Elizabeth Olsen says she’s proud of her years with Marvel but wants to evolve beyond the MCU

Like the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Elizabeth Olsen wants to break free of the binds tying her to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She’s portrayed Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, with little time to explore her career outside of tights, magic spells, and breaking the Sokovia Accords. Variety is the spice of life and, in some cases, what makes an actor’s journey varied and fulfilling. Speaking with The Times of London ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Olsen expressed her MCU gratitude but said she’s hoping to expand her horizons beyond supervillains and thumbing through pages of the Darkhold.

“I’m trying to figure out… Because, specifically in the last four years, my output has been Marvel,” Olsen said. “I don’t want… it’s not that I don’t want to be associated as just this character. But I really feel like I need to be building other parts back up for balance. I so much want to do films right now. And I hope some of them come together in the way I feel like they can. But yeah, that’s something that I need. I just need other characters in my life. There’s no longevity in one character.”

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and her Marvel contract kept Olsen from exploring roles outside the Scarlet Witch for years. She plays alleged axe murderer Candy Montgomery in Max’s Love and Death, a part she relishes and is eager for audiences to experience.

Talking with The White Lotus star Meghann Fahy for Variety‘s Actors on Actors series in June, Olsen admitted she’s eager to explore roles beyond her iconic MCU character. When asked if she missed playing Wanda, Olsen replied, “No, I don’t. I think it’s been almost 10 years of playing her. And I’ve loved it. And I think the reason why I am not calling Kevin Feige every day with ideas is because I’m really proud of what we were able to do. I think ‘WandaVision’ was a really surprising opportunity.”

Saying she has no idea what’s next for the Scarlet Witch or if she’ll be back in the MCU any time soon, Olsen added, “If someone were to tell me that I’m fired from Marvel movies, I will feel proud of what we made. And I really am just trying to figure out how to load up other films and characters so it becomes less about the Marvel of it all.”

Do you think Marvel has plans for the Scarlet Witch after her villainous turn in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Can she be redeemed? Let us know what you think in the comments below.