Elizabeth Olsen, better
known as the Scarlet Witch from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) who
transported people into another world with her telekinetic and mental
manipulation powers, climbed the ladder of success showing ‘marvel-ous’ growth as
an actor. However, Olsen is much more than just her beloved MCU character. Starting
her career with small roles, she took the reins of her career in her hands and steered herself to victory.
She has played roles from
all spectra – from comedy to superhero films to touching dark subjects sensitively
– Elizabeth knows it all. She has time and again proved her talent and stolen
hearts with her performance.
As our beloved ‘Wanda’
adds another year to her life, here are some of her most cherished characters:
1. Martha in ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ (2011)
Martha is
a young girl who finds herself a part of a cult that feeds off the
vulnerabilities of women. Patrick, the leader of the cult, persuades women with
his charm and charisma to follow his commands and do as he says, tricking them
into thinking it is their desire. Martha manages to escape the cult and stays
with her sister, but she struggles to escape the trauma of her past. She tries
to adjust to the normal life but is haunted by Patrick’s presence in her mind.
Olsen gave a nuanced performance in the movie and was nominated for Critics
Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, among others.
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2. Scarlet Witch in MCU
Olsen has
stolen the show with her character in the superhero films ‘Avengers: Age of
Ultron,’ ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ and ‘Avengers:
End Game,’ as well as in the Disney and MCU miniseries ‘Wanda Vision’ released
earlier this year. Playing the role of
Wanda Maximoff, Olsen has pulled off the role with elegance with action-filled
and dialogue-driven sequences. She brings energy into the scenes as she covers
her journey from fighting against the Avengers to becoming one.
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3. Jane Banner in ‘Wind River’ (2017)
Olsen has
outdone herself in this ‘whodunnit’, assuming the role of an FBI agent who goes
to the snow-covered Wyoming to investigate the rape and murder of an
18-year-old woman along with Cory Lambert, a wildlife officer. Not equipped for
the weather, Banner adapts herself to the strange land as she is committed to
hunting the killer down. The duo leave no stone unturned to find the killer,
eventually finding out that their lives are in danger too. Olsen brings out the
character beautifully in this nail-biting thriller.
4. Leigh in ‘Sorry for your Loss’ (2018-19)
Olsen
plays the role of a grieving widow after her losing her husband. After her
husband’s death, Leigh single-handedly handles her sister Jules’ recovery from
alcoholism, her bittersweet bond with her brother, Danny, and soon opens a
pandora’s box of secrets related to her husband. She addresses her grief as she
finds out her husband died by suicide and how he felt about their inter-racial
relationship. The show addresses grief, depression and suicide in a very sensitive
manner and Olsen once again proves her talent with a brilliant performance.
Olsen was nominated for Critics’ Choice Television Awards for the Best Actress
in a Drama Series.
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5. Taylor Sloane in ‘Ingrid goes West’ (2017)
Taylor
Sloane is an Instagram celebrity who, like many others, has a professional
stalker behind her, a girl named Ingrid. Having spent some time in a psych ward
for stalking before, she is back on the same track. While life seems happy on
social media, there is always some trouble lurking behind every household and
Sloane is no different. Ingrid and Sloane’s paths cross and the two befriend
each other. Olsen proves herself once again playing a quirky role in this dark
comedy.
