Wanda Maximoff, known as the Scarlet Witch, first appeared in The X-Men #4 (March 1964), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. She and her twin brother Pietro (Quicksilver) debuted as members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, with Wanda's initial powers described as probability-altering "hexes" that caused random misfortunes. Believing themselves mutants indebted to Magneto, the siblings soon rejected his extremism and joined the Avengers in Avengers #16 (1965), seeking redemption as heroes. Over time, her abilities evolved through training with Agatha Harkness, revealing true magical potential tied to chaos magic.
Significant developments include her 1970s marriage to the android Vision and the magical creation of twin sons, Tommy and Billy, whose later revelation as constructs reabsorbed by Mephisto triggered profound grief. This culminated in Avengers Disassembled (2004), where Wanda's breakdown attacked her teammates, followed by House of M (2005), in which she rewrote reality into a mutant-dominated world before uttering "No more mutants," depowering most of the global mutant population in the event known as M-Day. Origins underwent retcons, shifting from Magneto's children to experiments by the High Evolutionary enhanced by the elder god Chthon, affirming chaos magic as her primary power source rather than mutation.
In recent years, Wanda has pursued redemption through solo series exploring her mystical heritage and aiding those in need, while facing ongoing consequences from past actions. As of late 2025, she has ascended to the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme in the new ongoing series Sorcerer Supreme, following the fall of Doctor Doom, marking her as Earth's primary mystical defender with a bold new path in magical guardianship.