WARNING!!!: This piece contains SPOILERS for WandaVision! Proceed with caution!
What is this even about? You might have found yourself asking that question after watching WandaVision’s first 3 episodes on Disney+. Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, the show hasn’t explained how Vision is even alive. The first 2 episodes play like I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Bewitched ground up into a pinch of paprika—a homage to sitcoms of old. This isn’t necessarily what Marvel fans expected. Laugh tracks and twin beds are a huge departure from CGI and hardcore action.
For those paying attention, many clues hint at the reality of Wanda Maximoff and Vision’s idyllic Westview. For example, every time Vision questions the nature of his life, the episode seems to rewind, leaving Vision clueless. The third episode, “Now in Color (a homage to The Brady Bunch),” ends with a discussion between Vision and his fearful neighbors, Wanda’s discovery of an outsider (who mentions Quicksilver’s death), and a shift in depiction which reveals the “real world” positioned directly outside of a dome-shaped forcefield. Dissecting Easter Eggs and nods to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, we’ve picked some of the most plausible fan theories surrounding WandaVision’s central mystery and what might result from it. Thanks internet.
Are you enjoying the unexpected route WandaVision is taking? What do you think is happening? Is it all Scarlet Witch’s doing? Let us know in the comments below!
Evan Peters Will Be Playing Wanda and Vision’s Son (s)
Following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, fans have been wondering when and how the X-Men will be joining the MCU. With WandaVision set to have ties to both Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Captain Marvel 2, it’s hard to imagine the series not planting X-Men seeds. Especially considering that (in the comics) Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are Magneto’s children.
Peters is reportedly showing up in WandaVision. He was rumored to be replacing Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver in an alternate-reality/multiverse situation that could help introduce the X-Men. There’s no denying the fact that Peters’ Quicksilver was more memorable. However, a Multiverse reset would only complicate the MCU’s established storyline. Episode 3 presents an alternative theory: Peters will be playing Thomas Shepherd/Speed, Wanda’s speedster son from the comics.
Wanda gives birth to twin sons, Billy and Tommy, after going through 9 months of pregnancy in a matter of days. Wanda nor Vision even knew they were having twins (which ties into a Mephisto theory we’ll get into later). That said, it won’t be surprising if Tommy and Billy’s accelerated aging continues outside of the womb, ultimately becoming members of the Young Avengers in future projects. Regardless, having Peters portray Tommy (or both him and Billy AKA Wiccan) makes sense given the work he’s done in the past. Speed could be portrayed with the same persona as Quicksilver from the X-Men movies—Marvel Studios’ utilizing an iconic aspect of the Fox franchise they now own.
Westview Is a S.W.O.R.D. Prison
It’s become clear that the series features the Sentient World Observation and Response Department or better known as S.W.O.R.D. which is a subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D. that deals with alien threats that jeopardize world security— the first Marvel property from the Fox-Disney merger that will be integrated into Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe. The organization’s logo has shown up on the beekeeper and the colorful toy helicopter in episode 2. At the end of episode 3, we get a look at Westview’s exterior (presumably being monitored by S.W.O.R.D.).
Considering its resident’s nervousness, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Westview a prison. The 2016 comic Avengers: Standoff features the idyllic town Pleasant Hill, reminiscent of Westview. Pleasant Hill is a warped-reality prison monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D, housing inmates like Graviton and Baron Zemo existing as residents with no memory of their past. This could explain the hidden (and seemingly nefarious) motives of some of Westview citizens. This also explains why a plethora of guards storm Geraldine when Wanda ejects her from the fantasy. If Westview is a prison then its inmates would be dangerous on the outside.
One of WandaVision’s commercials also advertises “Strucker” watches, a clear reference to the Hydra scientist, Wolfgang von Strucker, who experimented on Wanda and her brother. If S.W.O.R.D. views Wanda as a threat or any remnant of Hydra exists within it (like with S.H.I.E.L.D.), Wanda could be the equivalent of a lab rat. That said, even if Wanda is vaguely aware of her circumstances (she has some control), she may have accepted her imprisonment/jeopardized the proceedings to live with a version of Vision.
Westview’s Residents Are in on the Scam
Vision doesn’t remember being killed twice in Avengers: Infinity War. Wanda, despite having some control, appears to suffer from memory loss as well (even if it’s self-induced). At first, their neighbors seem just as clueless. In episode 3, it’s revealed that Agnes and Geraldine (who’s actually Monica Rambeau AKA the daughter of Carol Danvers’ BFF) know more than they let on. While one has infiltrated the reality, Agnes is determined to work against the former by painting “Geraldine” as an outsider who doesn’t belong. A major theory suggests Agnes is a version of Agatha Harkness, a witch and Wanda’s former mentor from the comics. Regardless, Agnes isn’t working alone. She and other residents like Mrs. Hart, who tells Mr. Hart to “stop it” in the pilot just like Agnes does to Herb in episode 3, don’t want Vision getting wise. So, either they benefit from the reality Wanda created or are working with/for whoever is manipulating Wanda.
Vision Will Die (Again)
How is Vision alive? As previously stated, Vision clearly doesn’t even remember dying. Wanda, on the other hand, is determined to keep Vision from discovering the nature of his sitcom reality. Like Geraldine’s mention of Quicksilver’s death, Wanda wants nothing to do with her traumatic past. As Vision’s suspicions grow, Wanda mitigates his concerns by manipulating time. In episode 2, a S.W.O.R.D. beekeeper comes out of the sewers, something Wanda ignores before rewinding time and erasing the moment from Vision’s memory. Vision begins to notice more and more oddities: his next-door neighbor Herb hedge trimming through a brick wall and the family doctor abruptly canceling a Bermuda vacation—“Small towns, so hard to escape.”
Still, every time he mentions these things to Wanda, the episode resets from an earlier point in time. Whether Westview has been created by Wanda or someone/something else, it’s facade is fading, and Wanda is becoming unhinged by any mention of the outside world. With so many forces try concerned with an alternate reality, it’s only a matter of time before the dangers of its existence are revealed—something Vision will not be okay with. If his existence is tied to Westview, he’ll surely sacrifice himself for the greater good. It’s worth noting that Paul Bettany said he would love to work with Marvel again someday…
Aside From Wanda, Everyone in Westview Is Dead
Westview’s Vision might not even be alive, or at least alive in the way he once was. Much like how JARVIS’ consciousness hid online in Avengers: Age of Ultron, a Mind-Stone-Less Vision might have done the same post-Thanos. Wanda may have brought an incomplete/imperfect version of him back. If he’s just plain dead, the biggest indication of this comes from a scene in WandaVision’s trailers where Agnes tells Vision he is dead.
Wanda may have used an abandoned town (or Camp Lehigh?) to build a new reality where Vision is alive—that’s not even in the realm of something we knew she was capable of (onscreen). Unfamiliar with the extent of her powers, instead of just bringing a version of Vision back, she might have populated the whole town with dead people. Dead people who know they’re dead but maintain the ruse to remain in a land of the living. In that case, Westview’s residents might all be people from Wanda’s past. Vision is just the only one Wanda can’t afford to lose again.
Side note: Vision exhibits accelerated speed in episode 3. Did Wanda project other elements of those she’s lost onto Vision?
Who Is Trying to Contact Wanda Through the Radio?
A two separate occasions, someone from the outside has tried to contact Wanda. In episode 2, a voice comes on the radio, “Who’s doing this to you Wanda?” and then the same voice is heard when that episode ends. Fans have speculated that this voice could be Steve Rogers or Pietro Maximoff but the more likely option is that it’s Ant-Man and the Wasp’s FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), who’s set to appear in the show. Given Woo’s experience with superheroes, Woo probably left the FBI and joined S.W.O.R.D. Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis is also set to appear, so maybe she did the same. In which case, S.W.O.R.D. is officially on the side of good.
Wanda Was/Is Pregnant With Vision’s Twins But Lost/Will Lose Them
If Wanda created her sitcom reality, it’s because of her grief. The House of M storyline from the comics follows Wanda experiencing so much loss that it fractures her mind, prompting her powers to create an alternate reality that supplants the Marvel universe. It might not merely be the loss of Vision that caused her to snap. It’s possible that Wanda was pregnant in real life and lost the twins. In the comics, Wanda wants children with Vision but the two are unable to conceive due to him being a synthezoid. So, Wanda unwittingly uses her powers to create Billy and Tommy from a part of Mephisto’s soul (there’s that name again). However, Billy and Tommy are just a physical manifestation of Wanda’s will. Ultimately, the pair are reabsorbed by Mephisto, making the villain whole. Agatha then erases Wanda’s memories of them. Even if Wanda didn’t do this before the events of WandaVision, the creation of her children in the show seem to mirror this (especially if Agnes is Agatha).
Mephisto (Marvel’s Devil) Is the Big Bad
Piggybacking off the theory that Anges is Agatha, the alleged character could be working with the Marvel universe’s devil, Mephisto—who aims to steal Wanda’s magic/children. This explains Westview hosting a “for the children” fundraiser even though there don’t appear to be any other children around. Like the Biblical Lucifer, Mephisto manipulates (or damns) life on Earth by altering his appearance, making deals, and creating illusions. As previously mentioned, he manipulates Wanda into giving birth to twins which he then absorbs. It’s possible Mephisto is the one “doing this to [Wanda]” in WandaVision.
A popular theory online is that Westview is acting as Mephisto’s “womb,” absorbing Wanda’s power so he can become whole. Ominous quotes like Dottie saying “the devil’s in the details” and Agnes responding “that’s not the only place he is” at the fundraiser also support this. That said, Dottie or Agnes’ absent husband, Ralph, might actually be Mephisto hiding in plain sight. Fans already speculated that Mephisto would be introduced in the MCU after seeing a stained-glass window depicting a red-horned devil in the Loki trailer. A big bad’s inclusion in WandaVision would be a perfect way to kick off Phase 4.
Doctor Strange Will Help Wanda Escape Westview
Wanda is already confirmed to appear in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and it seems safe to say that the events of WandaVision could shape Wanda and Strange’s comic-book-esque dynamic for the MCU. Whether or not WandaVision’s antics open the much-hyped Multiverse for Spider-Man 3 and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness remains to be seen. However, Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) might be the only one powerful enough to aid/stop Wanda. Episode 3 has already referenced the Sorcerer Supreme when Vision calls Dr. Nielson “Mr. Doctor,” a nod to a Kaecilius quote from Doctor Strange. On top of this, the behind-the-scenes video Marvel released following the show’s first 2 episodes appeared to feature Strange’s silhouette behind the barrier separating Westview from the real world.
