#sofia maximoff

I have, and I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to! It's a well-paced story that does a good job balancing a whole lot of Marvel character history with some actually really interesting WWII history. I find that a lot of those stories hit the same beats in a way that feels reductive at best, and insensitive at worst, but Ghost Army felt fresh, and it made a point to acknowledge some facets of WWII history that are not often mentioned in this type of comic. Your mileage may vary on how much value there is to a single-panel mention of Japanese-American internment camps, or the vaguest allusion to Romani genocide, but if this story prompted young readers to learn about something they might never have been taught in school, I'll count that as a win.

Sofia and Andrei were surprising delightful characters. For anyone that hasn't read the book, Captain America and Bucky are fighting Germans on the eastern front when they encounter a supernatural phenomenon plaguing a Transian village at the foot of-- where else-- Mount Wundagore. After driving the Nazis out of town with help from the Ghost Army-- which was a real thing-- Steve and Bucky are welcomed by a local blacksmith named Andrei Maximoff and his granddaughter, Sofia, who are stated to be Romani. Presumably, these are relatives of Wanda and Pietro. It's hard to guess how closely related they are, especially with how weird the twins' timeline has become, but this story is not set in 616 continuity anyways. In contrast to the other Maximoffs, Andrei and Sofia are settled, and they live and work in the village. It's hard to say whether this is any more or less likely than Django and Marya's migrant lifestyle, but it feels more grounded and realistic than the pastoral gypsy fantasy that they typically embody.

I often find that Romani characters in Marvel comics, especially those who appear in historical settings, exist primarily to represent victimhood and tragedy. Most of their stories are rooted in the systemic oppression and violence that we experience. This is important to represent, but it is also frustrating to feel like it is the only way we can be seen with empathy or humanity. We're either victims, or fairy-tale creatures. Andrei and Sofia are neither. They do reflect on some of the hardships they experience, and the impending Nazi threat, but they also have lives, careers, and identities outside of their oppression. I was particularly intrigued by Sofia's knowledge of science and ambitions of attending university, considering the barriers to education faced by Romani girls, both then and now.

Additionally, Sofia insists that she and her grandfather do not practice magic, and that this is merely a "myth" about gypsies. This is a refreshing, if somewhat ironic contrast to... just about every other Romani Marvel character, including every single one of Sofia's own relatives, being some kind of witch. Subverting that trope is definitely a worthwhile goal, but this is perhaps not the most effective character to do it with-- although, I much prefer moments like this over a character like Sgt. Szardos.

sofia maximoff is ▽ MERCY △

to be at the mercy of:
 wholly in the power of : with no way to protect oneself against

Sofia Maximoff was barely a teenager when she and her older siblings Pietro and Wanda threw themselves into the hands of HYDRA. Some would say it was poor choices that led the two older Maximoffs allow their baby sister to get involved, but she didn’t give them a choice, her big puppy eyes forcing their hands as they always did. By the time HYDRA finished their experiments on the Maximoff siblings, they had one weird, one fast, and one…creepy. 

Sofia’s new powers took some time to get used to but soon HYDRA caught on to her new abilities as an empath. Not only did she have the ability to read emotions, but she could learn to manipulate them as well, easily turning soldiers into compliant weapons of destruction, turning innocent men into guilty confessors of the worst crimes imaginable. 

Faced with a weapon like that, anyone would beg for mercy.

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omg ok yeSSS here we go with some headcanons bc i can’t help myself

ok so tbh i think they would not get along at all at first lmao. sofia does not trust anyone since she can’t always tell if she’s using her abilities so she’d be super wary of jackie when they meet.

also sofia is hella against the Avengers and Tony Stark at first so she’d be arguing and fighting with anyone on that side. 

jackie being all ‘ffs another weird kid????’ when she meets her.

sofia manipulates jackie to feel scared when they meet but then she feels bad?? her own emotions beating her??? 

but i can totally see jackie wearing her down and being like the mother that sofia lost!!!!

and sofia slowly coming around to the good side because jackie is always glaring at her if she uses her powers to manipulate someone.

‘did you eat your veggies today?’ ‘jackie ur not my real mom stop’

sofia coming around for dinner all the time because she can’t always handle being around wanda for too long.

sofia sometimes uses her powers to make steve intimidated by jackie, just for fun. jackie tells her off but only after she’s milked it herself for a moment :P

sofia constantly thinking ‘WWJD (what would jackie do)

omg yes ok so first off, no love interest confirmed as of yET mostly because i’m still figuring out the timeline and how old she’ll be lmao but people feel free to throw ideas at me and help me out lmao but ok here’s some cute headcanons!!!

super close to her older brother pietro. wanda is usually busy rolling her eyes at her and treats her like an annoying baby sister. 

lowkey intimidated by wanda.

barely a teen when she is experimented on by HYDRA but it was 100% her idea. she demanded they use her. 

just wants to be a part of things tbh. she wants to feel like she’s part of something bigger than herself.

barely remembers her parents. she just remembers feeling safe one day and then suddenly her life was falling apart and her sister was bugging her about behaving herself.

secretly obsessed with american teen dramas, especially gossip girl. 

was the last one of her siblings to display her new powers. they almost thought it hadn’t worked, until one of the scientists worked it out.

lowkey chaotic with her powers, always guilting the scientists to give her snacks and candy, and letting her roam around the lab alone. 

everyone knows about her siblings but she is basically the secret weapon.

thrown off when she first meets Clint Barton because he radiates so much goodness and she’s not used to sensing that in people. stares at him in silence for so long he assumes she’s a mute. 

lowkey uses her empath abilities emotional manipulation bc she doesn’t know better. 

shifts emotions so subtly people often don’t realise she’s doing it to them.

smol and lowkey chaotic neutral.