‘What else was I supposed to do?’: This MCU cosplayer’s house burned to the ground, so she did the natural thing and turned it into a photoshoot

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. And when your entire house burns to the ground, leaving nothing but a charred tangle of wood, melted plastic and scorched metal? Well, what better opportunity for some truly incredible MCU cosplay?

In what has to be one of the finest examples of turning a crisis into opportunity we’ve ever seen, photographer and cosplayer Taylor Pettitt has transformed the destruction of her home into an incredible Scarlet Witch cosplay, with the smoldering wreckage standing in for the chaotic Kamar-Taj siege scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:

In her Instagram caption, Pettitt says “you gotta make the best of a terrible situation!”, a philosophy and general outlook I can get behind, even though this is taking positivity in the face of disaster to superhuman levels. Pettitt also says her Dad was a “human tripod” for this shoot, so perhaps a father-of-the-year nomination is due for making this photoshoot happen.

A peek down Pettitt’s timeline indicates she’s knocking it out of the park even when the smoke-damaged ruins of her life aren’t standing in for the witch-blasted ruins of the MCU’s most mystical mountain retreat:

And what can we do except applaud this genderbent Wolverine?:

There seem to be more pictures on the way from the house wreckage shoot, but the general reaction online has been a kind of impressed awe. Most comments are along the lines of “THIS IS SO COOL” and “OH MY GOD???”. Others have dubbed it “the hardest picture of all time,” a “massive power move,” and “THE MOST METAL THING I’VE EVER SEEN.”

Although Pettitt’s maximum Maximoff moment happened back in February 2023, a viral X post sharing her “bomb ass Scarlet Witch cosplay” has grabbed the Marvel fandom’s attentions again and earned astonished praise. Some think Elizabeth Olsen herself couldn’t do any better: “That’s the kind of commitment to the role that even Wanda would be proud of!”

Every cloud, amiright?

All that said, relentless positivity and optimism can only take you so far when it comes to putting your life back together after a house fire. Many will try to comfort you by saying your own well-being is what’s important and that possessions can be replaced, but that’s scant consolation when everything you own has just gone up in flames. After this comes uncomfortable nights on the sofas of friends and family, endless paperwork to fill out, and a tangled bureaucracy to navigate.

Here’s hoping Pettitt not only gets a hefty insurance payout that’ll let her rebuild, but this astounding cosplay boosts her career and she gets more opportunities to show off her talents. Whatever the case, she’s just picked up one new fan with this audacious move. If there’s an annual cosplay photo award, this has to be a lock for the top prize.

In the meantime, Pettitt seriously deserves an invitation to join Agatha Harkness’ coven. They need someone of her absolute gall on the Witches Road.