Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #4: Black Magic Woman

The epic finale for the 60th anniversary of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver has hit stands! Writer Steve Orlando and artist Lorenzo Tammetta have crafted this masterpiece, giving us something that’s been missing from Marvel Comics for quite some time: the twins together. Their importance in the Marvel universe has waned, but thanks to last year’s smash Scarlet Witch (by Orlando), plus Pietro’s turn in the Uncanny Avengers mini, as part of the Fall of X event, has seen them restore their standing in the superhero universe hierarchy. .

These two have a long, storied past as one of the first handful of mutants, who have weaved their complex narrative through the decades. Jumping from the mutant world over to the Avengers, as well as being both some of the world’s mightiest heroes, and some of their darkest villains. Their status in the Marvel universe would be elevated when it was revealed that they were the children of Magneto, and his human wife, Magda, who fled to Mount Wundagore to give birth to the twins, and leave them in the care of the High Evolutionary and Bova. Since those humble beginnings these two have undergone some drastic changes through the years, and one thing that’s remained a constant is, they evolve to fit the whims of the editorial decisions. The biggest was their transformation from their mutant status to… something else.

This story revolves around Magneto’s dying words, and a box left to the twins, where Magneto basically told the twins that Pietro should stay away from Wanda, because he’s a bad influence on her, and he clouds her judgment, and she coddles him, and when you look at their history, he’s absolutely correct. Their relationship has always been fairly one-sided, where Pietro likes to dictate the terms on how they interact. He’s brash, and impulsive, and always feels like his position is the correct one, and tries to guilt Wanda into following his orders, regardless of her protestations. This is how we ended up with the deeply flawed narrative that was the House of M, which destroyed Marvel’s mutant community, and made Wanda this huge boogeyman that still has fans in an uproar.

While it was Magneto’s dying words that began this adventure, it was the Fantastic Four villain the Wizard, who, while being a man of science, has found religion, and has a new benefactor who he only addresses as his angel. There are lots of theories on who it is, but for now her identity is still unknown. Something that struck me as odd was the distinct shape of this angel, and how it could be someone that’s one of the abstract entities in the universe, which would align with who the Wizard is, and how his belief system is specifically shaped by tangible evidence and theories. It’s interesting, as it looks like this will be followed up on in the upcoming Scarlet Witch series launching next month.

Something that struck me as interesting was the effects of Wanda using her powers. She sprouted wings after saving Pietro, the Vision, and herself from the Wizard’s trap. With the wings, she had mystical tendrils writhing all over her body, and there was a sinister energy that was cascading off of her face. Wanda’s housed the elder god, Ch’Thon, the god of chaos. It was his influence upon her birth that gave her the powers, and has come up from time to time, where he possesses her, and uses her against her teammates, but this is a different situation. At the end of the Darkhold event, Wanda willingly absorbed Ch’Thon, as well as the pages of the Darkhold, so she is the living embodiment of Chaos Magic. What these sinister signs foreshadow? I don’t know, but it looks like this could be one of those moments where we could be seeing a very dark time for Wanda, and the rest of the Marvel Universe.