Elizabeth Olsen reveals whether she wants MCU comeback as Wanda Maximoff after character 'death'

Elizabeth Olsen has offered an encouraging statement for those keeping their fingers tightly crossed for Wanda Maximoff's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The fan-favourite character gradually grew in popularity from her debut in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron to her starring role in pandemic-era Disney Plus series WandaVision.

Alas, her final live-action appearance in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has proven divisive among fans, as it rendered her as a simplistic two-dimensional villain, and seemingly left her for dead.

Wanda was consumed by the collapse of the Darkhold Castle atop Mount Wundagore, after going on a killing spree to restore her lost children – and even Olsen has "no idea" whether her powerful character could have survived the disaster.

She did add, however, that she would "jump at the opportunity to be in her shoes again" (via InStyle).

"It's a character that I've gotten to return to so many times over 10 years," she explained. "It's good to put her down and then I miss her and I want her back."

It's a reassuring comment for fans who, for a time, feared that Olsen had closed the door on Wanda, following the closely compressed filming of Infinity War, Endgame, WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness.

Olsen previously told Vanity Fair that filming Multiverse of Madness brought up challenges, as the writers were not able to properly acknowledge or build from the events of WandaVision.

"I said [to the writers] 'Do you know what we're doing in WandaVision? Have you seen it?' and no, they had not seen it, because it wasn't finished yet," recalled Olsen, which explains the dissonance between the two depictions of Wanda.

Nevertheless, Olsen seems to have had some fun on the "goofy" and "ridiculous" sets of Marvel films, while also appreciating the consistent "community" and "financial security" that they gave to her.

In her latest comments, the actor also expressed her support for the cinema experience, revealing that she will only make major studio projects intended for theatrical release – a business that Marvel helped prop up in its glory years.

"I think it's important for people to gather as a community, to see other humans, be together in a space. That's why I like sports. I think it's really powerful for people to come together for something that they're excited about," she said.

Olsen noted that independently produced projects that are later sold to a streaming service, such as her poignant family drama His Three Daughters, are separate to her avoidance of streaming-first blockbusters.

Scarlet Witch fans had a brief reunion with Olsen's version of the character this month via Disney Plus animated series Marvel Zombies, where she had a voice role that she claims to have recorded several years earlier.

"It's my voice. I did it in my house, I wasn't even in an office space," she told crowds at LA Comic-Con (via Variety). "This must have been 2020, 2021? Why was I working in my house and not in a studio? I really have no idea what it was like. I'm so sorry."

The four-part series imagines the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a parallel reality ravaged by a zombie plague, in which a ragtag band of survivors desperately fight to reverse the devastation they have suffered.

Notably, Olsen is one of the MCU favourites currently absent from confirmed cast for upcoming Avengers films Doomsday and Secret Wars, despite intense fan demand for her to face Robert Downey Jr's fellow sorcerer Doctor Doom.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see whether these latest promising comments hint at a comeback for Wanda Maximoff.

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