During the early stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there weren’t a lot of female characters around to portray their power on-screen. Before Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, the Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson revealed that only she and Cobie Smulders (as Maria Hill) had the responsibility thrust upon them to portray strong female characters.
In an interview, the Black Widow actress complimented her fellow co-star Elizabeth Olsen’s remarks and acknowledged that she was envious of her.
Scarlett Johansson Was Envious of Elizabeth Olsen
Following a brief appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff became an official member of the MCU in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). The Olsen sister became the heartthrob of the people sometime later following a redemption journey.
Scarlett Johansson spoke to Sirius XM about feminine portrayal in Hollywood and the MCU wherein she complimented her fellow co-star and admitted that Elizabeth Olsen’s performance put her to shame.
“It was so great when Lizzie came on because, y’know, we had [Colby Smulders.] It was basically the two of us kind of holding down the fort. And then when Lizzie came on it semi-balanced out,” Johansson said. “It was very heavy on the testosterone for a very long time, and now it has like…it calibrated.”
The actress further stated her respect for Elizabeth Olsen as the latter actress’ work was more demanding physically along with a professional work ethic and the warm smile that the Scarlet Witch was able to put on her face throughout shooting.
“What she was doing was so hard. Even the physicality of what she was doing was so hard that I would work with her, and I was amazed at what she was creating out of nothing. That she created this whole…again, this physicality. And her character has such a sensuality to her, and she has such a passion,” she said. “I was amazed by it. It put me to shame.”
Following the power buff that Wanda Maximoff was able to achieve throughout the current MCU, many other heroines were added to the universe to showcase the awesome powers that they contained.
Elizabeth Olsen Thanked Joss Whedon For Her Character
In a 2015 interview with Variety, Elizabeth Olsen showered Joss Whedon with compliments for his ability to adapt powerful female characters into the fold. She revealed that Whedon was able to adapt Wanda freely from the comics as he is a huge fan of the character and that she felt grateful that a strong presence (other than her) was present during the shooting of the film.
Due to her poor luck, Elizabeth Olsen had to often shoot alone on the sets without the presence of Scarlett Johansson. The actress revealed that she felt like the only female member present in the MCU during that time. Much thanks to the comics and fans, Wanda Maximoff has become one of the classic pop culture icons as fans appreciate Elizabeth Olsen for all her dedication and hardships that she had to suffer along the journey.
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff was last seen during the epic finale of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021) wherein it was determined to be the end of the character. Since this is Marvel we are talking about here, it is alleged that Wanda is indeed alive and will return once again in the MCU.
Source: CheatSheet
