VISIONQUEST Stars Tease Wanda Maximoff’s Loving Presence Throughout the Marvel Series

Wanda Maximoff may not be making the big MCU comeback fans are hoping for in VisionQuest, but the Scarlet Witch will still have an important role in the Disney+ series. In fact, it sounds like her influence on Vision and their son Tommy will be a major part of the story, even if she doesn't physically appear.

Paul Bettany is returning as Vision in the upcoming Marvel series, which serves as the third and final chapter of the story that began with WandaVision and continued in Agatha All Along. Naturally, fans were wondering whether Elizabeth Olsen will return as Wanda, especially considering how closely these characters' stories are connected.

Speaking with Buro 24/7, Bettany said: “Falling in love with Wanda is largely how Vision understands humanity, so yes, she’s very much a presence for him and always will be, because family is forever.”

It's a sweet sentiment, especially with Bettany bringing back the familiar "family is forever" phrase from WandaVision.

It also makes perfect sense for the story VisionQuest is telling. Wanda played such an important role in Vision becoming more human that it would feel strange for him to continue his journey without carrying that love with him. Their relationship helped shape who he became, and that emotional connection doesn't simply disappear.

Of course, fans hoping to see Wanda return in the flesh might be disappointed, but there's something fitting about having her remain part of the story through the people who love her. The series explores how that love will influence Tommy Maximoff, played by Ruaridh Mollica.

While Agatha All Along brought Billy Maximoff back into the MCU, his relationship with Wanda was complicated. Billy recognized Tommy as his brother, but he didn't necessarily embrace Wanda as his mother. He also appeared to carry some resentment toward her.

Tommy, on the other hand, has a completely different perspective. As we've seen in the VisionQuest trailers, he's searching for his mother and genuinely considers Wanda to be his mom.

Mollica explained how Tommy's relationship with Vision helps him better understand the woman he's looking for:

“I feel like I’m kind of learning about my mother through Vision in the show, and I think there’s a saying in psychotherapy or something: the mother is like the original wound, and it’s the thing that you hold so dear.

“I get to go on this journey with my father, and then all I yearn for is mum, you know? I have all these memories of her and learn about how amazing she was through the eyes of love in Vision. It’s really beautiful.”

That's a really interesting direction for Tommy's character, and it gives Wanda a meaningful place in the series without requiring her to actually show up.

Instead of learning about his mother through her mistakes, Tommy is discovering who she was through someone who loved her unconditionally. Vision remembers Wanda as the woman who helped him understand humanity, and Tommy gets to experience that love through his father's memories.

After everything that happened in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there's no getting around the fact that Wanda has done some terrible things. Her violent pursuit of America Chavez and the destruction she caused painted a much darker picture of the character.

But that isn't the Wanda Vision knows, and it makes sense that Tommy would come to know his mother through a different perspective.

This also creates an interesting possibility for when Tommy and Billy eventually reunite. The brothers could have very different opinions about their mother, with Tommy holding onto the loving woman Vision describes while Billy struggles with the darker side of her history.

Neither perspective would necessarily be wrong. Wanda has always been a complicated character, capable of tremendous love and terrible decisions. That's a big part of what makes her one of the MCU's more interesting characters.

Using Wanda's memory to explore Vision and Tommy's relationship feels like the right creative choice for VisionQuest. It allows the series to acknowledge how important she is to this family while keeping the focus on the characters whose stories are currently unfolding.

It also gives Tommy something personal to search for beyond simply finding his missing mother. He's trying to understand who she was and what she meant to the people closest to her.

Whether Elizabeth Olsen actually returns as Scarlet Witch remains to be seen, but it's clear that Wanda's story is far from forgotten.

I like this approach because it keeps Wanda connected to the family without forcing her return before the story calls for it. Her love for Vision and Tommy is enough to give her a meaningful role, and it sounds like Marvel found a fitting way to make that work.

Still, it would be pretty awesome to eventually see this entire family reunited.