If you're like many people enjoying WandaVision on Disney+ right now then you might be wondering how to get into the Scarlet Witch and Vision comics. It can be tough breaking into the world of established superhero universes for a new reader, and that's especially true even with characters who are relatively simple. I'm a hopeless completionist, so I know how frustrating it can be to pick up a random story then feel like you need 40 years worth of historical context for the characters. You can find reading guides online... but they're usually either chronological or focused on a list of "best" stories that deeply skews to long-term comics fans. They adore books from their childhood in the 70's that maybe don't hold up so well today, or big event books so mired in continuity that you need a PHD in superhero lore. So I'm here to focus on the best books for beginners who just want a good jumping-on point. I've also included links to read these as digital comics online.
Scarlet Witch for Beginners
It's hard recommending good solo stories for Scarlet Witch because to be honest she hasn't had very many. In her 1964 debut she was an X-Men villain. Then she joined the Avengers, where she was a regular cast member until the 2000's. This means a lot of her formative stories are deeply intertwined with the ongoing Avengers soap opera narrative across decades. There are a couple stand-outs, but those are easy to find elsewhere. If you've never read a Scarlet Witch comic before, here's what I would recommend:
* Avengers Origins: Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch #1: This 2011 one-shot comic by Sean McKeever retells the backstory and early adventures of the twins with a modern perspective. It's a very condensed but well-told look at their history designed for introducing new readers.
* Scarlet Witch: Witches' Road: It took until 2015 for Wanda to get her own ongoing solo series, but James Robinson proved she can stand on her own. This book works hard to stay true to the character while revamping her for a new era. Scarlet Witch teams up with her old mentor Agatha Harkness to atone for her crimes by fixing magic, and learns more about her own past along the way.
Vision for Beginners
The Vision has a pretty similar problem to Scarlet Witch in that he's always been tightly intertwined with the Avengers. Originally a creation of long-time villain Ultron in 1968, he quickly became a core member of the Avengers cast and remained there into the early 2000's. There are certainly good solo Vision stories during those years, but again we'll focus on the best solo Vision stories for beginners.
* Avengers Origins: Vision #1: This 2011 one-shot comic by Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel
* Vision: This 2015 fan-favorite maxiseries by Tom King is entirely self-contained and breaks Vision down to rebuild him from the ground up. The story focuses on Vision trying to live a normal life in the suburbs with his android family, and the cracks that begin to appear as they struggle with the concept of humanity.
What Are the Books That Inspired WandaVision?
This is a separate but related question. WandaVision draws on ideas from many different eras and continuities of Marvel. It also tells an original story that's not something the comics have done directly before. If you're interested in the direct inspirations though it pretty clearly draws from some specific story arcs in the last 20 years. This section might include some well-known spoilers that are considered common knowledge in comics today.
* Avengers Disassembled: This 2004 story by Brian Michael Bendis was controversial for its treatment of Scarlet Witch and Vision. The story sees Wanda lose her mind and cause the deaths of several Avengers teammates including Vision. Long-time fans felt it seriously derailed Wanda as a character, but the mental instability around her desire for a perfect life has clearly had an impact on her characterization in WandaVision. It also set up her status quo as a fugitive for years to come.
* House of M: In Marvel's big event comic of 2005, also written by Bendis, Wanda's reality-warping powers (introduced in Avengers Disassembled) become everyone's problem. The devastated Scarlet Witch rewrites reality, creating a world where mutants are on top and humans are a dying species. It's a very different world than the one seen in WandaVision but the character's response to grief is a shared theme.
* Young Avengers: This 2005 series by Allan Heinberg introduces a new team of teenage heroes related to the Avengers. Vision is resurrected and becomes their mentor. Wanda's twins Billy and Tommy had been previously seen as babies, but this book reintroduces them as the heroes Speed and Wiccan. This is the characterization and comics that would follow them into WandaVision.
* Avengers: The Children's Crusade: There are lots of other great Young Avengers comics to read between these stories, but "The Children's Crusade" by Heinberg in 2010 makes the Scarlet Witch narrative come full circle. Speed and Wiccan are united with their estranged mother as they learn the truth about what happened during her mental breakdown.
* Vision: I know I already recommended it in the Vision section but this series is so good I have to do it again. Scarlet Witch only appears in flashback through this examination of Vision trying to live a normal life with a normal family. However, the deconstruction of family values in a dark suburbia setting is absolutely the tone that probably influenced WandaVision most out of any comic here.
Thanks for reading! If you disagree or have other suggestions please feel free to say so in the comments. If you find a comic that you love through one of my guides then please let me know, that's something I love hearing. :)
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