In recent years, the popularity of Wanda Maximoff has been a sight to behold. Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of her in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and particularly on the beloved Disney+ series WandaVision, has helped turn the character into a phenomenon.
This popularity has made its way into the pages of Marvel Comics… and now, we have our first look at where its evolving to next. On Thursday, the publisher announced Sorcerer Supreme, a new series that will see Wanda taking on the role of protecting Earth’s magic. It will be written by Steve Orlando, who has been responsible for the majority of Wanda’s solo appearances in recent years, with art by Bernard Chang. Clea, Chton, and Wiccan will be among the supporting cast as part of Wanda’s “mystical council.”
According to Marvel’s official description, the series “sees Wanda breaking tradition and redefining what it means to be the Sorcerer Supreme. After the Vishanti refuse to recognize her claim to the title and instead crown Agatha Harkness, Wanda’s former mentor, a fiery confrontation leaves Wanda trapped in Limbo—and face-to-face with its ruler, Madelyne Pryor. To escape, she must harness her power in ways the Marvel Universe has never seen before, even as new mystical threats rise in her absence.”
“It’s time for Wanda to take her destiny into her own hands,” Orlando said. “With the cloak and the eye calling out for a new wielder, there’s no one better suited than the Scarlet Witch. She’s the one who listens when no one else will—and she’s about to change the rules of magic forever.”
“We’re pouring everything into this series,” Chang added. “Wanda’s journey is about evolution, courage, and redefining power—and I’m honored to help bring that to life.”
Another reboot?!
There is a lot to enjoy about this Sorcerer Supreme announcement, particularly Russell Dauterman’s new costume redesign for Wanda, and the gorgeous variant covers from the likes of Mark Brooks and Jenny Frison. But at the same time, I’m… conflicted by this news.
Not because of Wanda taking on the role of Sorcerer Supreme. Granted, Marvel did make a big hullabaloo over who would take on the mantle after Doctor Doom, with promo art suggesting that characters like Magik, Storm, Gambit, Valeria Richards, Nico Minoru, and even Carol Danvers were also among the candidates, and a part of me would’ve loved to have seen any of those storylines play out as well. But giving Wanda the mantle is a fun evolution of her character, and her role as a magic user in the Marvel universe.
My problem is: this is yet another instance of Marvel rebooting a Scarlet Witch solo book. Technically, Orlando has been writing Wanda in that capacity for three years… but you wouldn’t know it from how the issues have been divided up. His first issue of Scarlet Witch launched in January of 2023, with that volume of the series only running for less than a year, with ten issues and one annual to show for it. In early 2024, it was relaunched to spotlight Wanda and her brother Pietro Maximoff under the name of Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver, a miniseries that ultimately only ran for only five issues.
Another volume of Scarlet Witch was published beginning in June of 2024, and it, too, only ran for ten issues and one annual. Earlier this year, the title was changed again to The Vision & The Scarlet Witch, which became another five-issue miniseries, this time about Wanda and her sometimes-husband, White Vision.
Now, with Sorcerer Supreme, Orlando’s work involving Wanda has been relaunched into a fifth volume in the span of three years. Sure, Wanda’s job change is big enough to justify this particular shift, and each volume has had a different artist or tweaks to the creative team… but some fans are frustrated that it’s happening once again. Part of this is just Marvel’s habits for publishing and relaunching books, in hopes that a new #1 issue might entice collectors or new fans. Hell, based on comments that company president Dan Buckley made last year, a new Marvel series even getting to ten issues before relaunching or unceremoniously ending is a positive change.
But with Wanda, the novelty of her fifth #1 issue in three years is starting to wear thin… especially for those who are fans of her outside of the comics and might now be confused about where to jump in. If Orlando’s tenure writing Wanda had happened thirty or even twenty years ago, it would have most likely gotten to run interrupted in a single volume of Scarlet Witch, with the Quicksilver and Vision two-handers just being special story arcs within that. Maybe the book would have retitled itself to Scarlet Witch: Sorcerer Supreme with this new status quo change.
We have no way of knowing… just like we have no way of knowing, at this point, if Sorcerer Supreme will last more than ten issues and an annual. After that, it could very well get rebooted under a different name (a third volume of Scarlet Witch, maybe?) or go away altogether. I really hope the latter doesn’t end up being the case… but I also don’t know how I’ll feel if I see yet another new Scarlet Witch #1 on shelves in late 2026 or early 2027.
(featured image: Marvel Comics)
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