Review of Scarlet Witch: The Final Hex

Scarlet Witch, Vol. 3: The Final Hex by James Robinson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Throughout this (albeit) brief standalone series, the arc of an ultimate magical battle has loomed between confrontations of a traumatic past and hints of a familial revelation. And what comic reader doesn’t savor the potential of a sweeping war, complete with the risk of failure – even annihilation? If nothing else, that final meeting of foes promises tension and questions about the universe’s fate.

Normally.

In the case of Scarlet Witch, the concept of facing Chaos (questionable as an antagonist, given the source of her powers) comes across as weak as the conceived arc in the first place. I propped my chin in my hand, bored from the beginning. The anticipated drama failed to develop. It’s a pathetic conclusion for a character that deserves a magnificent epic. Instead, Mr. Robinson condemns her to the equivalent of a children’s tantrum. There are no outlined consequences. Even the rewards feel lackluster.

And the deus ex machine of a MALE savior? It cheapens everything.

Disgust isn’t a strong enough word.

I wonder why Marvel chose to commission the series in the first place. The potential to salvage the damage to such a damaged character fizzles and dies in a pile of ash. Whatever olive branch it may have been intended to be, it’s cracked and ground beneath a boot.

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