Affiliation: Avengers
Previous Affiliations: Avengers West Coast, Force Works, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (1st incarnation)

Known Relatives: Pietro Maximoff (brother) [(also known as Quicksilver)], Magnus (father) [(also known as Eric Lensherr/ Magneto)], Magda (mother, deceased), Django Maximoff (adoptive father, deceased), Marya Maximoff (adoptive mother, deceased), Vision (ex-husband)

Wanda's mutant abilites were primarily energy based, until she was exposed to the chaos magic of Chloton as a mere baby. It was then that her powers became based on altering probablities. The Scarlet Witch can stop arrows in midflight, cause guns to jam, etc... If it seems impossible, the Scarlet Witch's hex powers can make it possible. At one time, Immortus increased Wanda's powers so that she recreated reality with her hexes (one example was when she used her hex powers to prevent Simon William's death). She lost the power increase, as well as her powers for a time, but after rejoining the Avengers in the wake of the return of the heroes. Morgan LeFay instilled her magicks into Wanda so that she could alter reality to her needs. Wanda broke free and has since gained a great mastery of her powers. When before she could only hope the effects would happen as planned, Wanda can now control the outcome.

Wanda Maximoff was the daughter of the mutant called Magnus and a gypsy woman named Magda. Just prior to her birth, her mother fled from her father, terrified of the bizarre powers he suddenly manifested. Seeking refuge in the scientific citadel of Wundagore in the Balkan mountains of the tiny nation of Transia, Magda was taken in by Bova, a woman evolved from a cow by the master of genetic acceleration, the High Evolutionary. Magda gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, with Bova as her midwife. Still afraid that her husband might find her and learn of the children, Magda left Bova a note explaining her fears, and walked into the frozen mountain wilderness to perish. Feeling that it was not right to raise two seemingly normal babies in the environment of the evolved animal-men of Wundagore, Bova was relieved when several nights later, an American couple vacationing in Europe, Robert and Madeline Frank, also came to Wundagore seeking natal assistance. Bova intended to award the couple the days-old twins to raise along with their own newborn. Unfortunately, the couple's child was stillborn and Madeline died from complications in childbirth. Bova presented Robert Frank with the twins, representing them as his own natural children, in the hope it would assuage his grief. Years later, Frank and the children would believe that he was their natural father. Bova then presented the twins to her master, the High Evolutionary, who agreed to find human foster parents for them.

The High Evolutionary did find such parents for them in the persons of Django and Marya Maximoff, a gypsy couple camped nearby who had lost their own two children, Ana and Mateo, during World War II. The Maximoffs accepted the strange gifts from the High Evolutionary and were told their names were Wanda and Pietro, the names their natural mother had given them at birth. The Maximoffs cared for the children as if they were their own. Years later, Django would believe that Wanda and Pietro were his natural children Ana and Mateo. As adolescents, Wanda and Pietro discovered that they had peculiar talents. With a particular gesture while she was in a certain frame of mind, Wanda found that she could cause unusual phenomena to occur. When Django began to steal food to feed his starving family, enraged villagers attacked the gypsy camp. Using his phenomenal speed, Pietro fled from the camp with his sister. The traumatic circumstances of the separation from their family were so severe that not until well into adulthood could they remember anything but the barest details of their childhood. The next few years, Wanda and Pietro wandered central Europe, living off the land.

One day, Wanda accidentally caused a house to burst into flames with her uncontrollable hex powers, and was chased by superstitious townspeople. Despite Pietro's attempt to defend her, they were soon overpowered and about to become victims of mob violence when Magneto came to their rescue. Unaware that he was their natural father, Magneto pressed them into service in his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, costumed them, and named them the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. For months they served Magneto out of a sense of obligation and fear of his reprisal. When the extraterrestrial Stranger transported Magneto from Earth, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver left the Brotherhood and petitioned for membership in the Avengers. They were inducted along with Hawkeye to take the place of the charter members, who wished a leave of absence.

At one point during her career as an Avenger, the Scarlet Witch underwent training in sorcery under the tutelage of a true witch named Agatha Harkness. The mental discipline of sorcery aided the Scarlet Witch's powers of concentration, enabling her to exercise much greater control over her mutant hexes than ever before. While an active member of the Avengers, the Scarlet Witch met, became romantically involved with, and married the synthetic man called the Vision. For a few years after their marriage, the two lived in Avengers Mansion, saving their Avengers' salaries. Eventually, the couple bought a house in Leonia, New Jersey, and retired from active membership. They returned to active duty when the Baxter Building was threatened by Annihilus' null-field. The Vision assumed chairmanship when most of the Avengers disappeared while fighting the first Secret War. After a several week stint, the Vision stepped down as leader and the couple returned to Leonia. By warping probabilities, Wanda managed to be impregnated by the artificial Vision. The twin sons, William and Thomas, were the apple of Wanda's eye. However, she did not realize the sinister nature of the twins. These children were not real flesh and blood. They were, in fact, shards of the demon Mephisto's soul. When she was not conciously thinking about her babies, they would not exist. During a battle with Master Pandemonium, the Avengers West Coast discovered this truth and to prevent Mephisto from destroying the Avengers, Agatha Harkness went into Wanda's mind and blocked out the memory of the twins from her mind.

This caused Mephisto to explode and dissipate and put Wanda in a coma. Magneto soon came to his daughter and brought her to the dark side of life. Empowered by Immortus and tainted by Magneto, Wanda was a force to reckon with. She soon regained her mind and rejoined the Avengers. She remained with them until the West Coast branch was disbanded. Iron Man then started Force Works, and Wanda joined that as team leader. During the Crossing (an abomination of an Avengers tale), the Scarlet Witch returned to the Avengers, but soon disappeared as a result of Onslaught. A year later after her disappearance, Wanda returned to the Avengers. She found that she could resurrect her dead teammate, Wonder Man, whenever she was in a time of need. Wanda also started learning of new aspects of her powers, including the ability to manipulate energies (mental, physical, etc...)

Current Situation: The Vision and the Scarlet Witch have since "divorced" and Wanda has started a relationship with the newly restored Wonder Man. During a time when Captain America and Iron Man were on leave of absense, Wanda was selected as the deputy leader of the Avengers. She is now responsible for the morale of the team, as well as other non-combat procedures. Wanda's control over her powers has increased incredibly, which is partially how she was able to defeat Alkhema, a creation of Ultron based on the deceased Avenger, Mockingbird.

First appearance: