Warning: this article contains spoilers for X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #3!
Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, has been killed in Marvel Comics - and her inevitable return could mean she becomes more powerful than ever before. Death has always been a revolving door in superhero comics, and that's certainly proved to be the case for Wanda. Scarlet Witch was found murdered in the aftermath of the X-Men's Hellfire Gala, leading to the X-Men: Trial of Magneto miniseries in which a group of mutants team up with the Avengers to try and figure out what happened to her. As the title implies, it doesn't take long for Magneto to become prime suspect.
But events have spun in a very unexpected direction since then. Scarlet Witch has been resurrected - a younger Wanda Maximoff, one who thinks she's still in a relationship with Vision, believes Magneto to be her father, and doesn't know she has children. The X-Men initially believe this was done using the mutants' resurrection technology, without the permission of the ruling Quiet Council, but that looks increasingly unlikely. Meanwhile, in a mysterious mystical plane, the spirit of the real Scarlet Witch confronts her murderer - who turns out to be "Old Woman Wanda," an elderly version of Wanda herself. It's not unusual for a superhero who's been killed to return from the grave, but at present Wanda appears to be preparing to do so in three different forms.
It's unclear what's happening right now, not least because readers know more than the X-Men's X-Factor team, who are supposed to be investigating the case. But the most curious aspect of the three Wandas is the fact they align to the classical Triple Goddess archetype - Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The resurrected Wanda is the Maiden, the one who has died is the Mother of Wiccan and Speed, and the one who has just made her debut is the Crone. The archetype is tied to the phases of the moon, and often each is said to rule one of the three realms of the heavens, the earth, and the underworld.
Viewed from the perspective of the three archetypes, the killing of the Mother has allowed her to enter the mystical underworld ruled by the Crone - one that is apparently composed entirely of Chaos Magic. This, presumably, was the Crone's intent all along; to blur the lines between the three mystical archetypes, although it's impossible to say why she's done so or what her true agenda may be. It's reasonable to assume the disruption in the archetypes is the real reason the Maiden has been brought to this plane of existence, bringing all three into play.
If this is true, then X-Men: The Trial of Magneto is actually about Scarlet Witch getting yet another power-up, as she recognizes her role as one of the Triple Goddesses. She's already one of the most powerful beings in all creation, wielding the ability to manipulate reality itself, and now her true magical role in the fabric of the Marvel Universe is finally being revealed. It's going to be exciting to see what happens next, as the story follows three versions of the Scarlet Witch, and reveals what the formation of this powerful archetype means for Wanda.