Welcome to the first installment of a nine part series where I break down each episode of WandaVision!
Never heard of this show? Or you have and you want to know what its all about? Well, you’re definitely in the right place! Here’s a little backstory to get you up to speed.
Warning: this article contains SPOILERS.
The Characters
WandaVision follows the seemingly suburban life of reality warper, Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. Scarlet Witch), and her synthezoid husband, Vision. Both characters made their big-screen debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), but their comic counterparts have been around since the ’60s.
Scarlet Witch first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #4 (1964) where she was revealed to be the daughter of Magneto, the X-Men’s most prominent villain. Her abilities include being able to wield chaos magic and performing hexes that warp reality. Her twin brother, Pietro (a.k.a. Quicksilver) is also a mutant, gifted with the power of superspeed.
In the comics, Wanda has a history of mental illness due to her powers and is prone to having violent mental breakdowns. One of these episodes actually jumpstarts the events of the famous House of M storyline, where she creates a reality in which mutants are the ruling class.
Vision has his own sinister ties, all of them leading to Ultron. In the MCU, Ultron uses the coding of Jarvis, Iron Man’s artificial intelligence, to create an android for himself. When given life through the Mind Stone, Vision becomes sentient and aids the Avengers in defeating Ultron. The comics version of Vision’s backstory is very much the same except that Ultron uses Antman’s technology, not Iron Man’s.
Now that you know the WandaVision basics, let’s discuss all the little secrets hidden within the show!
The Story
The series takes place after the events of Endgame despite the fact that the first episode, Filmed Before A Live Studio Audience is set in a 1950s sitcom. Wanda plays the stereotypical housewife while Vision is the breadwinner and works at a nondescript office job. The whole set-up is very I Love Lucy with light jokes and whimsical shenanigans.
But something is amiss. There’s no talk of the other Avengers. Not even a tiny indication that there’s a world of superheroes outside of their little suburban bubble. It’s almost like Wanda and Vision were plucked out of the MCU and dropped in the middle of a random black and white rom-com. It’s uncanny.
But what’s even more intriguing is the way the writers show how reality is ripping at the seams.
Leading up to the climax, the couple hosts a dinner party for Vision’s no-nonsense boss, Mr. Hart, and his wife, Mrs. Hart. During dinner, Mr. Hart asks the two a few simple questions about their past. He quickly grows furious when they fail to give him a straight answer and starts choking on his food.
The gleeful background music ceases, the camera pans in on the characters a little too close, and all signs of a lighthearted atmosphere fly out the window.
Mrs. Hart’s gleeful response to the ordeal is subtle but disquieting. Instead of freaking out, she just repeats, “Stop it” over and over again. At first, it sounds like she’s telling her husband to stop goofing around but all too quickly it becomes more panicked and desperate as if she’s begging Scarlet Witch to make it all stop.
It’s a suspicious little scene that ends as quickly as it starts, but it does a good job at pulling back the happy veneer that the show has created.
Other examples of reality tampering come in the form of little details. One of them is Wanda’s playful reference to Vision’s indestructibility. Many internet sleuths think this is a direct homage to the way Thanos had murdered Vision in Infinity War. This is also plays with the question: How Is Vision is still alive?
Aside from the choking incident, one of the most prominent scenes is a 1950s style commercial for the fictional ToastMate 2000, (because 3000 was a little too on the nose). It’s a quaint little advertisement for a seemingly out of place house appliance. What makes it not-too-quaint is the fact that it’s manufactured by Stark Industries. Stark as in Tony Stark. A.k.a. Iron Man. The same weapons CEO indirectly responsible for the murder of Wanda’s parents. If that doesn’t ring any bells, then the sound that the ToastMate 2000 makes certainly will since it matches the sound effect of Iron Man’s repulsers when they’re powering up.
Final Thoughts On What’s To Come in WandaVision
If there’s anything I know about the MCU, it’s that things are never as delightful or clean-cut as they seem.
Ultron was supposed to be a suit of armor that ruled the world, and S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to be completely devoid of H.Y.D.R.A.’s influence.
As a rule of thumb, things tend to get messy when it comes to Marvel stories and, at the rate things are turning out, WandaVision is certainly no exception.
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