WandaVision is coming. Teased as “part sitcom, part epic Marvel movie” and “bonkers” “weird”, and “nuts”, even more questions were raised about the series after the sneak peek of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki from Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV. Not much was shown, and the plot — and how it fits into the whole of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — is still ultimately unknown, but we can began to theorize.
The official synopsis from Marvel Studios reads:
Marvel Studios’ ‘WandaVision’ blends the style of classic sitcoms with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) — two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives — begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. The new series is directed by Matt Shakman; Jac Schaeffer is head writer. Debuts on Disney+ this year.
“Wanda, welcome home.” The first, and possibly one the biggest questions, is how is Vision alive? He met his untimely demise at the hand of Thanos at the end of Avengers: Infinity War as the Mind Stone was ripped right from his forehead, yet we see him here alive and well with Wanda, seemingly in a happy, suburban life. We now know time travel is possible thanks to Avengers: Endgame (the least likely possibility), or perhaps Vision is nothing more than an illusion. Whether that illusion is at the hand of someone else or from Wanda’s waning control over her powers and reality remains to be seen.
The multiple manifestations of Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff make it clear we’re going to be dealing with some multiple realities — again the cause of them still a mystery — with the most interesting possibly being the comic accurate costume representation. We’ve been told by Olsen herself and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige that this series will finally help us understand Wanda as the Scarlet Witch, but it’s still unclear exactly what that means. It’s doubtful we’ll see Wanda donning this costume in her future MCU appearances (such as Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness), but it’s still very curious as to how that, and the multiple other versions, play into the series as a whole.
The twins Thomas and William are seemingly confirmed. In an earlier flash we saw a pregnant Wanda, followed by the two cradles, along with two flying pacifiers, as Wanda looks on in horror with Vision holding a much calmer demeanor (is he all part of the illusion?). It was long speculated that they would be making an appearance in the series, and it’s shocking they would drop the bombshell in the first sneak, leading on to the already prominent feeling that all is not what it seems. This is also the only color presentation we get of Vision, all of his other appearances are in in black and white.
This is the most intriguing shot of the series we get in the short spot. It begins with 50s sitcom Wanda on the television answering the telephone (“Vision residence!”) before flashing to what we can safely assume is present-day Wanda with the same Vision and home we saw with her in the 50s at the beginning, TV Wanda glitching off the small tube TV’s screen. Wanda is also the only subject in color. Will she be waning from reality to the illusion, breaking free of whatever — or whoever — has a hold on her for brief moments of clarity?
It’s been highly rumored that Nightmare will be the villain in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, making this the perfect opportunity to introduce him, since WandaVision, along with Loki, are already confirmed to be linked to the sequel. The multiple different realities, along with the heart-wrenching use of Wanda’s late love, have the markings of the villain’s evil powers of trapping humans and heroes alike in their own worst nightmares. In the MCU it’s already been told that Wanda Maximoff, and her brother Pietro, got their powers at the hands of HYDRA’s genetic testing with Loki’s scepter and Wolfgang von Strucker, unlike the comics and her origins as a mutant and sorceress born with her reality-bending powers. However, it would seem they could be leading into a more sorceress future for Wanda as she flourishes into her titular Scarlet Witch.
Even more unanswered questions are where exactly do Randall Park’s Agent Jimmy Woo (Ant-Man), Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau (Captain Marvel), and Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis (Thor) fit into this puzzle, and who exactly is Kathryn Hahn’s “nosy neighbor” (Nightmare, is that you?).
WandaVision will debut sometime this year exclusively on Disney+.
