Before joining the Avengers, Wanda and Pietro—also known as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver—were already burdened with pain and hatred. Driven by a desire to take revenge on Tony Stark, they chose to cooperate with the insane AI, Ultron.
But that didn't mean the siblings were inherently evil. They had a simple, honest sense of right and wrong. They agreed to join Ultron only because he promised to reshape the world into a more peaceful and beautiful place.
After joining the Avengers, both of them proved themselves. Pietro sacrificed his life to save others, and Wanda paid a tremendous price in the battle against Thanos—she even killed her own beloved, Vision, with her own hands to try and save the world.
No matter how you look at it, they both deserve to be called heroes.
But despite that, Wanda and Vision were never properly acknowledged. After Vision's death, his body was dismantled and taken apart. Wanda was manipulated by S.W.O.R.D., set up in a trap, and eventually branded an enemy.
Thinking back on Wanda's life—losing her parents as a child, watching her brother die, falling in love with a synthetic man who would also perish… In the end, even his body couldn't be left intact.
To cope with the pain, she created a fictional world where her family could be whole again. But even that illusion was part of someone else's trap. And eventually, even that fragile dream was shattered.
Outside the screen, Pietro found himself thinking about the future footage he had seen of his sister. Maybe her descent into darkness wasn't so unreasonable after all?
Stephen spoke up in her defense. "I don't think the issue lies with Wanda herself, but with the Darkhold—that cursed book corrupts anyone who touches it."
"You saw what happened in the future," he added. "Agatha was seduced and corrupted by it. When Wanda took the book, I doubt she could resist its influence either."
Pietro frowned at him. "I don't understand all that. All I know is this—no matter what Wanda does, even if she tries to destroy the world, I'll stand by her without hesitation. That said… I don't believe she would do that. Which brings us back to the real question: Why would she kidnap that girl?"
Stephen simply shrugged and nodded toward the glowing screen.
After the Quiz segment ended, the footage resumed—but this time, it wasn't Stephen on-screen. It was Wanda, happily playing with her two children. The scene was peaceful and warm.
After putting them to bed, she woke up alone. It turned out that beautiful family moment was nothing more than a dream.
Stephen's face turned serious. "Dreams might be projections of the multiverse. Like when I dreamed of another version of myself running from monsters with that girl. Maybe somewhere out there, in another universe, Wanda really is living happily with her kids."
Peter scratched his head. "But… the Wanda in another universe has nothing to do with the one in this universe, right? Uh… it's a bit confusing. Like, if I—Spider-Man—exist in another universe…"
Pietro cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, we've already seen your other versions. Two of them, actually."
"I get what you're trying to say. Even if someone looks just like you and acts the same, they're still not you. Their experiences and memories are their own—they don't belong to us."
He wasn't just saying that to make a point. As Wanda's older brother, having seen the footage of her future, he could guess what kind of vision his sister had.
With her husband gone, those two children probably became her greatest weakness—and her reason for everything. Maybe that's why she was so desperate to find another universe.
In the video, Wanda woke from her dream, tears in her eyes and a hollow look on her face.
Ever since the events in Westview, she had secluded herself in a remote area, far from the world. Alone, she often reminisced about the warm family moments she'd experienced in that false reality.
One day, she received a visitor.
Stephen came to see her. The two strolled through a pear orchard, reminiscing about old times. Wanda brought up Westview, suspecting that he had come to hold her accountable.
But Stephen denied it. As former allies, he trusted her—or at least, he still did in that moment.
Because of that trust, Stephen told her about the mysterious girl and explained his reason for visiting: he needed her help.
He and Wong had discovered that the monsters chasing the girl were marked with magical runes—runes similar to Wanda's own magic. Naturally, that led them to suspect the Scarlet Witch might be able to help.
At this point, Stephen hadn't yet suspected that Wanda might be behind the attacks on America Chavez. He simply thought she could be of assistance.
When Wanda learned that America had been taken to Kamar-Taj, she asked, "Why didn't you just bring America here?"
Stephen suddenly stopped walking, his expression turning strange.
Outside the footage, Stephen raised an eyebrow. "I never told Wanda the girl's name. She let it slip—she exposed herself."
He even threw Peter a look, subtly telling him to pay attention and learn.
Peter felt a little embarrassed. If it had been his future self in that situation, he probably wouldn't have noticed anything was off. No wonder he'd been completely fooled by Mysterio.
Pietro murmured, "I get it now… She did it for her kids. For a family."
Watching his sister's haggard, fragile figure on the screen, his heart clenched painfully.
In the footage, Wanda turned to Stephen and asked, "You never said her name, did you?"
Stephen stepped aside slightly, still keeping his hands in his pockets—but his stance had become clearly defensive.
And at that moment, Wanda no longer bothered to pretend. She slowly raised her fist, and a crimson glow flowed from her hand like a curtain being drawn back—revealing the truth beneath.
The beautiful orchard around them? Just another illusion.
Wanda had told Stephen earlier that she hadn't used any illusions—clearly, that was a lie.
Beneath the false landscape were twisted, dead trees. The lush green grass was nothing but scorched earth. And without a sound, Wanda had already changed into her battle attire.
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T/N:
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