Marvel finally reveals when Elizabeth Olsen will return as the Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff is undoubtedly one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's largely down to the fact that she's one of the most popular - and powerful - characters in the Marvel Comics. When she was first introduced into the MCU, however, she wasn't as powerful as her comic book counterpart, and that instantly made fans champion for her , longing for her to inherit those limitless powers.

Elizabeth Olsen's performance quickly made Wanda one of the most beloved characters in the franchise in spite of her relatively limited screen-time, and she finally got the long overdue spotlight when she starred in Disney Plus' WandaVision as the Emmy-winning series saw the character finally become the Scarlet Witch. She then played a lead role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which saw Wanda travel down a villainous path out of grief and seemingly led to the former Avenger's demise.

However, we now know that Elizabeth Olsen is not finished with Marvel Studios, as it has been officially confirmed that she will be reprising her role in an upcoming project.

Elizabeth Olsen will voice Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Zombies

Elizabeth Olsen will be reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, in upcoming Disney Plus animated series Marvel Zombies. A recent press release for the upcoming Marvel Animation series revealed its voice cast and, sure enough, Olsen's name is listed among the actors.

In a way, this isn't surprising. Marvel Zombies is obviously based on the comic book series of the same name, but this particular version is also spun out of an episode of fellow animated series What If...? that actually starred the Scarlet Witch. "What If... Zombies?!" saw the remaining Avengers tackle a zombie apocalypse that had wiped out populations across the world (including so many of the MCU's original heroes). While Olsen did not voice the character in that appearance (as Wanda had been zombified at that point and did nothing outside of grunt), she did subsequently voice other versions of Wanda in episodes throughout the second season.

Marvel Zombies is described as a four-part event that will see the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have to contend with a post-apocalyptic zombie outbreak that the heroes will have to survive and overcome. Much like the What If...? episode, it's expected to have a much more mature tone than the other animated shows, although this one will be taking it much further as it is actually receiving a TV-MA age rating.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role Wanda plays in this one, but as the animated shows don't always go for the actors who played the characters in live-action to reprise their roles, the fact that Olsen is returning certainly suggests that the MCU plans on retaining her for future projects. After all, Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige essentially confirmed that the character would return to the franchise and that they were excited to see how it would happen. Even though the events of Marvel Zombies won't be canon to the MCU continuity, it does seem like it will be the beginning of Olsen's return to the franchise, perhaps leading to her eventual return in the live-action projects.

When we last saw Wanda in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she sacrificed herself to save the world from the dark power that she possessed, realizing that the Darkhold was corrupting her and feeding off her grief. Bringing down Mount Wundagore on herself and eradicating the Darkhold - a spell we learned worked as The Book Of The Damned no longer existed by the time Agatha All Along came around. She seemingly died in the sacrifice, but given fans' negative response to that decision, Feige's comments, and the fact that the MCU is clearly laying the groundwork for her eventual return, the Scarlet Witch will be back at some point in the near-future.

As the credits of various MCU movies like to say when teasing a potential comeback in the future: The Scarlet Witch will return.

Marvel Zombies premieres on Disney Plus on October 3, 2025.