Scarlet Witch’s scribe, Steve Orlando, has been the sole guiding voice for Wanda since the Darkhold crossover back in 2022. Since that time, he’s given readers two ten-issue ongoings, a four-issue mini celebrating the 60th anniversary of her and her brother Quicksilver, and a five-issue mini celebrating her and her once paramour, Vision’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Comic Watch Reviews:
- Vision & Scarlet Witch Series Review
- Scarlet Witch #9: Black Cat, nine lives. Short days, long nights.
To say that Steve’s been putting Wanda through her paces would be an understatement.
Site contributor B. Radtz caught up with Orlando to chat about Wanda’s journey and where she is headed next:
Comic Watch: You’ve given us some truly epic battles, where you really pushed the boundaries of what she’s capable of doing, and it feels so fresh. What is it about Wanda that drew you to her? What’s the most exciting, and challenging thing that comes with dealing with a character who’s gone through so many existential changes in the 61 years since her creation?
Steve: For me, and perhaps paradoxically due to all she can do, Wanda’s appeal to me is her humanity–of all the Marvel heroes, she’s one of the most like us. Her journey isn’t linear. She tries, but doesn’t always succeed. She makes progress and backslides. She struggles to hold her blended family together. And despite all that, she remains the person who will bend heaven and earth to help you–for no reason other than you asked, and no reward. After so long reaching out a hand and receiving none in return, she is that hand for whoever needs it. And to me, that’s her real power–because the stage doesn’t matter. She is that person. The struggles of cosmic beings and of her neighbors are the same to her–she levels the playing field, she equalizes. And for powerful beings who lord above, who might think they matter more than a person on the street, she’s a memento mori. That’s someone I believe in, and that’s what makes her exciting to write.
Comic Watch: How much of an upgrade is Wanda getting with her being elevated to the role as Sorcerer Supreme in the 616?
I don’t know if upgrade has the right connotations–Wanda’s getting a new set of duties and responsibilities. And with that comes new challenges. With the title comes new enemies. And to her surprise, it also comes with naysayers she’d never expect. It turns out that much like in the real world, some people were fine with Wanda as long as she knew her place, as long as she stayed in her lane. When she was the Scarlet Witch–they could handle that. But suddenly, as Sorcerer Supreme, that’s a step too far. Wanda has always been and will be powerful–her gifts go beyond magic and sorcery. But regardless of that, she is now responsible for magic on the Earthly Plane. She has new tools, but a whole new set of questions to consider at the same time. 
Comic Watch: You’ve put Wanda up against some next-level tiered characters, like the Griever At The End Of All Things, and my personal favorite, LORE!!!!!, so where do you go next?
Onward, outward, and upward! We know Dormammu will be dropping in during our first issue–and there’ll be, as always, as much big and new as we can back into every issue. We’ll see the Goblin Queen cementing her title as Sorcerer Supreme of Limbo. We’ll see new artifacts like the Cloak of Devastation and the Skull of Necrom. We’ll see the Night Terrors, the spawn of Nightmare and Nemesis–the first nightmare ever dreamt. And soon enough, the chains of Moritarga will break and we’ll see the Extinction Weapons and their master–the Extinction King.
Comic Watch: Is there anything over the last few years that you’ve pitched that you’ve thought would never get greenlit, but ended up getting the OK?
There’s always something! But in truth, we’ve been very supported and have been given a wide berth to tell stories with Wanda. I wasn’t sure, certainly, that we’d get away with the duel of truths against Loki–or the Wicked Witch versus the Scarlet Witch. The same goes for doing our DUNE inspired issue with Ice Worms–which wove Jack Frost into Asgardian lore and developed him a Isabrot. And most of all I was so happy to have support on Amaranth’s origin, one of my favorite concepts we’ve built out, with a magical allusion to the mythic storytelling of one of Wanda’s co-creators…the King himself, Jack Kirby!
Comic Watch: You’ve worked with some amazing talent since your run has begun. Everyone from superstars like Sara Pichelli, to up and comers like Jocopo Camagni, and Lorenzo Tammetta, to be joined by comics vet, Bernard Chang. What’s been some of the best moments you’ve had with this level of talent you’ve collaborated with? What do you want to do with Chang in this new run?
Honestly, I’ve been incredibly lucky. Everyone’s been a killer–and my philosophy is to get out of the way and let them cook. I try not to micromanage as a collaborator–because I wouldn’t want to be micromanaged. The result is pages with even more life–the result of that is that almost every page is a surprise in the best way. There are always moments–Sara’s depiction of Joseph’s tragic end is a favorite of mine. Jacopo’s work in the Witches’ Underworld and with Amaranth’s origin sequence was magical. Lorenzo’s work is electric and beaming with energy–I think his work with Wanda and the microsun gun is some of my favorite, along with his reveal of Vision’s white form. Russell’s work on Lore and her battle with Wanda was key. And with Carlos Nieto, it was all about the dimensional skipping sequence–especially when we visited the land of legends. As for Bernard? The man is an absolute master–I know from working on MUTANT FORCE with him that the storytelling is going to crackle and the designs will pulse with detail and life. What do I want to do with Bernard on this run? I want to keep him excited, keep feeding him imagery he can sink his teeth into, because he is always going to deliver some of the best work in the business.
Comic Watch: What are some of the stories of Wanda’s that has most influenced you with your take on who she is as a person, and who she is as a super hero?
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Whew! What a wild ride! A big thank you, Steve, and the great folks at Marvel for giving me some of your valuable time!
Check out SORCERER SUPREME by Steve Orlando and Bernard Chang on shelves and your favorite online platforms now!