After years of casting spells and bending reality as Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Elizabeth Olsen is stepping away from superhero stories — at least for now. Her latest role in the sci-fi drama The Assessment marks a return to more personal, character-driven work.
"Because Marvel and its influence takes up so much physical time and space in the world," Olsen told The Hollywood Reporter, "it’s really important for me to make choices outside of Marvel that reflect my own taste."
The Assessment, directed by Fleur Fortuné, takes place in a future where parenting is no longer a right, but a privilege granted only to a select few. Olsen plays Mia, a woman undergoing a strict seven-day evaluation — along with her husband Aaryan (played by Himesh Patel) — to determine their fitness to raise a child. The test is overseen by Virginia, a government official played by Alicia Vikander, who adopts the persona of a child in order to test the couple’s emotional and psychological readiness.
Working opposite Alicia Vikander’s unpredictable, childlike character, Olsen found herself fully immersed in the film’s surreal dynamic. What began as scripted tension between their characters evolved into something deeper on set. "Alicia and I discovered this bond… You go into their world of playing this game, and then you start to believe those dynamics," Olsen explained.
She described the experience as playful and instinctual — reminiscent of theater school or childhood imagination — where emotional truth emerged through performance, not dialogue.
Letting Go of Wanda
Although Marvel fans still hold out hope for a Scarlet Witch return, Olsen confirmed she won’t appear in the Russo brothers’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. And she seems perfectly content with that.
"Your taste does create the artist that you are… I wasn’t thinking about that when I first started working,” she said. “So the opportunity to return to films like [The Assessment] is a reflection of the people I want to work with and my own personal taste."
