It's hard to believe it's been over a decade since Elizabeth Olsen made her debut as Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By the time she was cast in the role for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Olsen was coming off her indie success in Martha Marcy May Marlene and was steadily moving into the mainstream space. Put simply Olsen is the perfect Wanda for the MCU. Interestingly enough, though, she was initially under the impression that she was auditioning for a totally different heroine.
During a panel at C2E2 in Chicago, Olsen revealed that her MCU journey was a bit unexpected. Not only did she think she was auditioning for a character other than Scarlet Witch, she thought she was actually being considered for a different Marvel franchise altogether. And let's just say the other franchise was a bit more cosmic. Olsen explained (via Popverse):
I met with Marvel generally and then Joss [Whedon]. He was saying Guardians characters. I wasn’t prepped for Scarlet Witch. He was saying Guardians characters, I’m pretty sure.
So Olsen seemingly believed was going out for Guardians of the Galaxy and, apparently, her brothers put the thought of Gamora, the alien adopted daughter of Thanos, in her head. It's honestly interesting to think about what Olsen's take on the green-skinned warrior would've been like.
Article continues belowThat role, however, ultimately went to Zoe Saldaña, who also ended up joining the Avengers cast for Infinity War and Endgame. I personally can’t imagine anyone else in that part, as Saldaña played Gamora impeccably, capturing the rough exterior which was hiding a much more sensitive character. She also had great chemistry with Chris Pratt, who played her love interest, Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star-Lord) in the five films they did together.
Going off of this, I can’t imagine Scarlet Witch being played by anyone other than Elizabeth Olsen either. Scarlet Witch became one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, but that power was also held by someone deeply human with complex emotions. Olsen played the character not like a superhero, but as she would play any flawed character with a power struggle and complicated relationships. The witch blossomed even more WandaVision, and Wanda was one of the brightest spots in the MCU for me before her death at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Clearly, the Marvel casting directors made the right decisions when it came to casting both Olsen and Saldaña in the franchise, however. This whole situation also speaks to the secrecy that commonly surrounds the Marvel films and how actors don’t even know what characters they are auditioning for when they are considered for a Marvel project. I'd say that Olsen's meeting ended up changing the course of her career, as she'll likely be synonymous with the Scarlet Witch for years to come.
You can revisit Elizabeth Olsen’s run as Scarlet Witch by watching the Avengers films, as well as WandaVision, which are currently streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Superhero fans who are also excited about projects coming to the MCU should also read up on upcoming Marvel movies for information on what’s to come.
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