Going into the finale of WandaVision, fans should take a moment to acknowledge something we’ve forgotten along the way — and Avengers: Endgame is somewhat to blame for that. Each standalone MCU story has a very specific purpose. It tells a very specific story. That the story can contain Easter eggs and hooks that will tie to other MCU adventures and build towards crossovers that might end up being as epic as Endgame was, that’s another thing. But those elements that tie together these separate stories can’t be bigger than the story at hand. The same goes for WandaVision, which just concluded on Disney+. The finale completes the Wanda and Vision story while slowly — very slowly — advancing the overall plot.
Endgame was such a massive success that made us all dream of similarly bold stories and expect them from everything else Marvel does. But let’s remember that Endgame was a conclusion of more than ten years of stories. We got there very slowly, and we should expect the same from Phase 4. The MCU needs to be rebuilt in the wake of Endgame, and shows like WandaVision will help Marvel do that.
Finally, there’s also one more thing to remember about the new Phase of Marve adventures. Streaming is included in the package, which means we’re getting more MCU content than ever before. It also means that we’ll need to learn to temper expectations ahead of each show. That’s a spoiler-free preview of WandaVision Episode 9, launched on Disney+ just a few hours ago. But in what follows, we’ll discuss all the big reveals in the finale, the cameos, and the post-credits scenes that tell us exactly where we are right now — mind you, significant spoilers follow below.
The story
WandaVision
is very much a story about grief and mental illness as it is an origin story for Marvel superheroes and villains. Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) learns to accept what has happened to her and move on. In the process, she becomes something else. She is now the Scarlet Witch. That’s why it’s an origin story. WandaVision also introduces Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) as a superhero, and the finale gave us a look at the twins in action. Both Billy (Jullian Hilliard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne) use their powers in the final fight, and we’re probably going to see them again down the road, likely playing Wiccan and Speed. Then there’s Vision (Paul Bettany), who both died and resurrected in Episode 9. The Vision we loved might be forever gone. But a part of him was just brought back to life. What Shuri wasn’t able to do in Infinity War, SWORD and Wanda’s magic did.
The cameos
Paul Bettany massively trolled everyone with his teasers about an actor he always wanted to work with. It turns out that the actor was Paul Bettany. The Vision vs. White Vision scenes were certainly satisfying to watch, especially the discussion between the two versions. But there was no other mystery character in the show. The rumors were all wrong. There was no Al Pacino as Nightmare or Mephisto, and James Spader did not voice Ultron or White Vision. Also, we did not get any other mutants aside from Quicksilver. Fietro turned out to be just an actor rather than an actual X-Men member from a different universe.
Finally, there was no Benedict Cumberbatch in WandaVision. Doctor Strange did not make an appearance to save the day. But fans must have recognized at least two moments that point directly to Strange.
The post-credits scenes
WandaVision
Episode 9 features two post-credits scenes, just like a movie. In the first, we get to see Monica Rambeau meeting a Skrull who was shapeshifting as an FBI agent. This is a teaser that the Skrulls are still very much around. The scene also links to Secret Invasion and that space station that we saw in the Spider-Man: Far From Home credits.
The second credits scene shows us Wanda somewhere in the mountains, enjoying her tea. But what she’s really doing is teaching herself the Darkhold magic. She’s in astral form reading the book, just as Strange used to do back as Kamar-Taj. This indicates that we’ll see the Scarlet Witch again and that Doctor Strange might be involved next time around. Olsen confirmed just a couple of days ago to Jimmy Kimmel that she’s in London shooting for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Finally, the Scarlet Witch does hear Billy calling for help.
The characters
Billy and Tommy
The second credits-scene makes it clear that Billy and Tommy are not dead. They might not have a corporeal form as Wanda removed the Westview illusion, but their souls are somewhere, and Wanda can hear them.
Agatha Harkness
Wanda defeated Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) and punished her to live an ordinary life as the nosey next-door neighbor. This means we might see her back in the MCU, and Hahn definitely deserves more time in this role.
Quicksilver
Evan Peters did not play the Fox version of Peter in this one, although Marvel had us convinced that might be the case. The fact is that only the audience thinks this is a Quicksilver version from a different reality. Anyone else familiar with the Maximoffs knows that we’re just looking at recast. This was Ralph Bohner (all along). Ralph isn’t Agatha’s husband, and he’s not Nightmare or Mephisto. He’s just a local actor who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ultimately, Fox’s Quicksilver is just a massive misdirect and a meta-joke for the audience. And when you think about it, having either Wanda or Agatha pull a person from a different reality would be too much. That would be a massive show of power, beyond what witches and wizards should be able to do. Agatha did say in a previous episode that the real Pietro’s body was on a real continent, so she couldn’t get him. This prompted many to wonder why she’d get Fox’s Peter from a different timeline if she can’t get someone buried several thousand miles away.
Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch wasn’t in the WandaVision finale after all. That might be disappointing to fans. But there were hints of him in Episode 9. First of all, Agatha tells Wanda that the Scarlet Witch’s power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme — Strange should be worried. Then there’s the second post-credits scene where the Scarlet Witch is learning magic in astral form, just like Stephen Strange did.
Monica Rambeau
We’ve seen her in action, displaying her powers a couple of times during Episode 9. Like Wanda, she’ll have to learn what she can do with those powers. And we’ll see Teyonah Parris in future Marvel movies and TV shows. Captain Marvel 2 and Secret Invasion are at least two adventures where Monica might appear next.
Vision
I’ve already covered Vision’s death and resurrection above. It was heartbreaking to see Vision realize what he is and what he’s not. And even then, he did what you’d expect from Vision — the right thing. He protected his family and the love of his life from the immediate danger while fully knowing that this reality can’t stand once the fighting concludes.
“I have been a voice with no body,” Vision begins his farewell speech to Wanda. “A body, but not human. And now a memory made real. Who knows what I might be next?” he asks. Wanda’s Vision already knows that White Vision is out there, carrying all the memories of the real Vision. And that includes the love for Wanda. However, time will tell if White Vision can develop the same humanity that the Mind Stone gave Vision. What seems to be clear is that we’re not done seeing Bettany donning this particular costume. And Wanda seems to think so herself.
The Scarlet Witch
Wanda can’t be just Wanda after what has just happened. She’s the Scarlet Witch, a superbeing that has the potential to do both good and evil. Rumors say Wanda will be the villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and considering what we saw so far, that’s always possible.
Wanda seems to have moved past her grief and on to the next chapter of her life. But who knows what can reactivate her chaos. Hearing Billy’s voice asking for help might be the thing that does it.
Fans might absolutely hate SWORD Director Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg) for his Machiavellian ways. But he wasn’t wrong to see Wanda as a potential threat. He wasn’t wrong to try to reactivate Vision. In a way, he was just doing what we’ve seen in the MCU before. It was usually Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) trying to protect the planet at all costs. That’s to say that the planet might need protection if Wanda ever turns out to be a major villain.
