Sometimes, Twitter can be a marvellous place for fans. Once in a while, a creator will reveal or share something that holds great meaning for some, and it can open up a whole new realm of discussion. One such moment occurred recently, when Marvel concept artist Andy Park Tweeted two alternative images of Scarlet Witch that he had prepared for Captain America: Civil War.
#ScarletWitch concept art I did for #CaptainAmericaCivilWar With & w/o headband #elizabetholsen #marvel pic.twitter.com/SiLhZvzFAH
— Andy Park (@andyparkart) June 27, 2016
Andy Park’s Tweet was quickly followed by a reply from Scott Johnson – who is an illustrator for Marvel Super Heroes and Hasbro – in which he shared a subsequent image that he created for the purpose of merchandising.
@andyparkart Then licensing had me photobash this together based on that piece. I wanted wild hair but they said no. pic.twitter.com/MykeqnJn89
— Scott Johnson (@ScottJohnsonArt) June 27, 2016
Both images are very striking, with Johnson’s necessarily being the closest to the Scarlet Witch costume donned by actress Elizabeth Olsen in Captain America: Civil War. What’s interesting about the images shared by Andy Park, though, are the subtle differences – including the jacket detail and the headband. The additional headgear is straight from the comic book source material, and has not yet been seen in Scarlet Witch’s onscreen appearances – but is this an indication of the way her costume may evolve for Avengers: Infinity War?
As we have seen, most of the Marvel superheroes undergo small costume adjustments between films, and Scarlet Witch herself has already seen her wardrobe change. In her first, full appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Scarlet Witch was seen in a costume that looked very much like something a person might cobble together for a new superhero gig. It fit perfectly with her character at that point, who was somebody not yet fully committed to the whole ‘saving the world’ idea, and not yet fully in control of her powers.
In Captain America: Civil War, the costume worn by Scarlet Witch in action was more polished – with added corset, and a full, three-quarter length jacket, as opposed to the sectional version shared by Andy Park. Given her character arc over the course of the two movies, and the simultaneous evolution of her costume, perhaps Elizabeth Olsen might be rocking the look Andy Park just revealed in the next franchise instalment – being a far more mature, accomplished superhero than we’ve seen her be before. We won’t know for quite some time, but we can have a lot of fun speculating. For example, why did nobody go for the wild hair option?