The Best Comics to Read After WandaVision
Can’t get over that WandaVision finale? Me neither. But the good news about a series based on comics is that the end of the season doesn’t mean the end of the story. You can still catch up with Scarlet Witch, Vision, and all the other characters we’ve gotten to know in Westview. Whether you want some backstory on Monica Rambeau and S.W.O.R.D or more adventures staring Scarlet Witch and Vision, Marvel has a comic for you. From recent releases to comics spanning all the way back to the 1970s, I’ve put together a list of the best comics to read after WandaVision.
Given that a lot of these are older comics and, you know, the state of diversity in comics in general, there aren’t as many women and other non–cis men on this list as I would like. That said, I hope that’s an opportunity for Marvel to bring on more womxn (and womxn of color) to create some great new storylines for Wanda, Monica, and the rest of the gang.
It’s fair to say there’s a lot of variation in the quality of these comics. Yes, these are some of the best options to read after WandaVision, but keep in mind some of these characters haven’t always been done justice yet in their comic counterparts. Hopefully the popularity of the show will lead to some great new series for several of these characters, but in the meantime, we’ve got to work with what we’ve got. With that in mind, I’ve added an asterisk to my favorite picks from the list. These comics are worth a read on merit alone in addition to giving backstory to the characters from WandaVision. So if you see an asterisk, there’s a comic you can be sure is a genuinely great read.
Now, that that’s out of the way…This is a relatively spoiler-free list. I’m certainly not going to give away any major plot points past the first few episodes here. But if you haven’t watched the show at all yet (and you should) then keep in mind you’ll probably see a few things on this list you don’t know yet: characters featured in the show, certain storylines, etc. So, mild spoilers — be warned!
Avengers: Vision and the Scarlet Witch: A Year in the Life by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom, and Richard Howell
If you want the original Vision and Wanda, you’ll have to dive into some seriously retro comics from the ’80s. This collection of Marvel comics show Wanda and Vision in their early years, getting married, fighting zombies, and…having kids? Yep, little Tommy and Billy make an appearance, and we find out how the twins came to be. And, well, that’s a whole story in and of itself. You’ll see.
This collection also features Agatha Harkness, Wanda’s old mentor, in When Witches Die.
Avengers: Vision and the Scarlet Witch by Bill Mantlo, Steve Englehart, Don Heck, and Rick Leonardi
They might be an unlikely couple, but when Wanda and Vision decide to move to the suburbs after getting married life gets even stranger. Halloween hijinks and family drama ensues. If you enjoyed the Halloween episode and the classic Scarlet Witch and Vision costumes, this one might just be for you.
Marvel-Verse: Wanda and Vision by Chris Claremont, Louise Simonson, Bill Mantlo, Bob McLeod, Sal Buscema, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Frank Miller
This comic combines Avenger Origins: Vision (listed further down this list) with some of Wanda and Vision’s earlier adventures. We even get a scene left out from the show: Wanda and Vision’s showstopper of a wedding!
Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: Vision Quest by John Byrne
This one is a doozy and very tied up in some of the storylines at work behind WandaVision. For starters, Vision has been captured and dismantled (sound familiar, Director Hayward?). The Scarlet Witch and West Coast Avengers are determined to bring him back safe and sound. But is he the same synthezoid he once was? His rescue and the revelations that follow will forever change Wanda and Vision’s relationship…and their family.
Vision Vol. 1: Little Worse Than A Man by Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles, and Mike Del Mundo *
Meet the Visions! If you thought Wanda and Vision had a hard time fitting in with suburbia, just wait until you meet Vision’s new family. His new synthezoid wife was created from a brain scan of Wanda Maximoff following their breakup. Volume 2, Little Better Than a Beast, delves more deeply into that backstory. Also featuring brief cameos from Wanda and Vision’s children, Billy and Tommy, and a synthezoid dog named Sparky! Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the new family. Despite their desire to fit in with humanity, supervillains (and Avengers) conspire against them and ultimately cause the very fallout they were attempting to prevent.
Definitely the best Vision standalone comic we’ve gotten so far, where we get to see both the human and inhuman (no, not that kind of Inhuman) side of Viz.
Avengers Origins: Vision by Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel *
Discover Vision’s origin as a creation of Ultron meant to destroy the Avengers. This one-shot explores the very earliest days of Vision and the choices the synthezoid must make when he comes up against the Avengers: to stick with his programming or forge a new path. It also gives some insight into his interest in humans and his own humanity as well as why he decided to join the Avengers. A short one-shot, but a good one.
Scarlet Witch by James Robinson, Vanesa Del Ray, Marco Rudy, Javier Pulido, Jose Giles, Annie Wu, Tula Lotay, Kei Zama, Leila del Duca, and others *
A Scarlet Witch solo series that gives you a deeper look into Wanda’s character and powers. Something is wrong with witchcraft. While traveling the world solving magical crimes in an effort to make amends for past wrongs, Wanda searches for answers about her past and what is ailing magic. The powers and limitations of Wanda’s magical abilities are explored in this series, and the cost of the feats the Scarlet Witch preforms are made clear. While the first volume is a bit meh, volumes 2 and 3 — World of Witchcraft and The Final Hex — are great improvements both in terms of story and art.
If you’re craving more Wanda after WandaVision, this solo series will help you get your fix. It also features a certain Agatha Harkness you might be interested in learning more about (though her depiction in the comics is quite different than the show). Plus, this comic might help provide some much needed background on what it means to take up the mantle of the Scarlet Witch as well as chaos magic.
Avengers: Scarlet Witch by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Sean McKeever, Jo Duffy, John Higgins, Mirco Pierfederici, Kerry Gammill, and John Ridgway
A collection of Scarlet Witch’s comic appearances dating all the way back to the ’70s. This isn’t a solo series featuring one dedicated storyline like the Scarlet Witch comic above, but it does collect a lot of Wanda’s appearances in comics throughout the years.
Captain Marvel: Monica Rambeau by Roger Stern, David Michelinie, Dwayne McDuffie, Dwight Coye, Glenn Herdling, Bill Mantlo, and others
Unaware that Monica Rambeau had a stint as Captain Marvel? Well, not anymore! Not only was Monica Rambeau Captain Marvel long before Carol Danvers donned the name (yeah, comic timelines are weird), she also lead the Avengers for a time. This comic is a collection of Monica Rambeau’s appearances as Captain Marvel over the years, but I think we can all agree that it’s high time she gets her own dedicated series. You listening, Marvel? Give Monica Rambeau a solo series. Please and thank you.
The Ultimates Omniversal, Volume 1: Start with the Impossible by Al Ewing, Kenneth Rocafort, Christian Ward, and Djibril Morissette-Phan
Under her current alias, Spectrum, Monica joins up with the Ultimates (including Carol Danvers’s Captain Marvel — yes, comics are confusing) to go up against Galactus, one of the biggest, baddest villains Marvel has to offer. This is a badass group made up of some truly excellent heroes like Black Panther, Ms. America, and Blue Marvel.
Nextwave Agents of H.A.T.E. by Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Dave McCaig
Part of an elite anti-terrorist task force gone rogue, Monica Rambeau is fighting some of the worst — and weirdest — monsters out there. Nextwave is irreverent and a bit ridiculous (and self-aware about it). But if you want to get a better look at Monica’s energy-based powers and see her repeatedly mention her past as a leader of the Avengers, this one is for you.
Photon or Spectrum or Captain Marvel, whatever you want to call her, Monica Rambeau is without a doubt one of the most powerful superheroes Marvel has to offer, so here’s hoping both the MCU and Marvel Comics will do her justice and give her the storylines (and solo arcs) she deserves.
Avengers Origins: Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver by by Sean McKeever
Although their Marvel backstory differs from the one taken by the MCU (for rights purposes when Fox still owned exclusive rights to the X-Men), the origin story of Magneto’s children is too fascinating to pass up. From their childhood as orphans on the run to their time as part of the Brotherhood of Mutants until eventually finding their way to the Avengers, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff have never lived a normal existence. Then, that’s probably par for the course when it comes to being a mutant.
Quicksilver: No Surrender by Saladin Ahmed, Eric Nguyen, and Martin Simmonds *
Quicksilver gets a solo series headed by the writer behind Black Bolt: Hard Time, Miles Morales: Straight Out of Brooklyn, and the current run of Ms. Marvel. Pietro’s superspeed and abrasive personality have always kept him isolated from his fellow superheroes, but when he finds himself beyond the perceptions of all he knows and loves — and up against a deadly monster he’s not even sure is real — he’s put to the ultimate test. Can Quicksilver win this one-man war on his own?
This series brings some much-needed character development to Quicksilver, explaining some of his abrasiveness and maybe even showing some maturation from the hot-headed Maximoff twin.
S.W.O.R.D. by Al Ewing, Valerio Schiti, Nico Leon, Ray-Anthony Height, and Bernard Chang
Curious about the government agency Monica Rambeau works for? You can think of S.W.O.R.D. — the Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division — as the S.H.I.E.L.D. of space. While you might not find Monica Rambeau, Jimmy Woo, or Darcy Lewis in these pages, you will get to meet Abigail Brand, the half-alien, mutant badass leader of S.W.O.R.D.
X-Men: S.W.O.R.D. No Time To Breathe by Kieron Gillen and Steven Sanders
Abigail Brand is no longer in complete control of S.W.O.R.D. in this comic, and she’s not happy about it. Her new co-leader Henry Gyrich has a leadership strategy not dissimilar to Director Hayward — i.e. it’s bad. Long story short: he wants to rid Earth of all aliens. Obviously Brand isn’t going to stand for that.
Avengers: Disassembled by by Brian Michael Bendis, David Finch, Danny Miki, Frank D’Armata, Albert Deschesne, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, George Pérez, and Others
While Avengers: Disassembled doesn’t include a huge amount of Wanda, it’s the precursor to House of M. Necessary reading to enjoy that staple of Marvel comics? Not necessarily. (I read Avengers: Disassembled, House of M, and Children’s Crusade basically backwards, for the record, and still enjoyed and followed along with all of them.) But this story does provide some useful backstory to the events leading up to House of M. How did Wanda get to the point of wiping most mutants off the face of the world forever? Well, you’ll just have to read Avengers: Disassembled to find out.
House of M by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel *
Yeah, so um, spoilers for Avengers: Disassembled below for obvious reasons. Skip ahead and just trust me on the fact that you should read this one if you’re concerned about that.
One of the storylines WandaVision was clearly very inspired by. In House of M, a grief-stricken Wanda alters reality for the X-Men and Avengers after accidentally killing Vision (along with Ant-Man and Hawkeye). Admittedly, much of the talk around mental illness in this book is not handled very well. Still, this is by far one of the best storylines to come out of Marvel, showcasing Wanda’s incredible powers, some of the best heroes the Avengers and X-Men have to offer, and reality-bending alternate universes. It’s a must-read.
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade by Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung, Mark Morales, and Justin Ponsor *
Craving more Tommy and Billy? Well buckle up, because the backstory of these kid is a real doozy. Tommy and Billy are Wanda’s children, except not really, because they were souls the Scarlet Witch had inadvertently summoned from the afterlife. Their souls were returned there (which devastated Wanda when she found out: see Avengers Disassembled above) only to come back as teenagers many years later in the superhero guises of Speed and Wiccan. Confused yet? Don’t worry, Tommy and Billy are, too. That’s comic book lore for you.
Anyway, in The Children’s Crusade, when Wiccan’s powers begin to rival the Scarlet Witch’s he teams up with Magneto (good ole grandpa) as well as the rest of the Young Avengers to track down his mother and discover his true parentage. It’s a quest that pits him against both the Avengers and the X-Men and changes the Marvel universe forever.
I didn’t completely love some of the justifications this story provided for Avengers: Disassembled and House of M, but in fairness it is trying to find a delicate balance between keeping Wanda culpable for her actions while also explaining why she shouldn’t be seen as a villain because of them. Do they nail this? No. Is it still a really incredibly entertaining story? Absolutely yes.
Check out this primer on Agatha Harkness and be sure to take our WandaVision quiz to find out which character fits your personality. And if you still can’t get enough, check out this handy dandy guide to Phase 4 of the MCU.
