Scarlet Witch finally steps out of Westview in WandaVision episode 5, and when she does so her Sokovian accent surprisingly returns. Wanda Maximoff's accent has been through a lot of changes across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When the character was first introduces in Avengers: Age of Ultron, actress Elizabeth Olsen used a thick Eastern European accent, designed to fit the fictional nation she grew up in, Sokovia. Over time, though, Wanda's accent gradually started to fade away; while still present in Captain America: Civil War, it was gone completely by Avengers: Infinity War.

Since Wanda moved away from Sokovia and even underwent spy training with Black Widow, then it's understandable that Scarlet Witch started to change her accent, eventually fully adopting an American one. WandaVision has continued this shift, with Wanda using a voice that better fits the sitcom stylings of the show, such as being a little more high-pitched and formal in the 1950s episode. In WandaVision episode 5, though, the accent comes full circle as Scarlet Witch's Sokovian accent comes back, speaking to where the character is right now.

Related: Why Wanda Is Not Called Scarlet Witch In The MCU

When Scarlet Witch steps through the barrier of Westview to confront S.W.O.R.D., she does so with her original accent. Importantly, this comes not only after their attempts at infiltrating Westview have angered her, but after she was shown thinking about Pietro. Wanda's grief - especially the memory of her brother - ties her more closely to Sokovia and brings out the "real" version of the character, making her more like her old self. This Scarlet Witch is full of rage and immense power that she's ready to unleash, but also fearful for losing her family again. All of this connects to Sokovia, so it makes sense her accent would return. Wanda is protecting her new home here, and she does so using the voice of her old one, thematically looping them together.

Scarlet Witch Confronts SWORD in WandaVision

There is the question of whether the accent change was deliberate on Wanda's behalf, or if this was instead a case of her "mask" slipping. While it's possible this is Scarlet Witch deciding to be her true self, it does feel a little more like an unconscious change. Wanda is doing what she can to cling on to a reality that she is not fully in control of, and her losing the carefully pitched American accent for her original Sokovian one better fits with that idea. Wanda may or may not be doing it, but there are increasingly things she doesn't have power of - that it stretches to her own voice makes that even more intriguing.

The accent change helps to make the moment more powerful for Scarlet Witch. Doing so with her American accent likely would have been impactful, but doing so with the Sokovian accent just strengthens that this is not the "good" Wanda, a heroic member of the Avengers, tying back to the idea of her being dangerous. Wanda is gradually breaking down, and her actions speak to her more as a villain than a hero. Since that's how she was presented in Avengers: Age of Ultron, at least initially, then utilizing that same accent makes sense, since S.W.O.R.D. is the ostensible good guy in the situation, and knowing what she's capable of when not in control makes it all the more frightening.

Scarlet Witch's accent change also nicely nods towards WandaVision episode 5's big reveal, which is the emergence of Pietro, aka Quicksilver, as played by Evan Peters. Wanda is having to confront her past, now literally coming face to face with a trauma she'd tried to keep pushed down, yet finds a new way of manifesting itself. As Wanda was filled with sadness over Pietro, then using the accent she used with him helps to connect the pair further ahead of his arrival.

Next: Why WandaVision's Quicksilver Is Evan Peters, Not Aaron Taylor-Johnson

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