As the might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) comes together in a post-Avengers:Endgame world, Disney is branching out further than ever before with its own roster of shows for Disney+.
Alongside the union of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes for The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, there’s the animated What If…?, and Tom Hiddleston is sure to cause problems in the multiverse with Loki.
However, out of the first phase of MCU shows, none has piqued interest more than WandaVision.
The first teasers for WandaVision have left more questions than answers, but with the latest announcement that the show is coming before the credits roll on 2020, the darling duo will be back on our screens before we know it.
Endgame buffed Wanda Maximoff’s powers as she took on Thanos herself, and MCU overlord Kevin Feige later told a panel at the New York Film Academy she’s the franchise’s strongest Avenger.
Basically, hell hath no fury like a Scarlet Witch scorned, teasing how her seemingly happy WandaVision life won’t be all it’s cracked up to be.
Life’s Not Just A Sitcom
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Playing out like a warped homage to the shows of Christmas past, within the first teaser there were homages to The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Family Ties, and Roseanne.
Each of the shows is from a different era of television, leading to one wild theory that each of WandaVision’s six episodes will cover a specific period.
It’s interesting to note that while Vision is back in action in this world, there’s no sign of him in the ‘main’ MCU timeline. Even WandaVision’s most modern-looking setting features Elizabeth Olsen’s character in her classic Scarlet Witch costume from the comics – suggesting something is amiss here.
Over on Reddit u/TheMediocreCritic has put together an elaborate MCU theory that has Wanda reliving each day in some sort of multiverse Groundhog Day.
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The idea is that Wanda isn’t coping well with the loss of Vision, and finds herself trapped in a time loop, creating seemingly perfect scenarios, and living each life out.
The kicker is that while things start well with wedded bliss, something ultimately goes wrong and forces her to find a new scenario to test out – think the ‘90s series called Sliders.
It worked for the Bill Murray-led Groundhog Day and more recent movies like Edge Of Tomorrow and Happy Death Day 2 U. And given WandaVision’s short episode order, fans also wouldn’t tire of seeing the same events played out over and over in six different time periods.
The upcoming Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (more on that later) would then deal with the Master Of The Mystic Arts trying to fix Wanda’s wrecked realities.
20-20 Vision
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The other idea would turn the most popular theories on their head and ask whether the WandaVision world is even Scarlet Witch’s doing.
No one has seen Vision since his lifeless body was left on the Wakanda battlefield, meaning he might still exist in some sort of cloud form.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron went inside the mind of J.A.R.V.I.S. and showed how he evolved into Vision, but there are still gaps about what life was like before he got his red body. Who’s to say WandaVision isn’t Vis’ own cloud version of reality?
Speaking of the second – and often forgotten – Avengers movie, its place in the franchise could also be key to WandaVision.
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Every good show needs a villain, and despite WandaVision only playing out over six episodes, we’re still expecting someone to cause trouble for the star-crossed lovers.
Another plausible idea is that the WandaVision world takes place in an altogether more sinister AI world. When Avengers: Endgame brought back a who’s who of MCU villains including 2014 Thanos and Red Skull, there were rumours Ultron could also join the party.
Even though the murder bot’s corporeal form was destroyed, there’s been plenty of speculation James Spader could return. After all, if Vision can continue existing after he had the Mind Stone ripped from his head, what’s to stop Ultron finding a way to wheedle his way back in our lives?
Four’s A Crowd
The other huge takeaway from WandaVision is its ability to set up the future of the MCU. Just like Endgame put the pieces in place for Phase 4 in terms of movies and shows, WandaVision’s untapped potential ties into everything from Doctor Strange to a Young Avengers standalone.
A highlight of the Super Bowl trailer was a brief snippet that showed Scarlet Witch and Vis standing over two cradles. A pair of dummies launched into the air, hinting at the arrival of Wiccan and Speed.
The two superpowered tots have a typically complicated backstory where they were born from fragments of a demon’s soul, reabsorbed, and Maximoff’s memories of ever having them were removed.
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The children’s demise was later retconned as part of the lauded House Of M arc, revealing Wiccan and Speed to be reincarnated version of the doomed kids.
Even if Wanda and Vision’s kids start off as figments of this warped reality, WandaVision can use her powers to bring them and their daddy dearest into existence.
House Of M is already rumoured to be the inspiration for WandaVision or a potential way to introduce the X-Men further down the line. The 2005 miniseries tore apart the fabric of the Marvel world when a mentally unstable Wanda created an alternate reality where everyone was granted their heart’s desire.
This in itself could be the basis for WandaVision’s perfect world, but either way, it’s a story the MCU has to tackle at some point.
(Doctor) Strange Things Are Going On
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The final piece of the puzzle is WandaVision’s link to Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Feige has confirmed Olsen will feature in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, however, there’s been no mention of whether there’s room for Paul Bettany as Vision.
Scott Derrickson’s 2016 movie had Strange and The Ancient One whizz through various dimensions, and even caught a glimpse of the Quantum Realm.
Sticking with the nightmare theme, what if Multiverse Of Madness featured the Doc rescuing Scarlet Witch from her hellish groundhog day, and the pair then going on their own magical mystery tour of the multiverse?
It’s no coincidence that one of the foes tipped to be the movie’s big bad is Nightmare.
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This obscure villain is a demonic entity on a power level with Doctor Strange’s Dormammu. Nightmare was one of Strange’s earliest enemies and (unsurprisingly) has the ability to trap heroes and villains alike in their own worst nightmares.
With Nightmare ruling over the Dream Dimension, director Sam Raimi could add this to the growing list of new locales like the Quantum Realm.
The movie has already been tipped as a genre-bending superhero horror movie, and Scarlet Witch’s seemingly happy life being torn apart by Nightmare definitely fits the brief.
Left Wanda-ing
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In the latest trailer, as well as showing the reality-warping nature of the sitcoms merging into each other, it was clear something is very wrong.
Alongside Wanda and Vision agreeing their happy home life isn’t exactly normal, there was a mention of why they don’t have any kids here.
However, the biggest kicker was when Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha is seen questioning whether she’s dead, turning to Vision and reminding him that he still is.
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There was also a glimpse of Teyonah Parris as a grownup version of Captain Marvel’s Monica Rambeau.
At least some of WandaVision will take place in the ‘real’ world, while it looks like the organisation known as S.W.O.R.D. (teased in Captain Marvel) will play a part too.
Picture the scene where Rambeau works for S.W.O.R.D. and tries to stop Scarlet Witch from tearing the fabric of time and space apart – similar to the Time Variance Authority’s rumored role in Loki.
All of this fits with the return of Kat Dennings’ return as Darcy, meaning S.W.O.R.D. could also use her expertise in the field of science.
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So where does this leave WandaVision? It seems likely it will play a part in a bigger MCU picture and the ever-expanding multiverse.
How/if Vision will be brought back to the land of the living remains to be seen, but given Scarlet Witch’s growing presence in the Avengers and potential to queue up the X-Men with a certain famous daddy, *cough* Magneto *cough*, it’s a safe bet that WandaVision won’t be the end of her MCU journey.
For now, it’s back to the depths of the internet to pore through more tin foil theories until WandaVision hits Disney+ later this year.
WandaVision hits Disney+ later this year. For our wide range of Marvel merchandise, shop here.
