Hasitha Fernando on WandaVision’s big questions coming out of the fifth episode…
Now, that was a real doozy of an episodes wasn’t it? Just when we think we’ve got things figured out, WandaVision throws a proverbial curve ball at us with Friday’s fifth episode, and what a curve ball THAT was. I’m still reeling from that particular major reveal, reflecting on its implications within the MCU going forward, but there were a few other interesting details that may have slipped under people’s radars that are worth exploring. For those haven’t yet watched the recent episode of WandaVision, SPOILERS lie ahead.
1. The Mysterious ‘Aerospace Engineer’ friend of Monica Rambeau
Fairly early on in the episode when the trio of Darcy Lewis, Monica Rambeau and Jimmy Woo are sharing their ideas on how to breach the Westview anomaly utilizing an armored vehicle of sorts, Monica casually utters the following line, “I know an aerospace engineer who’d be up for this challenge.”
Who could this mysterious aero-space engineer friend be? With Marvel’s penchant for dropping elaborate clues for their up-and-coming properties in their TV shows and films, could this casual throwaway line also be hinting at something similarly significant? With rumors on the supposed identity of the individual already gathering steam, we take a look at the possible candidates who’d most likely be our mystery man.
Topping this rather short list is none other than the founding member of Marvel’s first family itself, Dr. Reed Richards. Possessing a mastery of aero-space, mechanical and electrical engineering as well as exhibiting proficiency in all levels of physics, chemistry and biology, Mister Fantastic certainly checks all the boxes of our probable candidate. With Kevin Feige officially announcing Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Far From Home) would be helming the MCU’s iteration of Fantastic Four during Disney Investor Day 2020 and that the upcoming slate of Disney + TV shows would blur the line between movies and TV, it’s safe to assume that Monica’s statement may in fact be referring to Reed Richards himself. The passing of Avenger’s tech-whiz Tony Stark, also leaves a unique void tailor-made for this extremely malleable genius to fill. So be on the lookout for this character, as Marvel will most likely drop more references to him, going forward.
Victor von Doom a.k.a Doctor Doom is another possibility that could fit the bill of our probable suspects. A child prodigy and one of the most brilliant scientists on the planet, Victor also is a skilled sorcerer whose mastery over magic rivals that of the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Being the arch-enemy of the Fantastic Four, Doom has singlehandedly mounted successful offensives against Marvel’s first family on numerous occasions in the past, making him a force to be reckoned with. If Doom is indeed the mysterious aerospace engineer Monica is alluding to, then it’s most likely that he hasn’t switched to his full-blown villain mode as of yet.
A relative newcomer to Marvel Comics, Adam Brashear alias Blue Marvel could also be our enigmatic aero-space engineer. A veteran of the Korean War and a member of the US Marine Corp Adam is a genius engineer and theoretical physicist, who’s often worked alongside Monica in the comic book superhero team The Ultimates. He was the project lead on a scientific attempt to harness anti-matter, an initiative which eventually goes awry, imbuing him with superhuman abilities.
2. How are Tommy & Billy immune to Wanda’s powers?
Though Wanda appears to have control of everything in Westview thus far, her powers strangely doesn’t seem to have any effect on her two sons Tommy and Billy. This phenomenon is first hinted at when she attempts to put them to sleep but is unsuccessful in doing so. The fact that they are able to consciously age themselves rapidly, outside of Wanda’s control is also reason to pause and reflect. In addition to the aforementioned, they appear to be aware that something’s not quite right in the town of Westview and aren’t easily swayed by Wanda’s explanations given to them. So, what gives? How can we explain away why the twins are beyond their mother’s power?
One reason could be because they, like their comic book counterparts Speed and Wiccan, also wield superpowers of their own. In spite of the duo being carbon copies of the original Maximoff twins in the comics, the MCU narrative could be far different and may feature Vision as their actual father. If this turns out to be the case who knows what the true extent of Billy and Tommy’s powers are, as they are the offspring of two beings who have been augmented by Infinity Stones. Another way that this occurrence could be explained is that they are mere pawns of a larger plan, meant to deceive and manipulate Wanda for a darker purpose. There’s been rumblings of Mephisto, as well as Agatha Harkness, so here’s hoping we’ll get our answers soon enough.
3. Why was Pietro Maximoff recast in WandaVision?
Undoubtedly the biggest WTF moment of the TV show thus far was the inclusion of Evan Peters’ version of Pietro Maximoff from the X-Men films produced by 20th Century Fox. Until recently the X-Men and Fantastic Four properties belonged to Fox, but with Disney’s acquisition of the former, they’ve now officially become part of the House of Mouse. With Disney now having access to a plethora of new comic book IPs, how they are introduced to the already established MCU tapestry at large is what remains to be seen.
Before Fox’s acquisition by Disney there were two onscreen iterations of Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver at one point, with Marvel sharing the character’s rights with Fox. Evan Peters’ take on the speedster featured in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past was universally praised by critics and audiences alike, while Aaron Taylor Johnson’s interpretation of the character in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron received a rather mixed response.
The MCU may have given us a taste of parallel universes and alternate dimensions existing in the MCU, but the Multiverse is a concept that has not yet been explored. However, things are set to change with the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the as of yet untitled Spider-Man 3 movie, which will take a deep dive into the multiverse. Kevin Feige has confirmed in the recent past that WandaVision will kickstart the MCU’s multiverse story arc that will continue in the Doctor Strange and Spider-Man films, so there’s wide speculation that Wanda Maximoff will be the one to open up this Multiverse of Madness. And what better way to do it than introduce Evan Peters’ Pietro in to the sitcom-fueled world of WandaVision?
It’s a brilliant move when you come to think about it, and would also explain how villains from previous Spider-Man incarnations, such as Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx’s Electro can share the same space as Tom Holland’s Spidey. Peters’ inclusion in WandaVision could therefore mark the official beginning of the Marvel Multiverse… or it could be that he’s playing an entirely different character pretending to be Pietro. After all, nothing is what it seems in the idyllic suburbia of Westview, New Jersey.
What are your WandaVision theories? Be sure to let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
