Well, folks, this is it. All we’ve done the past few weeks is drive ourselves crazy theorizing how Wanda presumably created the illusions around Westview. Episode 7 confirmed one major puzzle piece in this mystery with the reveal of Agnes in fact being Agatha Harkness. From the comics, Agatha is more of a mentor and educator toward Wanda. However, the sorceress from Salem is portrayed as manipulative and power hungry. Episode 8 opened with Agatha being put to death by her fellow coven in 1693, until that plan backfired on them when she drained the witches of their powers, including her own mother. Granted, her mother was in favor of punishing Agatha for alleging studying dark magic, so of course we could view Agatha’s power drainage as murky self-defense. Fast forward to the present and Agatha is desperate to find out what is Wanda’s secret. For this week’s post, it’ll be a FAQ format showing which questions have been answered so far and which still remain heading into the series finale.
So…how did Wanda do it?
During her trip down memory lane with Agatha, which we’ll get into shortly, we finally learn the truth behind Wanda’s abilities. When she reaches the pot of land that Vision purchased for their future home to grow old together, all the built up emotions not only from Vision’s death at the hands of Thanos, but the immense sadness that’s weighed on her shoulders since she was a child. All her life, Wanda has only felt pain. Pain from her parents dying in an explosion caused by a Stark Industries missile. Pain from her brother dying in the streets of their home country. And now pain from her soul mate no longer being their to raise her from the darkness, to comfort her through her endless grief. The energies inside Wanda detonated and the empty land begins building a house, and all of Westview begins to change into the old black and white setting. Inside the home, yellow energy flows from her hand and creates Vision, completing the life that she always wished she had. Wanda’s powers are usually red, so it’s possible the yellow color was reminiscent of the Mind Stone’s residual energy inside of her and that’s how she was able to create her own Vision.
What’s this about going down memory lane?
Right. Trying to uncover how Wanda created these elaborate illusions around town, Agatha disguised herself as her neighbor. Agatha explains to Wanda that she tried to be patient and gently nudge her out of her fantasy world. She reveals that she’s mind controlled Pietro, or Fietro (fake Pietro) as she likes to call him, to extract information from Wanda. After Wanda denies knowing how she did all of this, Agatha performs a spell for the both of them to re-visit Wanda’s memories.
The first was when she was a little girl in Sokovia. Here’s where we finally get the answer for why all the sitcoms. Her father returns home with video tapes of classic American sitcoms that they’d watch as a family. Wanda created her life to resemble a sitcom in remembrance of her family and the illusion that at the end of the day everything would be just fine in the show. Another important piece of information from this memory is the first instance of Wanda using her abilities. When their home explodes from the missile, another one lands a few feet away from Wanda and Pietro. Pietro wants to try and crawl out, but Wanda tells him they can’t escape. She reaches out toward the missile, as if willing it to disappear. Agatha tells Wanda she used a probability hex, which is a direct reference to Wanda’s powers in the comics.
The second memory is at the Hydra experimentation facility. We knew from Age of Ultron that Wanda and Pietro were exposed to the Mind Stone and is seemingly how their powers originated…until we saw the memory of Wanda using a probability hex as a child. This adjusts what exactly the Infinity Stone did to the twins, and properly explains Wanda’s origin story. She didn’t get powers from the Infinity Stone, but as Agatha put it, the exposure to the Mind Stone amplified Wanda’s otherwise dormant abilities. When the stone surrounded Wanda in the yellow light, she saw the glimpse of the Scarlet Witch. Maybe we’ll finally see Wanda don the Scarlet Witch attire? And I’m not talking about the Halloween get-up.
The third memory occurs inside the Avengers compound before the superhero showdown at the airport. This might be the first time Wanda and Vision shared an intimate moment together. Grieving from Pietro’s death, Vision tries consoling Wanda. After Wanda tells him the only way for her to be comforted is by seeing him again, Vision explains how grief is proof that love existed and that in of itself should be cherished. Since she was a child, all Wanda has ever truly known in her life is grief and loss. Her origin story was shaped around her parents death, her actions in Westview are a direct response to losing Vision. Everything Wanda has ever done, every choice she’s made has come from a devastating moment in her life.
Finally, we see exactly what transpired at the S.W.O.R.D. facility, and let’s just say Hayward fabricated a major detail. When Wanda first gets denied to retrieve Vision’s remains, Hayward buzzes her into his office and shows her how he has been dismantling the Synthezoid. Wanda blasts the window, floats down, and tries to “feel” him like she did in Infinity War. When she can’t feel him, she leaves the facility, drives to Westview, and you know the rest. So, why did Hayward lie to Monica, Jimmy, and Darcy in saying that Wanda stole Vision’s body?
Ok, so we know how and why Wanda did it. But what about all the multiverse theories? Are those down the drain now?
Yes…and no? It’s true that most multiverse theories were based on the premise that Wanda somehow took a Mind Stone from another universe, or simply that WandaVision was leading directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That movie title alone should put some credence on multiverse manipulation. But now that we know Wanda created Vision and the Westview illusions from her own powers, the only multiverse proponent left is Pietro. Agatha did not confirm whether or not Pietro was conjured up by her similar to Wanda creating Vision, just that she’s been using his eyes and ears to investigate Westview. During the “Agatha All Along” montage, Agatha is seen bewitching Pietro on Wanda’s doorstep, so it’s possible that Pietro did come from another universe (Fox?). Expect the finale to address this since the last time we saw Pietro he rolled up hard on Monica snooping around Agatha’s place.
In addition to that unsolved aspect of WandaVision, Doctor Strange’s eventual involvement remains. Knowing that WandaVision directly leads into the next Strange movie, his inclusion in the finale wouldn’t be a surprised. Honestly, it would be more of a surprise if he didn’t show up, even as a end credit cameo. Which also leads into the possibility of another showdown with Mordo. As I mentioned in the Rewind for Episode 5, Mordo declared war on all magic users, so it also shouldn’t be a surprise if he’s learned about Wanda using Chaos Magic through the grape vine. This would seemingly put Wanda square in his crosshairs, adding another reason to the list as to why Strange is needed to help Wanda.
Hold up. Explain what this “Chaos Magic” really is, and why did Agatha sound so scared to say “Scarlet Witch”?
Chaos Magic allows Wanda to wrap reality itself, more than her “regular” ability to alter probability. In the comics, Wanda received extensive training from Agatha to strengthen and control her powers. It’s still possible we see some reference to Chthon, who essentially bestowed these powers onto Wanda as a baby, but seeing that they double downed on the Mind Stone granting these abilities it’s doubtful Feige would go that route. But again, having to battle a magical god like Chthon would be yet another reason for Strange to help.
Agatha tells Wanda that she should be a myth, a person being able to wield Chaos Magic and is called the Scarlet Witch. Remember the Nexus commercial in Episode 7? I mentioned in that episode’s Rewind that Wanda could be the MCU’s Nexus Being. Each universe has their own Nexus Being serving as the anchor point of the universe and can affect the future through her reality-altering abilities. Based on what we’ve seen up to this moment, Wanda certainly has the raw power to be considered the Nexus Being. I’m going to sound like a broken record, but yes, explaining the concept of Nexus Beings and how that applies to Wanda would be the perfect job for Doctor Strange.
Ok, ok, ok, things are starting to SLOWLY make some sense. But what about that end credit scene? What’s the deal with white-washed Vision?
When WandaVision was first announced, many people (including myself) zeroed in on the series adapting the House of M storyline where Wanda says “no more mutants” and decimates 99% of the mutant race. Unless something major happens in the final episode, it doesn’t look good for our mutant theorists. WandaVision is more of an adaptation of The Vision and the Scarlet Witch and, the answer to the white Vision question, Vision Quest. In Vision Quest, the US government dismantles Vision and rebuilds him, but without his consent. In doing so, they created this white Vision that is void of any and all human emotion. With how that end credit scene played out, it’s highly likely we’re in store for a Vision vs. Vision showdown. Also, doesn’t the power source on Vision’s forehead look oddly similar to the power source in Tony Stark’s chest? Could the arc reactor be the key to restoring Vision without the Mind Stone?
Whoa! Vision vs. Vision would be epic! So I guess that means we’re done with theories?
If you thought we were done, than you thought wrong! Put those tin foil caps on we’re theorizing!
So…first, we have two Visions: one that’s void of any emotion and another that has all the emotion, but quite frankly, isn’t “real”. Let’s say Wanda either is the Nexus Being or is simply juiced up on all that Chaos Magic and somehow fuses the two Visions together? It’s doubtful that Vision would have his memories restored, but it’s clear that Vision can be functional without the Mind Stone. As Hayward put it, all they needed was power from the source, aka Wanda. So it’s not out of the question that Wanda somehow figures out a way to merge the two Visions together and then we get our favorite Synthezoid back.
Next theory: Billy and Tommy are not real. I’m willing to die on this hill, especially knowing that Wanda created Vision. Just as Vision can’t leave the Hex otherwise he’d fall apart, the same can most likely be said about the twins. Again, it’s possible that Wanda figures out a way around this obstacle. With Agatha now playing a more villainous role, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Strange takes her mentor role from the comics to Wanda. Regardless of how the twins become “real”, it’s a foregone conclusion that they will be. The Young Avengers are being assembled in the MCU, so it’s imperative that Billy and Tommy exist, which could also be a subplot in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, if it’s not resolved in WandaVision’s finale.
Last, but certainly not least, is the mysterious actor that Paul Bettany said he’s been waiting all his life to act with. While someone new could still pop up in the finale (we’re still waiting on that Luke Skywalker-level cameo that Elizabeth Olsen teased), it’s looking like Bettany was referring to himself. There will most definitely be a scene with Vision speaking with himself, and I can only imagine how unique of an experience that would be.
Putting all these theories aside, the finale for WandaVision will be full of fireworks. From taking down Agatha, restoring the people of Westview to their normal lives, and let’s not forget Monica with her newfound powers. It’s been a wild ride the last eight weeks, but we’re finally at the end. Buckle up.
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