In the same way that Wanda Maximoff is different without Vision in her life, comic conventions are different for Elizabeth Olsen when Paul Bettany isn’t there with her.
"I always feel sad when I do these and he's not here,” Olsen said of Bettany during her Saturday morning panel at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
Her Marvel co-star was one of the various topics mentioned during the discussion. She revisited her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recalling her early days in Avengers: Age of Ultron and what it was like to help begin Marvel’s foray into Disney+ with WandaVision. Olsen also addressed Scarlet Witch’s future, and, according to her, it’s not Avengers: Doomsday.
Olsen on Avengers: Doomsday and what’s next for Scarlet Witch
Nowadays, no Marvel actor (past or present) is safe from being asked about Avengers: Doomsday. At C2E2, when Olsen was asked about the upcoming film, she said, "I know nothing about any of it." She did, however, admit she has insight about VisionQuest because she has been in touch with Bettany.
Olsen went on to explain that she prefers being kept in the dark about Marvel’s storylines and plans.
“Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on,” Olsen said lightheartedly about what’s going on in the MCU. “It’s safer for me to not know anything, because then I can’t make a mistake in a situation like this.”
As for the future of the Scarlet Witch, Olsen mentioned she has offered ideas about what she would like to do but implied there’s nothing in the works just yet. While this might be disappointing for some fans, Olsen emphasized that she cares more about the integrity of the narrative than simply returning to the role.
“I just want to be of service to telling these stories better each time,” Olsen said.
Olsen on what made filming WandaVision ‘scary’
WandaVision may have become a fan-favorite show and a critical success, but it was also Marvel’s first Disney+ show. During her C2E2 panel, Olsen shared her initial fears about the project because of that factor. She also explained the nerves behind making the first WandaVision episode, “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience” — which was, as the title suggests, filmed in front of a live studio audience.
“It was so scary,” Olsen recalled. “The first episode…we literally shot in front of a live studio audience, the way they would The Dick Van Dyke Show. And we had cameras moving, filming us. That was how we shot the first episode. It was the fastest thing I’ve filmed in my entire life, because you just do a 30-minute play, and you have multiple cameras going on.”
Olsen also explained how Bettany was against the idea of a live show but ultimately ended up loving it.
Vision’s “What is grief if not love persevering?” line not only defines WandaVision but remains one of the most famous lines across the MCU. Combined with Bettany’s heartfelt delivery, the sad nature of the scene, and the eloquence of the wording, the question makes its meaning felt deeply. But it was a line that took work for it to have the everlasting impact it has been making.
“For weeks, Paul flagged that line,” Olsen said at C2E2. “He was just like, ‘It’s not exactly what I feel like it’s supposed to be.’”
The final version that fans have come to love is thanks to the work of WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer’s assistant, according to Olsen.
“That was a few weeks of a conversation, that one line,” Olsen said. “And so it was nice that kind of effort and energy and thoughtfulness had the impact that Paul really knew it could.”