Believe it or not, we're now just past the halfway point of 'WandaVision,' with only 4 episodes left to go. Episodes 4 & 5 finally gave us a look behind the scenes as to what's going on outside Wanda's reality and, while a lot of our collective questions and theories from episodes 1 through 3 have been answered, the puzzle is only slightly starting to come together. Really, though, we've been presented with even more uncertainty as to how the final four chapters will follow up what we've seen, as well as what may happen in the events following the season finale (remember, this series will affect the MCU's upcoming film timeline, too). Let's take a look at some of our questions and theories answered, as well as the countless new theories that are circulating after episode 5!
Episode 4 (broken down by Corey)
Our opening scene is much different from what we've become used to; usually, there's a new sitcom style intro for 'WandaVision' every week, the first of which was set in the 1950's, followed by the 60's and 70's in episodes 2 & 3. Each of these opens were modeled to resemble some of the classic shows from those respective eras. However, this episode opens with Monica Rambeau being brought back from "The Blip" and sitting by a hospital bed. We now know this specific episode takes place during and directly following the conclusion of 'Avengers: Endgame.' I'm glad that Marvel is finally reintroducing "The Blip," which is referred to as "the Snap" by people like you and me. As Monica's being blipped back into reality, you can hear Captain Marvel's voice before she opens her eyes. She says "Lieutenant Trouble," which was Carol's nickname for young Monica in 'Captain Marvel.' Current day Monica has no idea what's going on as she (and everyone else) begins to reappear. She finds out her mother died of cancer 3 years ago, while she was blipped. In case you don't remember, Monica's mother, Maria, was a founder of S.W.O.R.D., as well as a close friend of Carol Danvers.
Next, we're taken to S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters (at least their earth-based one), where Monica is returning to active duty. If you noticed as she was walking in, the giant TV's hanging on the wall were all news stations covering "The Blip;" this is much like what we saw when Peter Parker returned to school in 'Spider-Man: Far from Home,' as student reporters discussed the events on the school's channel. We find out from Director Tyler Hayward that the world hasn't been the same since "The Blip" and there are more threats in outer space. Does this explain why Nick Fury was in space during the credits of 'Far From Home?' Monica is presented with a missing person's case in Westview, New Jersey and meets with Jimmy Woo there, who we last saw in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp.' This confirms our past speculation that Jimmy Woo will be playing a big role in S.W.O.R.D.'s investigation of Westview. It was also cool to see Jimmy finally perfect the card trick he saw Scott Lang perform in 'Ant Man and the Wasp.'
As it turns out, the two officers with Jimmy aren't even from Westview; they reveal that they're stationed in Eastview and that Westview...doesn't exist. Jimmy then explains to Monica that, for whatever reason, he feels like he can't enter whatever this mysteriously invented town is to investigate it. Monica sends a drone into the energy field that quickly disappears, which then prompts her to put her own hand through it; she is then promptly sucked into Wanda's reality. This confirms to us that Monica wasn't intended to be a spy, but rather that she was sent to figure out the mystery of the "missing town," as Jimmy Woo earlier described it to her.
S.W.O.R.D. quickly sets up a makeshift base of operations around the energy field and recruits a number of scientific experts, including Dr. Darcy Lewis (who we last saw in 'Thor: The Dark World') to to attempt to figure out exactly what the hell is happening. Dr. Lewis notices that the amount of CMBR (Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation) is off the charts and runs a signal through her equipment to a monitor; this is where we see episode 1 of 'WandaVision' being shown. Remember the ending of episode 1, where we saw that figure writing something in a notebook to end the show? Turns out that was Darcy the entire time.
Meanwhile, Hayward sends another S.W.O.R.D. agent dressed in a yellow suit into the sewers to see if he can get into Westview beneath the energy field...more on this later. While Darcy is unknowingly watching episode 1 of 'WandaVision' on an old TV monitor, she has no idea if what she's seeing is taking place in real time or if it's recorded. What's interesting to note here is that the radiation that this TV signal is connected to was created at the time of the Big Bang; Jimmy Woo speculates that a new universe may have been created with these two Avengers characters. However, I believe this to be Marvel introducing the multiverse that will wind up leading into the events of 'Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness.'
Woo creates a task force to begin to identify the residents of Westview; characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Hart, Norm, Phil Jones and Herb were all ID'd as real people from the outside reality with different names. If you noticed on Woo's whiteboard, all of these characters have their own write-up and accompanying drivers licenses clipped to them...all besides Agnes. I think this sort of confirms that Agnes is actually Agatha Harkness, as S.W.O.R.D. can't seem to figure out whether or not she's a resident. This will be something to follow in the upcoming episodes for sure. Woo also writes "Is Vision Dead?" on his board, which is still the most important piece of the puzzle. Darcy pointed this out earlier, saying "Isn't he supposed to be dead?" when Vision popped up on her screen. Again, more on this later.
Darcy then notices Monica appear (we can assume that S.W.O.R.D. is watching episode 2 at this point), causing Woo to question whether she's playing along or if she's become a social experiment of Wanda's. Darcy then theorizes that, if she can shoot a signal to Wanda's radio, they may be able to communicate with her. Right before they try this, another agent shows Woo the red helicopter that Wanda found in episode 2, which definitively convinces them to proceed with Darcy's plan. This confirms it was in fact Woo calling Wanda over the radio back when we first viewed episode 2. As Darcy watches the show from the TV, however, it suddenly censors out Woo's voice and skips over the part when the glass broke in Dottie's hand. Darcy has no idea what happened, simply telling Woo that their mission failed.
So...remember when Director Hayward sent that agent into the sewer? We see him cross through the energy field, turning his entire yellow hazard suit into the beekeeper outfit from episode 2. The wire that was supporting him also disconnects, the end of it turning into what appears to be a children's jump rope when reeled back into the outside reality. As the beekeeper enters Wanda's reality, we're brought back to that same moment at the conclusion of episode 2, when Wanda first sees this man and simply remarks "No." I can assume this agent to be dead, since we didn't see him thrown out of the energy field.
As Darcy and Woo begin to watch episode 3 on the TV monitor, Darcy has become fully engaged in the show's plot. I like how Marvel did this, showing the characters in the outside reality to be enjoying the show while still attempting to figure out the mystery behind it all, just like the rest of us. On the monitor, we once again see the moment where Monica mentions Pietro's death at the hands of Ultron; Darcy and Woo are both surprised by this. Woo comments, "Is this the first time they've mentioned our reality?" The show then abruptly cuts to the credits, leaving Darcy scrambling to determine what had just happened.
Okay, so finally, we're all caught up to moment where we left off in episode 3. We had seen Monica alone with Wanda inside her house while Vision was still out chatting with Agnes and Herb. Wanda tells Monica that she is a stranger and an outsider. She then asks Monica how she knows Ultron; Monica, realizing her cover was blown, tries saying that she's just a neighbor, but Wanda wasn't buying it. She uses her powers to throw Monica through the walls of her home and all the way out of the energy field. As Vision walks in and asks "Where's Geraldine?" we see something very shocking and peculiar. Wanda turns around and notices the same thing: the Vision we see in front of us is the 'real,' lifeless Vision, the one who died in the closing minutes of 'Avengers: Infinity War.' , The image is shocking, as Vision's dressed just as he was before, but has a pale face, no eyes and the soul stone is missing from his head.
This is the first time we see Wanda appear to be shocked since the start of this series, but as she turns back around, Vision's "normal" appearance is restored. Wanda says she has everything under control and that this is their home, despite Vision saying the two can go anywhere they like. This scene reminded me of 'Captain America: Civil War,' when Tony Stark was keeping Wanda under house arrest with Vision looking after her. When Wanda wanted to leave with Hawkeye, Vision wouldn't let her and, eventually, Wanda had to use her powers to do so. The scene cuts back to Monica being examined by doctors, where she says "Wanda. It's all Wanda." The episode ends with Wanda, Vision and the twins watching TV.
After watching Episode 4, I truly believe Vision to be dead after seeing that horrific visual of him standing there looking like a zombie. I now wonder how exactly Wanda was able to get her hands on Vision's body? She controls Vision with her mind, as if he's a puppet. It's evident in episode 1 when she forces him to save Mr. Hart from choking and in episode 2, when he's not in control of himself at the town talent show and Wanda uses her powers to save the act. Another instance is in episode 3, when Wanda tells Vision to run to Dr. Nielsen's house when she's about to give birth. Vision never had super speed, so maybe this is Wanda's way of remembering her brother Pietro? I think Wanda's concentration broke due to her confusion over Monica's entrance into her reality, causing her to see the real Vision at that moment. It seems that the twins and Vision are alive as long as Wanda is thinking about them, but when she isn't, Vision is still dead and the twins are never born. The moment Vision leaves the energy field and enters our reality is going to be the tipping point of the show, in my opinion.
Now that we know Herb is a real citizen of Westview, that scene in episode 3 when he's talking to Agnes and he's about to tell Vision "that we are all..." I think Herb was trying to say they were all trapped. Agnes plays this nosy neighbor, but maybe she's really letting the citizens in on the act and what's exactly going on? Otherwise, how else would Herb know that he's trapped? I question Agnes' role in the show as a whole; is she a villain? Why exactly is she here? Why doesn't S.W.O.R.D. have any ID of her? If you notice as well, Dottie doesn't have any ID or write up when they're confirming residents of Westview. Again, lots of questions and theories were answered, but only to be replaced by new questions and theories. There are certainly going to be a lot of surprises as we get closer and closer to the season finale. Buckle up, Marvel fans, this is going to get intense.
Episode 5 (broken down by Mark)
Finally, we've reached the 80's! I had been looking forward to this theme for a while and was wondering if Tommy and Billy would still be babies during this episode, considering how quickly Wanda had advanced her pregnancy. Since Wanda was rapidly aging her children while they were in the womb, I was curious as to whether or not they would continue to experience a similar aging process once they were born. Turns out, I was on to something! Tommy and Billy were babies in the opening scene of the sitcom, but they didn't stay that way for long. We also notice that, unlike everyone else inside Westview, Wanda's magic doesn't seem to affect her babies when she tries to stop their crying. This was incredibly intriguing to me; Wanda has proven herself to be one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe, yet her abilities have no effect on her children. How powerful are they, then!?
We see Agnes burst into the Vision residence next, looking like she's about to head to jazzercise or something (the 80's seem like they were so cool). Agnes up to this point has been very nosy about what Wanda and Vision were up to, but in this scene, we see a shift in her attention. It's apparent that she has become very interested in the children and offers to babysit for them. After Vision opposed to leaving the kids with Agnes, it looks like we almost see her break character. She hesitates, almost as if she has forgotten her line within the sitcom setting, asking Wanda if they should "take it from the top." Wanda dismisses Vision's concerns about that exchange, as well as his objections over Agnes' presence in general. It's very clear at this point that Wanda definitely trusts Agnes, we just don't know why yet.
Agnes, with Wanda's blessing, sprays the children with lavender in an attempt to calm them down; shortly afterward, Tommy and Billy cease their crying, only for Wanda and Vision to discover that this is because the twins have actually aged about 5 years. Was this connected to Wanda rapidly aging them inside the womb? Was this brought about by Agnes' use of lavender? Either way, Agnes doesn't seem surprised by this development, which is extremely suspect to me. My eyebrow raised once again as Agnes delivered the line "Kids, you can't control 'em...no matter how hard you try." Was this a reference to Wanda's magic not working on the twins? Seems that way to me and, as we continue to see throughout episode 5, Agnes seems very invested in Wanda's children -- there HAS to be a reason for that.
We move next to our 80's style sitcom open, which contained two direct references to 'Full House.' Is this important to the plot? No, but this was something I predicted would happen and that, as an avid fan of that show, was happy to see . Elizabeth Olsen paying tribute to the show that propelled her older sisters to superstardom was definitely a cool easter egg. Also, can we talk about the pictures of Vision as a baby in the open? Obviously those were fake, as we saw Vision's true origin; they're also incredibly creepy. I believe that this was possibly yet another sign that Wanda's trying to convince Vision that he had a particular history before Westview. After all, he probably won't take kindly to knowing he's a reanimated corpse!
We then cut back to Monica Rambeau in the outside (real) reality, as she recaps what happened to her while she was inside Westview and how it felt to be under Wanda's influence. I think it's important to note that this is probably how the show will be operating from here on, with us moving back and forth from the sitcom reality to present day outside of it. We see that Monica wasn't officially medically cleared after getting an MRI and other testing done, but she leaves anyway to get back to work. This could be revisited later, as we know that she (along with all the other citizens of Westview) was exposed to a ton of radiation during her time inside "the hex;" could this lead to Monica developing enhanced abilities?
At a briefing shortly afterward, S.W.O.R.D. has come to the determination that, based on Monica's intel, Wanda is to be officially considered a terrorist threat. Monica objects, not believing Wanda's intentions to be hostile (despite being thrown through multiple walls and a force field by her). Attempting to change Monica's mind, Director Hayward reveals that, only a week and a half ago, Wanda had broken into S.W.O.R.D. HQ to steal Vision's corpse. I remember reading an internet rumor that there had been a post credit scene depicting this in 'Avengers: Endgame,' but that it was ultimately scrapped. If this is indeed the case, that was very wise, as the entire premise behind 'WandaVision' would have been given away. We also learn that Vision was said to have left a living will, expressing no interest in being made a weapon after his death; S.W.O.R.D. is likely wary of whether Wanda is doing just that, knowing how powerful Vision is and, if Wanda is controlling him, how deadly he could prove to be.
Tommy and Billy, now mischievous children instead of crying babies, find a dog, which was a stray with no tag or collar. We see Agnes once again pop in shortly afterward, somehow knowing that the twins had found a new pet and feeling compelled to come over with supplies. Again, I find this to be quite suspect; was Agnes responsible for the dog appearing in the first place? Is the act of bringing over a doghouse and other supplies part of a plan to ingratiate herself to the kids? It's worth keeping an eye on. Like mentioned before, Wanda seems to be unconcerned with Agnes' presence, to the point where she no longer makes an effort to conceal her abilities with Agnes around. As such, she creates a collar out of thin air for the new family canine, much to Vision's consternation. However, when Wanda and Vision ultimately object to the boys caring for a dog until they're at least 10 years old, again they begin to rapidly age. This instance appeared to be of the twins' own doing, as they looked sheepishly at each other before aging, but we're still unclear as to whether this was the case earlier in the episode. Once again, Agnes seems unbothered by the twins' rapid aging, almost like she's in on the act. Tommy and Billy have aged ten years in a day, ho hum!
Next, we see the power trio of Monica, Darcy and Jimmy strategizing as to how Monica could theoretically re-enter Westview. It's determined that they'll likely need some very fancy machinery in order to accomplish this goal, which triggers Monica to state "I know an aerospace engineer who might be up for this challenge." Umm...did Monica just reference the one and only Reed Richards here? Maybe, maybe not. Because as we learned in episode 4, it's also possible that he's one of the blipped and subsequently missing astronauts referenced by Director Hayward. But, if there's a mind that can create the craft that Monica needs to get back into Westview, it's likely Reed Richards.' We also see Monica get a weird look on her face when Woo references Captain Marvel; are 'Auntie Carol' and 'Lieutenant Trouble' having a spat? This subplot could very well play into the events of 'Captain Marvel 2,' which we already know Teyonah Parris is confirmed for. Monica also astutely discovers that Wanda distorts matter as it enters her reality, which explains Monica's wardrobe change upon her arrival in Westview and why that wardrobe is now bulletproof!
As we cut back to Vision at work, he's chatting with Norm when a S.W.O.R.D. briefing makes its way onto his work computer. In a very creepy tone, all of Vision's co-workers start to recite the e-mail in unison; this reminded me a bit of the weird 'for the children' chant in episode 2. What's unclear is how an official S.W.O.R.D. e-mail made its way to Vision, who is being controlled by Wanda. Did someone find a way to break Wanda's hold over him for just a moment? Either way, Vision's instincts tell him that Norm could have some answers. As Vision touches Norm's face, he's broken from the trance he's been in. "Please help me...you have to stop her, she's in my head, make her stop" -- Norm looks scared beyond belief. As Vision touches his head again, though, he's back in his trance. It's safe to assume that Norm was talking about Wanda here, but again, are we sure that she's completely in control?
Back at home, Wanda reveals to Tommy and Billy that she and Vision are having marital problems. Her dynamic with the children really does stand out to me, between her not being able to use her magic on them and with how honest she's being in answering their questions. Considering how much Wanda's been lying to Vision, I just find this odd. Wanda references her late brother Pietro to the kids during their conversation; "he's far away from here and that makes me sad." Wanda, sensing a disturbance outside, then discovers another S.W.O.R.D. drone, this one much less stealth-like than the last. What's interesting to me is that Sparky the dog barked before this, almost like he noticed the disturbance before she did? Is Sparky really...a dog? As Wanda goes outside and looks up at the drone, Monica calls out to her, saying that she wants to talk. Wanda's eyes glow and she terminates the drone. S.W.O.R.D. has finally picked up on the fact that Wanda is choosing "what makes it onto her show."
This is where the episode really starts to pick up, almost going 0-100, in my opinion. S.W.O.R.D. agents and snipers all gather around the perimeter of the force field as something begins to emerge. It's Wanda, who has left her own pocket reality to confront S.W.O.R.D. for their interference. We see her in the same attire she had been wearing in both 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame;' it's also worth noting that her accent is back (this had been a sticking point for people in the first few episodes, but it's clear she ditched it only for the sitcom. Wanda isn't interested in listening to S.W.O.R.D.'s attempts to reason with her, even when they point out that she's hurting people. "Stay out of my home...you don't bother me, I won't bother you." Monica tries to get through to Wanda, who seems surprised that she's still around. In what would be only the first nod to the FOX X-Men franchise in this episode, Wanda uses her abilities to turn S.W.O.R.D.'s guns on Director Hayward (similar to what we saw Magneto do in the FOX films). This is the first time I thought Wanda's actually in control of her own actions; she's still angry over the loss of Vision and seems to have processed it by using her abilities to create a utopia for herself. Could that idea have been planted in her head, though? That's what I still wonder; she's steering the car, but does someone have a finger on the wheel?
I'm not gonna spend much time analyzing the commercial; it's fairly apparent to me by now that these are just references to things from Wanda's past; in this case, 'Lagos' brand paper towels, "for when you make a mess you didn't mean to." Hayward did reference Wanda's incident in Lagos during the briefing earlier in this episode, but not while he was in her presence. I just think these are subconscious thoughts of Wanda's, as well as cool nods to previous films or characters. I could be wrong, but I don't see much to read into here.
As Wanda returns to Westview, Tommy and Billy are looking for Sparky, who got out of the house when Wanda left to confront the S.W.O.R.D. agents. For the first time in a while, we see the mailman, who once again makes a cryptic assessment ("your mom won't let him [Sparky] get far"). This is likely a statement made from his self conscious, but it's true: nothing gets out of Westview if Wanda doesn't want it to. We finally find Sparky over with Agnes; the pup appears to be dead and is wrapped up in a blanket. Again, anything Agnes is involved in causes me to raise an eyebrow. Was this by design? I know I speculated earlier that Agnes was responsible for bringing the dog into the boys' lives, so why would she then take it away? Perhaps she's trying to elicit a reaction from them? Awaken their abilities through rage or grief? Either way, she almost has to be behind Sparky's sudden passing. What else could happen to it in Westview, it's not like there's too much going on there.
We then see the boys begin to plead with their mother, saying "You can fix anything mom, fix dead." These boys have become insanely self aware in only a couple actual days of life. Do the boys know of what their mom did to revive their dad, or are they speaking to her abilities in general? It's unclear, but either way, Wanda refuses to intervene. Agnes then asks "...You can do that?" For the very first time, Agnes seems surprised; is that genuine? Is she feigning surprise at the boys' claim or is she actually unaware of the circumstances of Vision's revival? This woman frustrates me at every turn, I really need to figure out what her endgame is.
Back indoors, Vision tells Wanda that he spoke to Norm free of her spell, which seems to throw her off a bit. Vision has been on to Wanda for a while, but each time he questions her, she edits the scene they're in to change the subject. This time, it doesn't work. Growing more and more angry, Vision states that Wanda can't control him, a claim which she eerily objects to. Once again, Wanda tries to change the subject, this time by rolling the credits on this particular episode. Vision isn't having it though, as things begin to come to a head. Based on his angry expressions ("STOP LYING TO ME!"/"What is outside of Westview?!?"), we can tell that Vision has just about had it. Unsurprising to all of us watching, Vision claims to have no memory of his life before Westview (yeah, because you're not really Vision, pal!). Wanda claims she has no idea how any of this started - do we believe her? Is she once again being dishonest, or did someone incept her into beginning this chain of events? Before we can get any further answers, the doorbell rings; there's a visitor outside the Vision residence.
Wanda claims that this distraction wasn't her doing, which Vision doesn't quite believe. The realization that she does not have Vision's trust seems to hit Wanda like a ton of bricks, but she goes to see who's at the door anyway. And here's the moment that caused fans across movie franchises to geek out! Wanda opens her front door and is immediately shocked; first, we see long, wavy silver hair. Has Wanda's late brother returned to life among the living? Well, maybe, maybe not. What we then see is a jaw-dropper: it's Evan Peters' Quicksilver from the FOX X-Men franchise! As Darcy watches in amazement, she asks what's on all of our minds: "She re-cast Pietro?" Is this really how Marvel introduces the multiverse? So many questions.
"Who's the popsicle?" Okay, so it certainly sounds like the Fox version of Quicksilver. But is Marvel really going for the big reveal right now? Especially with 4 episodes left in this show? I just don't think it's that simple. This series has been weird and twisty right from the start, so I think that Marvel WANTS us to think that this is multiverse Quicksilver. What I believe, though, is that this is an imposter. Think about it: if the Pietro that Wanda grew up with were to show up at her door, she'd be able to tell if he was a phony right away. Instead, whoever is impersonating Pietro (perhaps Nightmare, Mephisto, Master Pandemonium, etc.) has chosen to show up as a different version of Wanda's long lost brother. Why? I think it all goes back to the kids, who have proven already to be quite powerful. Perhaps whoever this imposter is wants to siphon energy from these enhanced kids, or even weaponize them. I can't wait to see what the big reveal really is. Are you excited for episode 6? What do you think will be the next big shock? Let us know in the comments or tweet your predictions to us!
- Corey (@celticshive) & Mark (@MarkPiselli13)