Welcome, Guest
Bio - Scarlet Witch::
Full Name: Wanda Maximoff
Age: 24
Occupation: student of arcane, traveler, mutant rebel
Mutant Abilities: Able to manipulate probability through projected energy blasts known as hex bolts, causing highly unlikely events that can be very destructive to both organic and non-organic targets while also allowing her to create defensive barriers that deflect incoming threats.

History: From an early age, Wanda was born into a conflicted world. Her mother, Magda Maximoff, followed her father, Erik Lensherr, through war-torn areas of the Balkans as part of a peace mission. However, that mission turned violent one day when a group of rebel soldiers stormed the village where her mother and father were residing. The bloody clash led to a brutal assualt from which Madga was seriously injured. While Erik was able to save her by slaughtering the rebels with his powers, the pregnant Madga was doomed. Taken to a remote outpost in the mountains, Madga gave birth to Wanda and her twin brother, Pietro. She died the next day, leaving Wanda without a mother and a heartbroken father.

Erik tended to her and Pietro early on with help from his friend, Charles Xavier. However, the loss of her mother left Erik angry and disillusioned. He eventually took her and her brother away from the Balkans and to a peaceful town in Switzerland. It was here where Wanda would spend most of her early life being raised by her mother's sister, Marya Maximoff. While Marya was upset over the loss of her sister, she never-the-less cared for Wanda and her brother as if they were her own. Once she and Pietro were settled, her father once again left for parts unknown. He would make regular visits, but Wanda would not know her father's intentions until years later.

For much of her childhood and early teen years, she would remain somewhat isolated. She and Pietro were homeschooled for most of their lives, but since Pietro had a knack for learning quickly she was often left alone to study and work closely with Marya. Because of this she developed a close bond with Marya and soon became fascinated by Marya's mystic talents and occult knowledge. Throughout the years her curiosity grew and Marya even taught her a few basics with the arcane. She quickly learned she had somewhat of a talent for it, but wasn't quite sure way. Wanda was told she had the makings of a great mystic, but before she could learn more her father stepped in. He insisted that she not become too immersed in magic. He had other plans for her. At first Wanda was upset, but her father convinced her to give it up.

With her passion for the arcane being held back, she spent most of her time trying to keep her brother in line. When she wasn't studying he would often drag her on his little adventures into town. There she would often be an unwilling accomplice to her brother's mischief. She often found herself having to stop him from going too far. It became very much a staple of their sibling relationship. Wanda would continue to mature, but Pietro would not. She often thought little of leaving her life with Marya, but then when she was 15 her father returned from his mysterious journey. He had with him a device that he claimed could unlock their potential. Trusting his words, Wanda and Pietro allowed the device to be used on them and from it, their mutant powers were unlocked. At first, Wanda was very confused on how to use her hexing abilities. But the arcane training from Marya helped her gain control. Since it felt somewhat like magic, it helped fulfill that latent passion for the arcane. It led her to adopt the title of Scarlet Witch, a nickname Marya once gave Madga.

With her new powers, Wanda was sent out into the world by her father to study human conflict. Since she was still growing into her powers, Marya went with her. Her father would send her to Eastern Europe where ethnic violence had been escalating near the Turkish boarder. Like her brother, she was sent under the guise of a student. She watched and observed the violence, becoming deeply affected. Unlike her brother, however, she often reached out to the victims of the violence and tried to use her hexing powers to protect them. That all changed the day she and Marya found themselves trapped in an apartment building under seige by terrorists. At first Wanda tried to end the conflict quickly, but in her desire to stop the violence she underestimated the determination of these terrorists. One of them managed to slip through and shoot Marya. Horrified, Wanda erupted in a rage and ended up killing the terrorists and destroying most of the building.

Dazed from the experience, Wanda returned to her father. After helping her bury Mayra in a grave next to her mother, Wanda came to accept that humanity was beyond hope. She embraced her father's bold new ambition to overthrow mankind, joining him along with her brother at age 17. With a new determination, she would help her father acquire resources and confront those who would oppose them. This included Charles Xavier and the X-men. While still not accepting the same ruthlessness of her father and brother, she remained focused on overthrowing the corrupt and violent world that has taken so much from her.

Character Breakdown: Wanda Maximoff follows some of the traditions of her family, having a personality driven by an intense emotional disdain for the world around her that has taken so much. However, in other ways she differs greatly. She is more reserved and focused, a tempering voice among the cries of anger that often echo from her father and twin brother. Early on she demonstrates a tendancy to be reserved. She is socially awkward and does not relate well to others outside her immediate family. This creates some distance between her and the rest of the world and leaves her with a limited capacity for emapthy. This is how she is able to go along with her father and oppose all of mankind without hesitating. However, this tendancy is often tempered by another defining characteristic.

While being raised by Marya, she shows a great deal of curiosity of the arcane. She is quick to question and learn, something her brother and father don't often do out of arrogance. This creates and important aspect to her psychology, one that leads her to think more critically about her circumstances. This best reveals itself when she is forced to keep her impulsive twin brother, Pietro, in line. Since he's often getting himself into trouble, she takes it upon herself to stop him from going too far. She can reason and make distinctions, but lacks the overall vision skills her father has so she often has to rely on him to lay things out for her. This helps tie her closer to her family and keeps her questioning nature from conflicting too greatly with her family.

It remains a tough balancing act of being the most rational mind of the family while also sharing the emotional aspect to her father's cause. In many ways the loss of Marya was more influencial than anything her father did. In some sense it led her down a similar path Erik went when he lost Magda. Seeing someone she love die at the hands of ruthless humans deeply scarred her. That same emotional drive that led her father down his dark path gave Wanda a similar drive. This is how she is able to dedicate herself to the Brotherhood's cause while also maintaining that curious questioning aspect to her personality. She is a classic example of those who compartmentalize issues in their psyche, having certain domains where she focuses her energy while everything outside that domain remains in sync with the personality she developed as a child.

In some ways this leaves the door open for her to break from her father's tendancies, but so long as she is dependant on him and her brother to lay out for her a plan to assert themselves in the world she remains in this state. It is not clear if this balancing act will ever become unbalanced. Often in those who struggle between two mindsets, it is circumstances that lead them to make the decisions that lead them down different paths. Only time will tell for Wanda and the mindset that remains most dominat as she carries herself in the human/mutant struggle.