Although most of the characters featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe originally hail from the pages of Marvel Comics, there are a handful who were created specifically for the franchise and were later brought to the comics. We can now count Darcy Lewis in this group, because following Kat Dennings shining as the character across a few Marvel movies and the Disney+ show WandaVision (albeit with her subplot being scrapped), Darcy is finally making her printed page debut in Scarlet Witch’s new comic book series.
Fresh off of Scarlet Witch, a.k.a. Wanda Maximoff, serving as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ main antagonist and Darcy Lewis cameoing in Thor: Love and Thunder (both movies can be watched with a Disney+ subscription), these two characters will be crossing paths in the new ongoing Scarlet Witch ongoing series being written by Steve Orlando, illustrated by Sara Pichelli and colored by Matt Wilson. To be clear, this is not taking place in the MCU continuity, but in the main Marvel Comics universe, though it is confusing that both these realities are called Earth-616. Regardless, the series follows Wanda finally at peace with herself and jumping back into the superhero business, and with a new costume to boot!
You can read Polygon’s interview with Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli to get a better sense of what to expect Scarlet Witch’s new comic book series, but on the subject of Darcy Lewis’ involvement, Orlando, who previously wrote Scarlet Witch for the Darkhold miniseries, shared what she brings to the story: with these words:
This is the 616 version of this character, who brings the same type of perceptions to the book, but also fits right into what’s going on with Scarlet Witch, with the magic side of the Marvel Universe. Darcy’s there to lightly chide the absurdities we love of comic books, especially in a character like Thor. Wanda speaks casually about a life that is absurd and strange, and it’s normal for her. But if you look at her family tree and the things she does, it can seem quite esoteric. Darcy essentially gives a voice to the audience in the same way that Kat Dennings’ character does.
Steve Orlando also mentioned that readers will see the comics version of Darcy Lewis hanging around Wanda Maximoff’s new magic shop, which will help her play a more active role in her community. While it sounds like comic book Darcy’s personality is in line with the Kat Dennings version, it sounds like that’s where the similarities will end. Who knows, maybe we’ll learn in a later issue that she is friendly with Jane Foster or has ties to S.W.O.R.D., but for now, her chief purpose is to provide witty commentary on the insane superhuman/supernatural phenomena that Scarlet Witch deals with on a consistent basis.
Kat Dennings debuted as Darcy Lewis in 2011’s Thor, with the character being a political science major who volunteered to be the research assistant for Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster and Stellan Skarsgård’s Erik Selvig in New Mexico for college credit. Darcy and Jane were still working together in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, but then the former didn’t appear in the MCU until WandaVision. In the time between the second Thor movie and the aftermath of the Blip, Darcy obtained a doctorate in astrophysics, and the first of Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series saw her working closely with Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau during the Westview Anomaly. As mentioned earlier, Darcy also popped up in the most recent Thor movie, although Dennings initially didn’t think she’d be brought into Love and Thunder.
The first issue of this new Scarlet Witch comic book series will be available to buy digitally and at your local comic book shop in January 2023. For the MCU fans out there, read through our guides detailing the upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows.
