Scarlet Witch Actress Elizabeth Olsen Suggests She’s Not She’s Not in Avengers: Secret Wars or Avengers: Doomsday — Here’s Why

Scarlet Witch actress Elizabeth Olsen has suggested she will not be in either Avengers: Secret Wars or Avengers: Doomsday.

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans had hoped to see The Scarlet Witch return following the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Warning! Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along Season 1 follow.

Scarlet Witch apparently died at the end of 2022 MCU film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and failed to make a dramatic return in Disney+ show Agatha All Along, much to the disappointment of fans. Olsen had said she’d be up for playing Scarlet Witch once again, “if there’s a good way to use her.”

Then, MCU boss Kevin Feige issued a tease that got Scarlet Witch fans excited. “We had Agatha Forever on Disney+ just now, and that series was great for us,” he said. “Since then, there have been a lot of questions about Wanda on fans' minds... So all I can say is that we're excited to find out when and how the Scarlet Witch might return.”

If that return to the MCU does happen, it apparently won’t be in Avengers. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Olsen insisted she won’t be in London for the filming of the Russo brothers’ two upcoming Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars.

Why? She wants to focus on her non-Marvel movies right now. Doomsday and Secret Wars will soon start shooting in London via back-to-back productions, whereas Olsen is about to film a pilot for FX drama Seven Sisters.

Is this a ruse? Could Olsen be offering a diversion in her response to The Hollywood Reporter’s question? It wouldn’t be the first misleading misdirection from a member of the MCU’s cast. Perhaps everyone wants Scarlet Witch’s involvement in Avengers to be a big surprise if and when it happens, and ruling it out in interviews will help.

Here’s what we know: Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. is set to return as Doctor Doom, and Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Doctor Strange in Secret Wars. Elsewhere, we have vague rumblings about who will turn up in the film, with everyone from The Fantastic Four to the Thunderbolts rumored to be in the cast.

All eyes will be on London to see which MCU stars are in town when the filming takes place. Expect plenty more reports from eagle-eyed fans to hit the internet in the coming months.

The MCU continues regardless. Thunderbolts* comes out in May 2025, TV show Ironheart is out in June, and Phase 6 kicks off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July.

Earlier this month, the Russo brothers said they see Avengers 5 and 6 as a “new beginning” that will lay the foundation for whatever comes next in Phase 7 of the MCU.

“The only thing I’ll say about the movie is this: we love villains who think they’re the heroes of their own stories,” Joe Russo said. “That’s when they become three-dimensional and they become more interesting. When you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a three-dimensional, well shaped character for the audience. That’s where a lot of our focus is going.”

Avengers: Doomsday is currently set to arrive in theaters May 1, 2026 and Secret Wars arrives about a year later in May 2027.

Late last year, Feige teased the introduction of X-Men characters in the "next few" MCU movies. Feige told an audience at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore that fans would see “some X-Men players that you might recognize” in the next few MCU movies, but he stopped short of saying which characters or what movies.

On bringing the X-Men into the MCU, Feige added: “I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize.

“Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”

Feige has also said the X-Men will be an important part of the MCU’s future following Secret Wars. "When we were preparing for Avengers: Endgame years ago, it was a question of getting to the grand finale of our narrative, and then we had to start all over again after that,” Feige said. “This time, on the road to Secret Wars, we already know very well what the story is going to be until then and afterwards. The X-Men are an important part of that future.”

In October, Marvel Studios added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028. It seems increasingly likely one of these movies is X-Men.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.