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What's up with Wanda?

WORLDS OF WONDER What's up with Wanda? By ANDREW A. SMITH

THE Hellfire Gala had one last The new X-Men story The Trial Of is triggered by the death of someone party favour up its sleeve last week: the death of a popular char­ close to the Master of Magnetism. acter.

Well, popular on TV. Wanda Maximoff - the - was boffo on her Disney* TV series. IVa/idaVision, where she was portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen. And she's apparently going to more or less costar in the upcom­ ing In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) with Benedict Cumberbatch. But in the comics, she isn't exact­ ly Miss Popularity on the sentient island Krakoa, where ail of Earth's mutants now live. That's because for many years - well, from her introduction in 1964 to 2016 - Wanda thought she was a . Not only that, but from 1983 to 2015, she thought she was Magneto's daughter ... and so did he!

But that was temporary It turns out that when the and X-Men were the cinematic property of Twentieth Century Fox, those characters found themselves being minimised in the comics. And characters like Wanda and her brother Pietro were de-inutantised so they could be used by Marvel Studios, Scarlet Witch #11 (2016) estab­ lished that the two were never The Five - comprising (from left) , , , Magneto's children, but instead , and Egg - was formed with the goal to resurrect all fallen mutants gained superpowers from genetic in a process called "transcendent". tinkering by Marvel baddie rhe . Which is why all the mutants on Krakoa call her crashing and engaged in drunken "The Pretender". brawls. (Looking at you, But worse, Wanda had a mental Deadpoo】*) But this was meant to breakdown in 2005 and used her be a coming-out party of sorts for powers to remove the powers of Krakoa, and the Hellfire Company, 90% of Earth's mutants. Those that which sells life-extending drugs to happened to be, say in flight or the world that can only be grown undenvater or something... well, on Krakoa. they died. The survivors, suddenly So everybody was decked out in powerless, were none too happy. couture that everyone calls haute, Currently, mutants have actuaDy but to me looks ridiculous. And the defeated death. I don't mean that Krakoans announced a new set of Magneto still considers Wanda Maximoff his daughter and is planning metaphorically even though the X-Men, an old-fashioned something "to make things right" Never trust Magneto when he gets a X-Men for years were notorious team that had been absent the last in his helmet. - Photos： for dying and somehow returning. few years. (Especially Jean “Phoenix” Grey, And then the climax: Krakoa ter­ in traffic, and expand that to "Mr Sinister" Essex. They have whose name kinda said it all.) raformed Mars - and moved in. “always." That's Magneto's mind­ other mutant DNA experts, like Today on Krakoa, five mutants - Say hello to Planet Arrako, fel­ set. Hank “" McCoy and Dr called, rather unimaginatively; low non-mutant earthlings. We are Nemesis. And 14The Five" have “The Five” - have combined their now officially second-class citizens. already proven capable of modify­ powers to grow exact, living dupli­ We've still not had a look at how So back to Wanda ing the bodies they grow, so they cates of other mutants. Professor the world will respond to Marvel's First question is: How did she get could probably mutant-ize a Xavier's , meanwhile, is mutants colonizing another planet to Krakoa? Krakoans get there by Wanda body to order. continually updating and archiv­ in our solar system. We can Marvel says The Trial of Magneto, walking through teleportation There are two things that leap to ing the consciousness and memo­ assume it will not be with the milk which begins in August, will divide gates grown by the island itself mind here. ries of every mutant on Earth. The of kindness. the mutant nation. I think we can which don't allow non-mutants One is: If Wanda is modified to result isifa mutant dies. The Five guess why. passage. be a mutant going forward, you provide a new body. Cerebro If you come by a more conven­ But that's for later may ask, ,rWhat about her brother downloads the old mind, and um ... oh, dear. Maybe "I will do tional route, the island's extremely Pietro, aka Quicksilver"? To which voila! Dead character is back! Meanwhile, at the end of what I must, isn't entirely a good sophisticated sensors - both I will reply ,fWho cares?” Honestly, Nanny nanny boo-boo, Grim S.W.O.R.D. #6, we see - surprise, thing when it's uttered by a guy technological and biological - he's a jerk. Reaper! surprise - Wanda Maximoff arriv­ who's spent most of his adult life alert the nation's (of The other is: I could be wrong. So all those mutants Wanda ing after the party is over, at the as a supervillain. which there are many) to an Maybe that's not Magneto's plan. killed are back (or most of 'em, invitation of Magneto. She arrived Of course, we don't know that intruder. Maybe he didn't even kill her. But anyway), and boy, do they hate deliberately late, she said to him Magneto did it. Although Since every alarm on the island right now ifs not looking good for her. Even if what she did wasn't with downcast eyes, because "The 's reaction demonstrates didn't go off； we must assume oF bucket-head. permanent, Pretender can't sit at the feast." that he thinks so. Add to that, next Wanda walked through a gate. In suirunary, that's my interpre­ And give her a break, guys: She But the Master of Magnetism month will see the first issue of a Which ineans she can use her real­ tation of Magneto's "I will do what did try to revive a few million isn't having any of that. "You are five-issue miniseries titled The ity-altering powers to fool Krakoa I must" line. I think he plans to kill dead mutants on the island of my daughter, Wanda," he says, Trial of Magneto. into thinking she's a mutant. If she off the old human Wanda and , but only succeeded in pulling her in for a paternal hug. So we're definitely supposed to can fool Krakoa ... caift she also replace her with a mutant Wanda. creating millions of mutant zom­ "You will always be my daughter. think Magneto did it. fool Cerebro? And it might well be that Krakoa bies. (Don't think about it.) And I will do what I must to make And I think he did. And why So thats my cunning deduction. will go along with it (although that things right." would he kill a woman he regards Or is it an induction? Anyway, I doesn't seem very likely). So back to the Hellfire Gala Which sounds awesome, right? as his daughter? Well, because of think Magneto killed her, and now But even if they do ... the Like maybe I' tearing up a little. what he said： ”I will do what I will try to use his power and wont This was one heck of a party, But then how come Wanda's must to make things right." authority - he's on the ruling coun­ To the Avengers, death is still one that ran through 13 X-books in dead body is found the following Think for a minute what fliat cil of the island - to have Wanda death, murder is still murder, and June. Based on the Met Gala, it was week in X-Factor #10? We don't means if A) you think mutants are resurrected by The Five. Wanda is one of their own. I think a swell affair (and an affair for know the hows and whys, but she awesome and are scum As. A. Mutant. they will "do what they must" as swells). Ambassadors! Avengers! is not only dead, she is most sin­ and B) you have zero scruples. I They do happen to have the fore­ well. CEOs! cerely dead. The last we saw of her know it's hard, but think about most in the world on Man, that was some party Yes, the usual riffraff tried gate- alive she was with Magneto, and how you feel when you're cut off Krakoa, in the person of Nathaniel favour. - Tribune News Service