Villain turned Avenger Scarlet Witch is to have a “unique” relationship with artificial life Vision in the upcoming Marvel movie Captain America: Civil War .
Actress Elizabeth Olsen, who is reprising the role of Scarlet Witch after playing the long time Marvel character in Avengers: Age of Ultron , has said that Scarlet Witch and Vision, played by British actor Paul Bettany, will have a “uniquely special” relationship in Civil War , a relationship which will presumably continue as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow.
In the comic series, Scarlet Witch and Vision have been in a relationship for many years. They are currently marred and the two even have children, Wiccan and Speed (if you want to know how the artificial life of Vision can father children you will need to read the comics, although suffice it to say it is pretty cool).
Speaking to Hitfix, writer Christopher Markus was asked if there was room to play with the relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision, and here is his response.
“I will say, we play with it. For the same reason Steve and Sharon can’t go to the movies five times in the movie. But it is kind of fascinating. But he [Vision] has the stone in his head that I think Strucker used to give her [Scarlet Witch] her powers. So it’s all sort of, these things are going to get weird. So there’s fun toys to play with there.”
Elizabeth Olsen has picked up on the theme, suggesting that the mind gem that gives them both their power [POSSIBLE SPOILER: the mind gem is one of the infinity stones and that makes it very likely that Vision and Scarlet Witch will have a key role to play in Avengers: Infinity Wars ] means that the two have to have a special bond. “There is something special about the fact that their powers came from the same thing,” Olsen said, before continuing, “Giving them that specifically in common…as opposed to a pure romance. They do have something uniquely special because of that.”
The trailer itself gives very little away about a possible romance, but it does seemingly show Scarlett Witch and Vision fighting before Vison flies off with an unconscious Scarlett Witch. Marvel claims that the trailer has broken records, receiving 61 million views in 24 hours, and it has definitely captured imaginations showing the new look of Spiderman for the first time. To view the trailer, follow the link above.
Paul Bettany is returning to the Marvel Universe for the sixth time, having played the voice of Iron Man’s in-suit computer Jarvis before becoming Vision in Age of Ultron , but he has not yet commented on any possible blooming relationship between his character and Scarlet Witch.
The trailer may not seem to offer much promise of the relationship blossoming in Civil War, but it is worth remembering that comic book stories are essentially fantastic soap operas, and the sheer ambitious scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe means there are opportunities to develop relationships over a number of movies. In Age of Ultron, we were shown the blossoming of a relationship between Bruce Banner (the alter ego of The Hulk) and Black Widow. A relationship which never appeared in the printed versions of the Marvel Universe.
It should also be remembered that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is playing fairly loosely with the canon of the comic book universes. For example, Scarlett Witch herself is the daughter of arch-nemesis of the X-men, Magneto, in the comic book universe, but Marvel could not use Magneto as they have sold the rights to many of the X-Men characters. Marvel is using Cinematic Universe as a way of creating new stories, teasing established fans with links from the existing canon but not being bound by them,
Whichever form it takes the unique relationship between Scarlett Witch and Vision is bound to stir many online arguments among fans, old and new alike.
[Image courtesy of Marvel Studios]