Who actually killed the Scarlet Witch during Marvel’s Hellfire Gala?
Of course the X-Men: Hellfire Gala would end the month-long celebration with a tragedy. The final issue of the Marvel series ended with the Scarlet Witch seemingly dead and Wolverine examined the body, he asked where Magneto was. And now Marvel’s Trial of Magneto will begin soon. But who really killed her?
The obvious choice here is that Magento killed Wanda Maximoff. First, he was the last one to see her alive. Second, and maybe the most important, he still holds a grudge for what she did during House of M. He may have seemed all smiles and forgiveness during their dance (S.W.O.R.D. No. 6) but he could have been faking it, perhaps giving his “daughter” a false sense of security in order to leave her vulnerable.
However, things aren’t always what they seem. If it wasn’t him, who’s capable of killing the Scarlet Witch and framing Magneto?
Mystique
If anyone framed the Master of Magnetism, it has to be Mystique, right? In X-Men No. 6, Destiny said that if she isn’t brought back, then Mystique must burn Krakoa to the ground. Considering the next X-Crossover is Inferno, Scarlet Witch’s death could be the first step in Mystique’s plan.
After Mystique was resurrected by the Hand, she could hide her scent from Wolverine. She made herself smell like Yukio in order to make Logan sleep with her while she looked like her. If she still has these seemingly limitless abilities, it might explain why Wolverine immediately thought Magneto was responsible for Wanda’s death.
Fabian Cortez
Fabian Cortez is full of himself. When Magneto didn’t recognize him in the first issue of S.W.O.R.D. his ego took a blow. It got worse in S.W.OR.D. No. 5 as he tried to plead his case that murdering humans shouldn’t be a Krakoan law. When his pitch was easily dismissed, he went on a rant about how much they needed him. As soon as he said those words, however, Khora of the Burning heart (and Arrako) appeared and let Fabian know that he was replaced.
Fabian isn’t someone who’ll let a grudge go. If the opportunity arose to get Magento back for embarrassing and dismissing him, he’d take it.
Fabian may have been able to mimic Magneto’s powers so that would be an easy way to frame him. However, it’s doubtful that Fabian did this on his own. He doesn’t seem to go for subtlety. That said, he would if Mystique got him involved. He knows better than to cross her.
Hank McCoy
Hank McCoy is a “bastard”. Those aren’t this writer’s words; he said it himself in Wolverine No. 13. If a situation where framing Magneto or killing the Scarlet Witch came up, and it helped keep Krakoa going, he’d do it without hesitation. Let’s also not forget that Beast is another person who holds a grudge against Wanda.
After M-Day, Hank spent an untold amount of time searching the world and multiple universes, looking for a way to restart the mutant gene. Beast isn’t vengeful, but he’s changed a lot over the years. Maybe this is another part of him that’s now coming to the surface. If so, he’d likely to find a way to justify it and end up in the hole anyway.
Henry Peter Gyrich
In S.W.O.R.D. No. 3, we found out that Henry Peter Gyrich has a mole in S.W.O.R.D. The death of the Scarlet Witch may not have been on his radar but Gyrich is an opportunist. Killing her during the Hellfire Gala would be a two for one.
He hates the Avengers and the X-Men so killing Wanda on Krakoa frames the mutant nation. It makes them appear like they were out for revenge for House of M. It also means he could take out another former Avenger with a massive amount of power. And, seeing as how he’d likely have an alibi, he’d never be caught. The more this writer types this, the more Gyrich being behind this makes sense.
Mr. Sinister
While Gyrich is an opportunist, Nathaniel Essex (Sinister) is a scientist who looks for opportunities. He loves doing things just to see how people react. This could be no different.
We know Sinister still has clones of himself. Cloning may be illegal, but he doesn’t follow any rules because, well, Sinister is going to do whatever he wants. He could have cloned Magneto and waited for a moment like this. Perhaps he killed Wanda to get her DNA and cover it up. Or, who knows, maybe she didn’t compliment his Hellfire Gala attire and he was upset. The former is probable, but the latter isn’t entirely out of the question either.
Professor Xavier
When it comes to Charles Xavier, you just never know. Professor X has never been someone you can trust. We’ve seen him cover up things like the Danger Room being sentient (Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous), Cyclops having a brother (X-Men: Deadly Genesis), and even now with Moira MacTaggert being alive and helping bring mutants to Krakoa (Powers of X and House of X).
For all we know, this is part of the plan. Framing Magneto could be the next thing that keeps Krakoa around. If that is the case, there is a chance that Magento is aware of what’s going on. He is, after all, more than willing to sacrifice himself if it means that mutants prosper.
Xavier’s telepathy could make all sorts of things happen – that’s including making anyone believe that the evidence isn’t what it seems.
What do you think? Is Magneto being framed for Wanda’s apparent death? Is it by anyone on this list or another Marvel character? Let us know in the comments below.