from Scarlet Witch mysterious apprentice finally makes her full debut, but the details provided about her story are uninformative, and the limited facts make her even scarier. She has no memories of where she comes from or who she is. The man who found and took her in went crazy while trying to help her, and even Agatha Harkness was afraid of her.
In preview for Scarlet Witch (2024) #6 – written by Steve Orlando, with art by Lorenzo Tammetta – Agatha Harkness brings a student to Wanda Maximoff’s Emporium. Wanda is cautious and struggles to take Agatha at her word, but Agatha assures her that this is not a trick.
Wanda’s new student, Amaranth, explains her story: she doesn’t know her real name or where she comes from, and insists she doesn’t want to be a burden. Wanda assures him not, and offers to use a spell to try and restore some of Amaranth’s memories.
Agatha Harkness’ fear of amaranth should make Wanda Maximoff even more wary of her new protégé
Scarlet Witch #6 – Written by Steve Orlando; Art by Lorenzo Tammetta; Color by Frank William; Ariana Maher Lyrics
Amaranth first appeared on the cover of Scarlet Witch (2023) #9 as part of the New Champions cover series, which aimed to celebrate the new character Spider-Boy by creating alternate universe companions for some of Marvel’s top heroes. The New Champions characters have been slowly debuting in several Marvel titles, including Last X-Men, Spider-Woman, and Robbie Reyes’ Ghost Rider Special, before their eventual partnership in New Champions (2025) #1. Amaranth, Scarlet Witch’s apprentice, makes her first full appearance in Scarlet Witch (2024) #6 when she begins her training with Wanda Maximoff.
Amaranth says Agatha was smart to be afraid, but Wanda says she wasn’t, even though that makes her an idiot.
Amaranth’s explanation for how she ended up at Wanda Maximoff’s Emporium is disturbing, to say the least. She was found without memory at the age of ten, by a man who raised her as a father. The man was a famous psychiatrist, but Amaranth made him go crazy. Amaranth fled and found Agatha Harkness, who saved her life, but feared her, so after a month, she turned her over to Scarlet Witch. Amaranth says Agatha was smart to be afraid, but Wanda says she wasn’t, even though that makes her an idiot.
Scarlet Witch’s amaranth has the potential to become a powerful villain if her hero’s training goes wrong
New Champions #1 – Available January 8, 2025 from Marvel Comics
Agatha Harkness trained both Scarlet Witch and Franklin Richards, a powerful reality buster – but she fears Amaranth, when she didn’t fear them. This could mean that Amaranth’s power surpasses his own, as well as that of Wanda Maximoff and Richards. Additionally, Amaranth is slated to join the New Champions, but not all New Champions will be heroes; some of them are teased to become villains. With Amaranth’s traumatic past, plus any dark events she faces before joining the team, especially if Scarlet Witch is unable to help her, Amaranth could become the New Champions’ powerful first villain.
Wanda states that she may be a fool for not heeding Agatha’s warnings about Amaranth, and as the current Scarlet Witch As the series progresses – and Amaranth’s past slowly becomes revealed – she may be proven tragically wrong in this case; perhaps Wanda will discover why the Amaranth is so powerful, though the Marvel Universe can only hope that happens before it’s too late. As Amaranth joins the New Champions, her dark powers, more powerful than from Scarlet Witch, could pose a formidable threat and would be a mega-powerful villain or iconic hero.
Scarlet Witch #6 and available now from Marvel Comics.