Scarlet Witch #5: A Witch Called Wanda

Scarlet Witch #5 brings to a close Steve Orlando’s first major arc on the title and does so gracefully. This beginning chapter was designed to do many things, such as introduce new and old readers to this version of Wanda and intrinsically walk a tightrope between forgetting and healing the traumas of her publishing history. Managing those things while still needing to set up the original characters’ arcs and plot lines for this series to stand alone is no easy feat, but the team sticks the landing.

The story picks up with everyone from last ish licking their wounds. Wanda is scrapping by, still injured, as she tries to put the town back together as best she can. Bound up in armor made from the same stone that pierced Wanda’s shoulder, Scythia returns with a fierce hunger. As she and Wanda throw down, the fight devolves into a brutal, knuckle-tearing battle for physical survival and ideological survival.

Orlando writes Wanda in this book like many would write Superman. She strives to be inspirational and to deal with her antagonists in the most human and understanding ways possible. It’s a beautiful direction for the character that’s injected life and warmth back into her after years of being the universe’s punching bag. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, but when she can diffuse and change the minds of her enemies for the better, she takes that option. It’s a natural evolution for the character after everything she’s learned as a character who has been treated both as a true hero and a villain. This character evolution is fully realized in her fight with Scythia, a battle that begs to be blown up and studied in an artisan’s edition. Dauterman slays his penciling duties with this issue, his artwork and paneling elevating every ounce of Orlando’s plots/scripting.

Upon realizing her magic cannot work against Scythia’s armor, she raises her fists, declares herself an Avenger, and takes the battle directly to her with nothing more than her bloodied wits. Every second of this battle is a subtle catharsis for everything the character has become. Wanda’s always had to fight to reclaim her pre-House of M status. Without addressing it directly and retreading old ground, Orlando has genuinely fixed the character while delivering a near-perfect finale to a narrative that doesn’t require any knowledge of Marvel events from twenty years ago. This is in many ways tied to Darcy’s arc as a character, which resolves neatly in this issue and sets her up for a greater purpose within Wanda’s life moving forward, which is great, as her friendship with Wanda shines as an example of Orlando’s excellent character work.

The end-of-issue stinger is super promising as well. Stick around for what comes next, as there is no stopping this series’s juggernaut of excellence.