violent attacks from blacked-out assailants, and a detective wearing two faces. But what should be a standard exorcism becomes something far more foreboding. Who, or what, is weakening the fabric between the magical world and our own?

OF GODS AND GODDESSES

James Robinson is joined by artist Marco Rudy on the second issue who takes on a completely different style. On the Greek island of Santorini, Wanda pays a visit to the ancient goddess of witches, Hekate, seeking her advice on what she believes to be the source of magic’s weakening. But a goddess is only as strong as her worshippers, and since Hekate has fallen to the wayside in recent years, she too feels diminished. The goddess requests Wanda’s aid to break a black magic spell that has plagued the island for some time—when the night falls, Santorini is terrorized by a magically-protected being called the Minotaur. But far from being the Minotaur of ancient myth and legend, this version is the B-list villain Man-Bull, AKA William Taurens. Under some kind of enchantment, Taurens believes himself to be the actual son of Zeus. Wanda swiftly bursts his bubble, but is left with more questions as to how this “Minotaur” gained so much power.

THE WITCHES’ ROAD

Where do you go when you need to locate a specific wielder of magic? In the third issue of her quest—written by Robinson with guest artists Steve Dillon and Chris Visions—Wanda and Agatha head off to Dublin to investigate a plague over Ireland’s land and livestock. Wanda traces the curse to the site of an old battlefield riddled with the “unforgiven” dead. These sinning spirits, known in Irish folklore as the “Sluagh,” spew death and fury wherever they travel. And even though the Sluagh are creatures of malice, Wanda still senses a controlling force at play, another entity calling the shots. In order to locate the witch (or wizard) who unleashed the Sluagh, Wanda steps into the portal world of the “Witches’ road,” an in-between plane that only sorcerers can travel.

THE EMERALD WARLOCK

You never know who you’re going to meet on the Witches’ road, and for Wanda Maximoff two surprise visitors lie in wait! Robinson, Visions, and Dillon return for the fourth issue, introducing a mystic by the name of Natalya Maximoff, the mother of the Scarlet Witch! Since time works a bit differently on “the road,” Natalya comes from the past where she has yet to meet Wanda’s father or even give birth. Their reunion is abruptly cut short by a demon beast, and both women are left with the regret of not having more words. But this disappointment is shelved when Wanda and ghost Agatha run into the mage behind Ireland’s devastating plague—the Emerald Warlock. An unhinged wizard by the name of Declan Dane, the Emerald Warlock has a historical blood feud with his ancestral land and the clan of mages who usurped his family’s power. After amassing more than his weight in magic, Declan lashes out at Wanda, striking some powerful punches that she counteracts with her own. But for every spell cast, Wanda now loses years of her life…

A VOW OF SILENCE

Artist Javier Pulido, with a script from Robinson, wraps up the series’ first story arc in issue #5. Traveling to the remote Spanish countryside, the Scarlet Witch is called in to exorcise a haunted church. In its crypts and corridors is a secret history buried by time… and lies. During the Spanish Inquisition, Scarlet Witch discovers that the men of the church wrongly accused a young novice and her fellow nuns of witchcraft, sentencing most to burn at the stake. The spirits of both the Inquisitors and the innocent remain trapped in the building’s basement—until Wanda alleviated their suffering. Banishing the wrongdoers and freeing those who were wronged, Wanda leaves the church feeling some kind of peace. For now.

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