The brand new Avengers: Doomsday trailer has very quickly reminded everyone of the power that Marvel Studios carries. It's a rare power that is capable of making us stop what we're doing, pick up our devices and immediately check out the first look at the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's the MCU for you, and there is no cinematic power greater than that.
Speaking of rare powers, a lot of Marvel fans watched the trailer for the upcoming movie with a bittersweet feeling because they were left asking one major question: Is Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch) in Avengers: Doomsday? That's a complicated question, too, as fans have been asking it for some time now, hoping to see Elizabeth Olsen back on our screens in the not-too-distant future.
And yet, it seems as if she won't be appearing in it at all. It's not the answer that fans want to hear - and it's far from a certainty - but there is evidence to suggest that Wanda won't be making her presence felt in this movie in particular.
Elizabeth Olsen is not listed as a part of the Avengers: Doomsday main cast
While all of us are hoping that Elizabeth Olsen will reprise her role as the Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Doomsday, there is one pretty significant reason why most of us weren't actually expecting her to appear in the movie's trailer: Olsen is not listed among the MCU movie's main cast.
In March 2025, Marvel Studios brought fans together for a five-hour livestream to showcase the cast for Avengers: Doomsday. Over the course of those five hours, a series of set chairs featuring a legendary Marvel star's name would confirm who was appearing in the film (all while accompanied by their own legendary scores and themes). Although fans held out hope that Elizabeth Olsen would receive a chair of her own, she was not named as part of the larger-than-life cast - which features 27+ massive MCU stars.
That doesn't automatically rule out a surprise appearance from Wanda in the movie - remember Chris Evans is returning as Steve Rogers despite not being confirmed in this particular cast announcement - but as Marvel Studios would obviously want to keep that a surprise, it's understandable that she wouldn't be a part of the official casting announcement.
Wanda is seemingly dead in the MCU
This is a reason that could explain why Wanda Maximoff isn't in Avengers: Doomsday from an official capacity while also reiterating exactly why fans are hoping that she might be. The character's most recent on-screen appearance came in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when she allowed her grief to take her down a dark path - as the Darkhold ultimately corrupted her - which eventually led to her setting things right with an apparent sacrifice. After Wanda pulled down Mount Wundagore on herself, she has been canoninically dead in the MCU.
It was a pretty anticlimactic treatment of such a beloved character, so fans have been holding out hope that she might return at a later date. Four years later, there has only been mild evidence that this might come to fruition but that doesn't guarantee it would happen in Avengers: Doomsday. WandaVision spinoff Agatha All Along saw Agatha Harkness cast doubt on whether Wanda was really dead or not, once again giving fans hope that the Scarlet Witch might return at some point down the line - especially as the MCU has officially brought her twin sons, Billy and Tommy Maximoff, to the forefront of the Multiverse Saga.
Rumor has it that Wanda may return in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars and the Young Avengers - including her own children - may be the key to making that happen. Until then, short of a post-credits scene cameo, it's highly unlikely that the Scarlet Witch will be involved in Avengers: Doomsday.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.
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