Way back in 2022, Marvel.com made a promise, and promises are something the internet never forgets. The article in question was about Steve Orlando taking over as the writer of Scarlet Witch, and it said, “Experience one of the most powerful magic-wielders on the planet at her very best in the series Scarlet Witch fans have been asking for!”
The promise itself was to unlock Wanda's full potential. So far, that guarantee has been made.
After 30 issues with Scarlet Witch in the title (and four co-starring Quicksilver and five with Vision), Orlando made Wanda Maximoff the Sorcerer Supreme. And four issues into the new Marvel Comics Sorcerer Supreme title, it’s time to acknowledge that Steve Orlando is one of the best to write this incredibly powerful character.
In the beginning, Steve Orlando used Scarlet Witch creatively. Instead of her going on adventures, she let the adventures come to her by way of something called The Last Door. When nothing else works, and someone truly needs magical assistance, they find their way to Wanda (and her assistant, Darcy Lewis). This leads to Marvel’s Mightiest Master of Magic using her powers in creative ways. Sometimes the spells used are powerful but work like a scalpel and not a hammer.
The concept of creativity with magic isn’t new. It’s actually a staple with fictional lore in projects like Harry Potter, Doctor Strange, Wicked, and beyond. The best magic users in each of those aren't the ones who use their abilities with nothing but power. They're the ones who find a way to work around the rules of sorcery to do something special. However, the way Steve Orlando and artist Jacopo Camagni portrayed it was all of that and more.
Camagni and Orlando took the things to a new level by combining everything Marvel Comics’ fans know about sorcery, like Agamotto, the Vashanti, and chaos magic, and made it look amazing and "logical." And after seeing her become even more powerful than ever, she still managed to have a level of compassion that Wanda has been known for. And that’s even for the people who are trying to destroy her.
In Sorcerer Supreme No. 3 (now with art by Bernard Chang), Agatha Harkness sent Wanda to Limbo to be killed by the Goblin Queen, Madelyne Pryor. Pryor is in her realm, where she is the Sorcerer Supreme, and she’s a world-class telepath. Unfortunately for her, she’s not the Scarlet Witch.
Wanda used her sonic skills to get into the Queen of Limbo’s mind and threatened to do something unthinkable. Wanda told Madelyne to yield, or she’d remove the memories of raising her son, Nathan Summers (aka, Cable). This was one of the few memories that brought her joy, and they could be taken away in an instant. It was a reminder to readers that Wanda Maximoff is the definition of eff around and find out.
Marvel Comics is four issues into Sorcerer Supreme, and it feels like this series has so much more to give readers. Comic book and Marvel Studios fans knew that Wanda Maximoff was a force to be reckoned with, but Steve Orlando, Jacopo Camagni, Bernard Chang, and the rest of the creative team are showing that Wanda hasn’t even scratched the surface of what she can do.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow’s social media sites, Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more comic book, TV, and movie news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.