While the MCU has made it clear that not only will Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom play a vital role in the future of the MCU, but that his first appearance, Avengers: Doomsday, will lead into the highly anticipated Avengers: Secret Wars, not much else is known about the film’s plot or what storylines from the comics the films will stick to. One big piece of the puzzle may be in the fate of Elizabeth Olsen’s “Scarlet Witch”, last seen disappearing under the collapsing mountain she worked out of in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Yet no one saw her actually perish, leaving her fate open. Could this mean one of her infamous storylines, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, could be adapted for Avengers: Doomsday?
The story involves her two children, Billy and Tommy, and their search for their mother along with Magneto and the Young Avengers. The exploration of the aftermath of her actions that led to the destruction of most of mutantkind, along with the Avengers: Disassembled storyline, could hold the key to unlocking this particular story in the MCU. With her last film appearance centering around her search for her missing children, and her villainous turn in her grief, should Avengers: Doomsday adapt The Children’s Crusadestory into the MCU?
The Children’s Crusade, EXPLAINED
The Children’s Crusade was a well known crossover event that saw The Young Avengers on a mission to find Wanda Maximoff. Two of their members, Wiccan and Speed, were the long-lost children of their mother Wanda, and when Magneto learned of this and that the Young Avengers were looking for their mother, he agreed to help them and introduce himself as their grandfather. When the Avengers fail to stop Magneto, Wiccan teleports his grandfather and the team to Wundagore Mountain, where a near fatal encounter with Quicksilver occurs.
However, upon discovering the Wanda located there was a Doombot, they all travel to Latveria, where they discover Wanda powerless, amnesiac, and getting ready to marry Doctor Doom. When the Avengers arrive, Wolverine attempts to end Wanda’s life, but she is saved by Iron Lad, a past version of Kang the Conqueror. He and the Young Aveners escape with Wanda, traveling to points in her past and inadvertently saving the life of Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, in the process. In the present day, Wanda believes she has taken her brother, father, and the Avenger’s lives, but her sons help her to remember the truth, and she vows to attempt to bring back all the mutants she depowered.
However, it is revealed the power she did have was a result of her and Doom attempting to harness the Life Force in an effort to resurrect her sons, but it failed, and overwhelmed her. Doom and Wiccan attempt to use the entity possessing Wanda to restore the mutants, but the plan backfires and Doom gains Wanda’s godlike power. It takes the combined efforts of the Avengers, X-Men, X-Factor, and Young Avengers to stop Doom, and Wiccan helps Wanda remove his newfound power. The event ends with Cassie Lang, daughter of Scott Lang, losing her life in an effort to stop Doom, leaving a scar on Doom’s soul in the process.
The Children’s Crusade in the MCU
What makes this storyline so fascinating is the question of redemption and identity that pushes Wanda throughout this journey. Seeing her children alive and part of the Young Avengers could be an interesting turn for the character. Her possible return could be thanks to the poof of red energy seen before the mountain collapsed on her in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, as well as a blink and you’ll miss it Easter egg in Deadpool and Wolverine. The latter film’s big moment, which saw the return of beloved Marvel film heroes, included a moment in which the stone picture depicting the prophecy of Scarlet Witch could be seen. Last seen in the mountain sanctuary Wanda called home before it collapsed on her, the return of this prophecy not only speaks to Wanda’s role as the Nexus being known as the Scarlet Witch, but to a possible explanation of her escape.
If she used her ability to traverse the multiverse to escape into the VOID, she could have easily escaped into another universe as well. If she found her way into the universe Doom calls home, perhaps he could have offered her a way to bring her children back, only to use her Nexus being status to gain more power for himself. In the face of the Incursions, Wanda’s power could be vital in Doom’s ascension to God Emperor Doom in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Seeing her children traversing the multiverse with the Young Avengers and Avengers in tow could be an interesting plot development for Avengers: Doomsday. While nothing is confirmed, rumors surrounding a solo Scarlet Witch film and a Young Avengers project still persist. The MCU could set up a path that sees these two projects come to life, and Avengers: Doomsday would be the perfect vehicle to see The Children’s Crusade adapted properly.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
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