Marvel’s What If …? put an even darker spin on the scariest Scarlet Witch moment and illustrates how things could have gone much worse.
Although many moments in Marvel’s history could be called iconic, none of them have the same impact as M-Day. With just three words, the Scarlet Witch reduced the mutant population of the world to a fraction of its former self. What would happen if… made the situation even worse by expanding the extent of Wanda’s grief to the point that it encompassed the majority of heroes and villains the Marvel Universe has known.
Brian Reed, Jim McCann, and Paolo Pantalena’s “What If… Scarlet Witch Finished the House of M by saying, “No More Power?” From 2008’s House of M, The readers are taken back to the time when Wanda Maximoff changed the course of history by declaring “No More Power!” After the shocking truth of the events of House of M was revealed and her brother Quicksilver was killed by Magneto, Wanda took it upon herself to take on their father in the most painful manner that was possible. Instead of eliminating the powers of mutants, however this time, the Scarlet Witch determined to wipe them out just by changing the word.
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How What is the case …? Marvel’s M Day
When she said “No further powers,” instead of “No more mutants” Wanda left not just Magneto and his fellow mutants, but all the other members of the Avengers completely powerless, too. The scope of this change was enough to make you shiver, but the fallout caused it to be even more alarming. It reinforced what readers already knew in frightening new ways. While the original Marvel timeline’s version of M-Day saw anti-mutant terrorists take the chance to launch massive attacks on defenseless institutions, What If? House of M created a power vacuum that was unlike anything else. This led to more technologically or classically inclined organizations such as A.I.M. and Hydra joining forces to form an invincible Front of Evil.
Iron Man and other heroes were able to stand on the frontline despite not possessing superhuman capabilities. While this did serve to highlight Wanda’s severity but it was not enough. While Wanda’s Decimation was eventually reverted in the original Marvel Universe, the fact that it didn’t happen is present in the What If? It’s a reminder of how awful things could have turned out. This isn’t just true for comic books. There are numerous reasons why the Marvel Cinematic Universe should explore similar ground, if not the same.
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How a World Without Powers Could Look in the MCU
With mutants not playing a major role in the MCU at present There’s no reason to think that M Day or the Decimation will appear on the big screen anytime soon. About the small screen, however, Marvel’s What If …? This is an excellent opportunity to look at the possible scenarios that Wanda’s ability to alter reality could lead to. There are obvious questions about where a story would go based on the capabilities the MCU already offers, but the answers to these questions are equally obvious.
2021’s WandaVisionand 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch as a threat capable of reshaping reality according to her wishes. Both allowed Wanda to be a hero who at least partially redeemed her actions. If those never happened in the future, Wanda would get the chance to take on the most destructive elements of her powers in the same manner as the villainous Doctor Strange did in the first season of What If …?. This will allow Wanda to take on the rest of the power of the universe and could be the beginning of her journey to never lose. Fans could see this dark side if the show continues the show.