Marvel’s WandaVision – The Endgame
The first of Marvel’s Disney Plus series has been a hit with fans both new and old. WandaVision aired its fourth out of nine total episodes. While the show so far has been very different from other Marvel Cinematic Universe properties, the fourth episode returned to what fans might consider normal. There was less of a focus on Wanda Maximoff and The Vision with a pivot toward building out the rest of the world. Anyone who felt the first three episodes were slow is going to like the new gear the show has shifted into.
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Scarlet Spoilers
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 3 of WandaVision. If you skip to the bottom and listen to the latest episode of The Other Identity, there are only light spoilers. Make sure you watch WandaVision before you continue reading!
Episodes four takes us out of Westview, away from the two super-powered living (or trying) their ideal suburban lives. Instead, the episode starts off with a Geraldine, now revealed to be Monica Rambeau. Fans may remember Monica as Captain Marvel’s biggest fan in her movie. She was the little girl and daughter of Carol’s best friend Maria Rambeau. Monica was also the victim of Thanos’ snap. We see her rematerialized and like many other citizens in the hospital begin to deal with the aftermath of missing out on 5 years.
As it turns out, Monica’s mother founded the organization SWORD (Sentient World Observation and Response Department). She also put into place procedures for how to handle agents that returned from the snap. Monica is placed on assignment for a missing person case and that brings her to Westview where she meets Agent Woo of the FBI. Fans should also recognize Jimmy Woo as the agent in charge of Ant-Man during his house arrest. The two are investigating some strangeness around the city of Westview.
Monica, of course, gets sucked into Westview and over the course of the episode, we see Jimmy Woo and his team of scientists monitor the situation. Among those scientists, one, in particular, stands out, Darcy Lewis from the first two Thor movies. She served as a sort of sidekick to Jane Foster but has now become a Doctor in her own right. Darcy and Jimmy are able to find the transmissions of Wanda’s ‘shows’ and try various methods to get through to her. The remote control SWORD drone (the red helicopter), talking to Wanda through the radio, and even sending in a SWORD agent through the sewers (the beekeeper).
The episode ends with the viewers caught up on the real-world side of what was happening inside Westview. With Wanda confronting Monica about who she is after she brought up the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. She ejects Monica from Westview and the episode ends, but not before one more chilling detail.
With Wanda temporarily shaken back to reality, she looks to Vision and see’s him as he last was in reality. No Mind Stone, shattered forehead and drained of all color. Before he’s restored once again and they happily sit down to watch television together.
What Does It Mean?
The first big change in this episode is the pivot from Wanda’s reality, to show the viewers what’s happening outside. From this point forward, every episode will likely touch on what’s happening as both of these worlds begin to collide. Each time this has happened Wanda has reset her world to a new era of television. It’s likely that as this continues to happen the stakes and consequences will rise and become direr.
It’s also important to note that besides Spider-Man: Far From Home, no other Marvel property has directly referenced let alone shown the consequences of the films. Kevin Feige has said the MCU will be entering a new phase of storytelling with more crossover than ever before. If this one episode of WandaVision is any indication the rest of the Marvel and Disney Plus Originals should be quite a treat for fans of all types.
The final moment that sheds the most light on what comes next is Wanda’s quick lapse in her reality when she’s a lifeless Vision. One of the questions that have yet to be asked on Wanda’s behalf is, “Why now?” Why is she having this breakdown? And why here in Westview of all places? Something must have drawn her here and triggered it. If this is the place Vision’s body was being kept, that’s the why and how. It would also mean that Wanda, much like she is puppeteering the lives of the citizens is also controlling a still dead Vision. Expect the remaining episodes to go from 0 to 60 very quickly as we know the end result of this series directly sets up the events for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as The Vision. It airs every Friday on Disney Plus.
The Other Identity
If you want more on WandaVision, the MCU, or comics in general, check out the Other Identity podcast. Each week Robbie Landis and Ben Morse (former Marvel Alumni) dive into various DC Comics and Marvel Comics topics. Everything from the comic book pages to the heroes on the silver screen, the Other Identity celebrates the fan in all of us. Whether a veteran reader or a new fan of the MCU, the show is for everyone.
This week, they continue their speculation on WandaVision and how the rest of the five episodes may play out. How much longer can Wanda keep reliving different era’s of television before her powers have irreversible effects on reality. Plus, is Wanda really the villain of the story, or is her inability to accept reality as it is just serving as a red herring for the true antagonist? They also discuss the current X-Men Vote event being conducted by Marvel to choose the final member of a Krakoan Age of X-Men. To listen and find out more, subscribe to the podcast today. You can subscribe and download on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Feature Image, Screencap from Disney Plus and Marvel’s WandaVision.