The Scarlet Witch returns to the MCU in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and it's not clear yet if she'll be a hero or villain. What is likely is that her role in the story will draw at least in part on some of the best comics featuring the Scarlet Witch. In some of her best comics ever, she discovered she was Nexus Being, a unique person and a key element to the concept of the multiverse.
Her best comics rank among some of the most important and iconic in Marvel Comics history, with a legacy that includes both the X-Men and Avengers. She has experienced staggering highs and apocalyptic lows, playing a part in some of the most cataclysmic events in the Marvel Universe, and she may do so again in the MCU.
X-Men #4
One of the best Scarlet Witch comics is X-Men #4 in 1963 for introducing Wanda Maximoff to fans along with major elements of what would become Marvel and MCU history. Much of what fans know about her is established here, including her connection to Magneto and her unusual hex powers.
She's introduced alongside Quicksilver, her brother, and one of the fastest X-Men in Marvel Comics. This iconic issue by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby is essential in understanding the complex history of the Scarlet Witch.
Avengers #16
The entire trajectory of Scarlet Witch's comic book history changes with Avengers #16, in which she joins the team along with her brother and leaves behind her villainous past with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
This landmark issue introduces one of the most unusual but one of the best Avengers rosters ever and sets the stage for much of Wanda's most important comic book moments, including her eventual romance with The Vision.
House Of M #7
House Of M #7 is one of the most consequential comics in Marvel history. Wanda erases the majority of mutants from existence after failing to sustain a reality where her children, Billy and Tommy, still exist. The impact of this is still playing out in the Marvel Universe today.
Given the magnitude of the event, it's one of the best and most important Scarlet Witch comics, but she's more a tool of a plot aimed at reducing the number of mutant characters in the X-Men world, and her grief and trauma are given short shrift in retrospect.
Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6
Wanda's grief for her children is healed somewhat by her discovery that they have been reincarnated in the form of Speed and Wiccan from the Young Avengers. Her new sense of peace and purpose helps make Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6 one of her best issues.
Wanda discovers much of her actions against her friends and family have been orchestrated by Doctor Doom and she commits to helping people she's hurt, sending her on a new journey that could have some bearing on her future in the MCU.
Avengers West Coast #52
Avengers West Coast #52 is the source of much of Wanda's pain and the foundation of thirty years of Marvel Comics history that followed. In this issue, Wanda discovers her children aren't real, but phantoms sourced from fragments of Mephisto's soul.
Mephisto is one of the most powerful magical beings in the Marvel Universe, and reclaims these fragments, effectively destroying Tommy and Billy Maximoff. It would seem they would be lost forever and were for many years.
Avengers West Coast #61
One of the most important aspects of Wanda's character in the comics and likely the MCU is that she is a Nexus Being. Avengers West Coast #61 establishes that Wanda is the only such being in her universe, able to alter probability and as a result influence the future of the multiverse.
It's likely this plays some role in the MCU, especially as in this issue, her status as a Nexus Being drew the attention of Immortus, one of the most powerful variants of Kang The Conqueror in the comics.
The Vision And The Scarlet Witch (Vol.2) #12
The Vision And The Scarlet Witch (Vol.2) #12 is the final issue of the 1985 mini-series and one of the most important in the history of the Scarlet Witch. She gives birth to Billy and Tommy in this issue after a difficult birth.
It's a joyous occasion for her and The Vision, who have retired from the Avengers and live in the suburbs in relative normality. This series had a major influence on the storyline of WandaVision.
Avengers #186
Avengers #186 is one of the best Scarlet Witch issues ever for drawing together many elements of her backstory. This issue reveals her secret origin, born on Wundagore Mountain to a woman named Magda. It's heavily implied here that her father is Magneto.
This retcons away her father in earlier comics, the Golden Age hero The Whizzer. It also establishes her connection to dark magic and Chthon, one of the most powerful magical beings in the comics, something that is sure to play a role in the MCU.
Avengers #128
Avengers #128 is a major issue in the history of the Scarlet Witch. She first discovers her affinity for magic here and also agrees to become the student of Agatha Harkness in what would become one of the most consequential relationships in Marvel Comics.
Wanda gains more definition and dimension as a character in this issue after many years as simply the love interest of a number of characters including Vision and Hawkeye, a pivotal change that would guide her for years to come.
Avengers (Vol.3) #10
Issue #10 of the third volume of Avengers, by the iconic team of writer Kurt Busiek and artist George Perez, continues the evolution of the Scarlet Witch. It presents perhaps the most mature and complete version of her before the tragedy of the House of M.
Wanda meets with Agatha Harkness to discuss her complicated past, her powers, and her future. Wanda learns that she has always been a user of chaos magic, the dark power derived from Chthon, and that's as much a part of her as her mutant ability to affect probability.