Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch is alive and Doctor Doom wakes her in the VisionQuest finale post-credits scene. Here is what is confirmed before Doomsday.
Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch is coming back to the MCU, and Marvel just told fans so in the quietest way possible. As of Wednesday, Nov. 11, the post-credits scene of the "VisionQuest" finale, now streaming on Disney+, shows Wanda Maximoff alive after "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and Doctor Doom waking her up. "Avengers: Doomsday" opens in theaters Dec. 18, 2026, according to Marvel's own page for the film.
Spoiler warning: this story describes the final scene of "VisionQuest" Episode 8, titled "Forever."
What happens in the VisionQuest post-credits scene?
Variety reported on the night of Nov. 10 that the scene replays the ending of the 2022 movie, where Wanda destroyed the Darkhold across the multiverse and was seemingly crushed inside a mountain. This time the shot keeps going. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom lifts the rubble off her and says, "Scarlet Witch, awaken — your power will be mine," per Variety. Wanda gasps and opens her eyes.
That is the whole scene, and it is short. There is no explanation of how she survived, no hint of where she has been, and no sign of the Vision series' own cast. Marvel left every answer for the movie.
IGN, which reviewed the finale, noted that Marvel did not include the scene in the review screeners, so even critics watching early did not see it. IGN's reviewer called the scene a nice surprise and said it makes it more obvious that there are big plans ahead for the Maximoff family.
How does it connect to Avengers Endgame: Encore?
This is the second Doom tease aimed at "Doomsday" in a short stretch. Variety says the newly added post-credits scene in "Avengers Endgame: Encore" shows Doom kidnapping the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo. IGN describes the Encore additions a little differently: a found-footage scene with Bruce Banner set after "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," a TVA scene with characters from "Loki," and a final shot that reveals the hammering in the original film's closing moments is Doom forging his own face. The two outlets are describing a longer cut with several new scenes, so treat the exact order of events as unsettled until you see it yourself.
You will not have to wait long. IGN reports that Encore arrives on Disney+ this Friday, Nov. 13, based on an official listing visible to U.S. subscribers. Marvel had not made an announcement of its own when IGN published on Nov. 11. Encore is the extended version of "Avengers: Endgame" that was released in theaters in September with new color grading and extra scenes shot during production of "Doomsday," IGN says.
What is confirmed and what is not?
Here is where things stand, going only by what Variety, IGN and Marvel have published.
- Confirmed on screen: Wanda is alive, and Doom is the one who finds her. The scene is in the "VisionQuest" finale on Disney+ now.
- Confirmed by Marvel: "Avengers: Doomsday" is dated Dec. 18, 2026.
- Reported by IGN: "Avengers Endgame: Encore" hits Disney+ on Nov. 13, per an official in-app listing.
- Not confirmed: whether Olsen has a large role in "Doomsday," what Doom wants with her power, and how she survived. None of that has been announced.
Olsen's return was already the favorite fan guess. Variety points out that she told the outlet back in 2022 that she assumed Marvel would call her again. Now the studio has more or less answered that for her.
What we make of it
This is our analysis, not reporting. Marvel is using Disney+ as a trailer for the movie, and it works. A post-credits scene on a streaming finale is free, spreads fast and gets people to open the app, which is exactly what you want a month before a release. It also rewards people who watched the series, which is a smart way to make a Disney+ subscription feel useful.
The downside is the same as it always is with these teases. They are a promise, and a promise is not a plot. Doom holding Wanda's power and Hulk in a cage makes "Doomsday" sound like a movie full of captured heroes, and that is a lot of plot to pay off in one film. If you plan to see it opening weekend, the practical move is simple: watch the "VisionQuest" finale and Encore on Disney+ first, because that appears to be where Marvel hid the setup.
One more caution. Scenes like this can be read many ways, and we do not know if Wanda is awake as an ally, a prisoner or something else. Variety's version of the scene only has Doom saying her power will be his. That is a threat, not a plan.
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Picture credit: Marvel Studios
