The Last Door offers salvation to those with nowhere else to go. Those who have reached their lowest point. If you find the Last Door and pass through it, you will find yourself in a little shop run by none other than Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch!
Scarlet Witch (2023) #1 “The Last Door”
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Publication Date: March, 2023–January, 2024
Writer: Steve Orlando
Quick Review: This reintroduction of the Scarlet Witch is an excellent jumping-on point for new Marvel Comics readers, gradually introducing the audience to Wanda Maximoff, her allies and her enemies. Meanwhile, long-time fans will be pleased to see Wanda finally happy and at peace as she rekindles her relationships and counsels others who find themselves on the edge of ruin. The cool, vibrant colors are a visual treat, especially when accompanied by a gorgeous new character design for the Scarlet Witch. This is an awesome read for long-time fans and new readers alike!
New Beginnings and Old Friends
The last 20 years’ worth of comic storylines have been rough on the Scarlet Witch. If you’ve seen Wandavision or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, imagine that stretched across two decades. That’s the only succinct way I can describe the situation leading up to Scarlet Witch (2023). Thankfully, this 10-issue series gives both Wanda and the reader a fresh start.
The Scarlet Witch was a core member of the Avengers for much of her history, so running a little magic shop in Lotkill, New York, is a big shift in her status quo. As an Avenger, Wanda was naturally at the center of the Marvel universe’s events more often than not. This book, however, takes her away from that broader Marvel universe, giving us the room to get to know Wanda on a personal level. The Last Door allows elements of that wider universe to trickle back into Wanda’s life, gradually reestablishing and reinforcing her relationships with other Marvel characters.
The opening issue gives us the bare essentials of Marvel continuity as it relates to the Scarlet Witch: she’s a powerful mage, that power ended up hurting a lot of people, she has largely redeemed herself for the harm she caused, and now she’s working to save others from falling down the dark path she walked. All this is conveyed efficiently, giving just enough information to hook the reader and bring them up to speed.
From there, the story takes on an adventure-of-the-month format as family, friends and foes from Wanda’s past intersect with her new life. Said adventures include going on a sub-atomic quest with her sister Polaris, checking in on her son Wiccan after his intergalactic emperor husband has been accused of enabling genocide, and engaging in an inter-dimensional duel with her magic teacher Agatha Harkness. The format and mood are reminiscent of Sam Raimi-produced shows like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys or Xena: Warrior Princess, with a fun sense of adventure coming through the pages, even when the stakes are high.
More Powerful Than Magic
Scarlet Witch VOL. 2: “Magnum Opus” (Trade Paperback)
Dialogue has a sense of grandiosity that perfectly fits the adventurous fantasy mood of the book. Yet with all this mysticism going on, the stakes are very much emotional and personal, with a focus on redemption and relationships. Wanda is at a point where she’s made peace with her violent past and her overwhelming magical power, and this leads her to have many touching heart-to-hearts with both friends and enemies. Oftentimes her words prove to be even more powerful than her magic, such as when she engages in a verbal duel with Loki.
The art in this series is beautiful, with vibrant yet cool and calming colors reflecting the mix of fantasy adventure and cozy slice-of-life elements within the story. The art and story work together to blend these seemingly disparate elements into a story that expertly ebbs and flows, bringing both excitement and comfort.
The creative team introduces a new look for the Scarlet Witch, adapting a one-off costume she wore in a previous series into a streamlined look. It’s the best costume she’s ever had, and I would totally love to cosplay it someday.
Newer comics have leaned into Wanda’s Jewish-Romani heritage by drawing her with brown skin, and Scarlet Witch (2023) keeps up this new tradition. It’s a gorgeous look for Wanda that goes beautifully with the cool reds and purples of her new costume, with the added benefit of bringing more diversity of skin tones to Marvel’s lineup of superheroes. It’s especially exciting to see this done with one of the core members of the Avengers, thereby making one of the most powerful and prominent superheroes in Marvel’s continuity a woman of color.
And There’s More!
Every step of the way, I found Scarlet Witch (2023) charming, inviting, exciting and warm. It can be violent and sad, and not everyone gets a happy ending, but there is a sense of hope at the core of this series. A feeling that it’s never too late to do the right thing. That it’s never too late to be a hero.
How to Read Scarlet Witch
We’re happy to offer this series as a trade paperback collection, both in print and digital. For the events in Wanda’s life immediately preceding this story, check out X-Men: The Trial of Magneto. And be sure to browse our collection for more stories featuring the Scarlet Witch!