Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: WandaVision

  • How WandaVision’s Halloween Episode Explains Anachronistic Imagery in Westview

    How WandaVision’s Halloween Episode Explains Anachronistic Imagery in Westview

    WandaVision has been pretty good about keeping the sitcom elements of each episode true to the era they take place in. As I noted in my first piece analyzing the changing eras of Westview, the only thing that’s truly bothered me about it so far is the 1950’s episode being modeled largely after The Dick Van Dyke Show, which didn’t premiere until 1961. I bring this up because I’ve seen a decent amount of criticism and confusion surrounding the era Westview is supposed to be set in during Episode 6, and the answer to all of this explains the timeline not only for this episode but the one I myself complained about a few weeks back.

    Explaining the Eras
    By starting in the 1950s, WandaVision had seven decades to cover to reach the “present-day” given that the late 2010s and early 2020s in the MCU are kind of fuzzy due to the Blip, and people like Wanda who were snapped away haven’t experienced anything beyond 2018. But with only six era-themed episodes, it wasn’t exactly clear how they’d handle that matter. There was a lot of speculation that the 2000s and 2010s would be covered together in the same episode, or that we’d only see the Westview characters in the present-day once the sitcom bubble burst.
    The answer to this little conundrum turned out to be neither of these scenarios, as we found out during this week’s “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!”. The episode had elements of both the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the final sitcom era (which will presumably be covered in next week’s episode) looks to be focused on the late 2000s and 2010s. This sectioning off of time periods explains the things that some viewers have pointed out as anachronistic, like the cinema showing 2004’s The Incredibles and what is most likely the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap starring Lindsay Lohan.

    Why A Little Bit of Anachronism Works
    Admittedly, this episode does lean more into the early 2000s than the late 1990s as evidenced by things like the Malcolm and the Middle theme song homage, characters – particularly kids – breaking the fourth wall, cheesy sound effects that accompany certain movements, and even the claymation-style “Yo Magic” commercial are all hallmarks of this time period much more than the ’90s. But some things could be seen as fitting with both “sides” of this era, like the Dance Dance Revolution-style game the twins played that first debuted in 1998 but became even more popular in the 2000s. And we did get one shot of what was most likely the actual 90’s in the form of the Halloween flashback of Wanda and Pietro as kids (assuming it was a real flashback).
    Ultimately, Westview seems to operate under similar rules to ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. That show is set in the 1980s but doesn’t make an effort to introduce technology and pop culture touchstones in the order they debuted in real life. Every episode is introduced as taking place in “1980-something” and anything that was around in the ’80s is fair game to show up at any time, and WandaVision is doing the same with each era it covers.

  • ‘WandaVision’ Takes the Top Viewing Spot Worldwide

    ‘WandaVision’ Takes the Top Viewing Spot Worldwide

    Disney+ has seen astounding growth throughout its first year. It already surpassed 90 million viewers, which was originally meant to be the streaming service’s four-year prediction. It is impressive if you consider that the only real high IP that was provided for the service was The Mandalorian‘s two seasons. Last month’s release of WandaVision did make people wonder if the first Marvel Studios’ original series would continue the service’s growth. Well, according to Parrot Analytics, the series has become the number one series worldwide.

    The interesting aspect is that the show didn’t start as the most popular show. It seems the initial three episodes kept it between the seventh and the 35th spot. Once the third episode hit, it skyrocketed up to the third or second spot. Ever since the major twist at the end of the fifth episode, it has officially taken the number one spot and hasn’t left it since the episode aired. It shows the relevance of the weekly release model. Wade Payson-Denney, an analyst of Parrot Analytics, points out the difference between Disney+ and Netflix’s binge strategy:

    They really pop up at first but quickly trail off. It’s a quick hit for these streamers. Whereas with weekly release, we see popularity gradually build over time, especially for a show like The Mandalorian and WandaVision

    The Mandalorian actually didn’t peak until its season finale, as it just saw a continuous growth since its initial episodes. WandaVision still has three more weeks to go, so it is sure to stick to that top spot before Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes over in March. Netflix’s focus on releasing their shows in one burst means they have an early peak but fizzle out fast. It’ll be interesting to make a comparison between the Marvel shows. The next two shows will have shorter runtimes of six episodes, which may go through a faster viewer cycle. As Payson-Denney points out, these shows remain in the conversation longer and are able to grow their audience as a result of everyone sharing their viewing experiences and theories online. It’ll be interesting to see how far WandaVision goes in the coming weeks.

    Source: Forbes

  • ‘WANDAVISION’ is Hexpanding

    ‘WANDAVISION’ is Hexpanding

    WandaVision keeps growing in scope with each passing episode. It’s Hexpanding, in a way. Episode 1, where we spent (practically) its entire runtime in “Sitcom Mode”, seems so far away as the show enters its third act firing on all cylinders. It took a while to get to the point where the state of affairs within the show became clear but with Episode 6 ending the way it did, we’ll have an entirely new status quo to look forward to next week. Big changes might be around the corner, changes that can help propel the show to new heights.

    The Westview Anomaly grew in size and the S.W.O.R.D. team stationed outside not only wasn’t enough to contain it, but it also managed to get itself trapped within its newfound limits. Wanda was underestimated and the outside world will have to find some new weapons to counteract her Hex. Random armed soldiers won’t do the trick anymore and, being likely that several other New Jersey residents have been engulfed by the anomaly, the event is sure to have been noticed by at least a few of the remaining Avengers, with a special focus on those who are more in touch with such…magical things.

    But not all new players might come from the outside. Inside the Hex there are new powers brewing. The twins have finally displayed (some of) their abilities and, keeping in mind how Wanda seems unable to control them at will, they certainly emerge as new players that inevitably might stand either in Wanda’s way or beside her, as she looks to maintain her (each passing day a bit less) fairytale life with Vision. Tommy and Billy, even at such a young age, would surely give whatever S.W.O.R.D. throws at them a run for its money.

    Also inside the Hex, we will now find several characters that are now down the rabbit hole. Much like Monica, they might experience light moments of clarity, breaking Wanda’s grasp on them. But this time, especially in Darcy’s case, with an increased amount of knowledge about what is occurring, how it might be happening, and how it might be hindered if not terminated. Darcy has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics, and with the world inside the Hex moving into the 2000s she can probably find the tools that may allow her to fight Wanda’s powers from the inside.

    Another new player might show up in the form of Monica’s Aerospace Engineer friend. We’ve already developed a theory on who that might be, but even if that doesn’t pan out, the build-up towards her arrival has been significant to the point that it most likely won’t be just a random character, but instead someone that matters in what the overall story is concerned.

    A single episode has now managed to present us with an entirely new playing field. With new players coming into the game from all sides, old players finding themselves in new situations, players switching sides altogether, the power struggle has just begun, and it will be even more fierce than initially expected.

     

  • Billy Takes Center Stage in ‘WANDAVISION’s All-New Halloween Spooktacular!

    Billy Takes Center Stage in ‘WANDAVISION’s All-New Halloween Spooktacular!

    For the Children! Ever since the Disney Plus Expanding the Universe documentary hinted at the arrival of Wanda and Vision’s twins in WandaVision, fans have eagerly awaited the MCU debuts of Wiccan and Speed and this week, in Episode 6, we saw Tommy and Billy’s powers come into play for the first time. While the episode made great use of the super speed of both Tommy and his “uncle Pietro”, it was the awakening of Billy’s powers that really hit hard…and might be a key to what’s happening in the series.

    Image result for marvel wiccan

    The events surrounding the birth of the twins in Episode 3 were certainly abnormal, up to and including the fact that nobody, including Wanda, knew she was having twins. When Tommy arrived, several minutes went by before Wanda became aware that another bun was in the oven and there was something very disconcerting about Wanda during his delivery. I can’t quite explain it, but we all watched it and we all know what I mean. So to some extent,  Billy was the bonus baby but with the nature of the twins already in question, I’m beginning to wonder if he was actually there all along or if his birth was a function of Vision choosing to name the first baby Tommy.

    As I discussed last week, there’s something very strange about Agnes’ interest in the Maximoff twins, an interest that predates their conception and became very obvious in Episode 5. No offense to Tommy or to fans of the character, but as cool of a character as Speed is and as much as I look forward to seeing him develop over the next several years in the MCU, Billy has always kind of outshined his brother in the comics and it’s possible that a similar fate may be in store for the twins in the MCU. In the comics, Billy is destined to become one of Earth’s most powerful mages, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and, eventually, the all-powerful Demiurge, a being essentially responsible for maintaining the universe. Short version: Billy is fated to wield an enormous amount of power. And with great power comes great effort by those trying to steal it. And this episode showcased that, even if it was a bit more subtle than we’d like. While Tommy ran around with his asshole uncle, Billy’s ability to sense that his father was in danger was a far more impressive display of power for a kid who only found out he had powers in that moment. As cool as super-speed is, precognition and clairvoyance are the types of abilities wielded by witches, warlocks and make him a prime target for any power-hungry baddies out there.

    In the comics, Billy’s powers were lusted after by Loki but I don’t think that’s the case here. As Arlyn Murphy mentioned in her Primer, it’s becoming more clear that while we are made to believe Wanda is in control, that she’s not actually the one in the driver’s seat, which means someone is using her power and, at this point, I think they’re using it to get to Billy’s. Who was talking about Wanda having kids before Wanda had kids? Who has been responsible for Billy (and Tommy…sorry Tommy) choosing to age up, making him old enough to begin to realize his power and “speed” him on his way to becoming omnipotent? All signs point towards Agnes being the power-hungry witch pulling the strings and out to either take Billy’s power for herself or manipulate him into using it for her (maybe that’s what is going on with Wanda?). Of course, this could be going totally down the wrong path, but with only 3 episodes left to go, we’ll all find out together very soon.

     

     

     

  • Disney+ Surpassed 90 Million Subscribers Even Before ‘WandaVision’ Released

    Disney+ Surpassed 90 Million Subscribers Even Before ‘WandaVision’ Released

    Disney+ has proven to be quite the powerhouse in the streaming wars. As of January 2nd, the subscription service has reached a new record high subscription number with 94.9 million. It has risen by 8 million in just one month, as it was at around 86.8 million the last time we got an update on it. As such, its growth already surpassed the service’s original prediction of 90 million in four years. It is a massive win after Disney has announced a slew of brand new originals heading to the service throughout 2021. The release of The Mandalorian’s second season and Pixar’s Soul were essential boosters in the last months. Especially the latter, which dominated streaming numbers during Christmas. These numbers also don’t include the subscribers gained after they released the first Marvel Studios original series, WandaVision.

    The streaming service has seen substantial growth that is not going to slow down anytime soon. Variety does point out that 30% of its subscribers are through India and Indonesia’s Disney+ Hotstar subscription model, which comes at a lower price. They are also about to launch the STAR brand in selected markets. So, the service will see a slight increase in the pricing in those regions. Still, In the latest financial meeting, they stated that they aren’t expecting profitability until 2024, but the current increase is still impressive. It’ll be interesting to see if WandaVision managed to push the subscription beyond the milestone of 100 million. Marvel Studios plans to release around six shows this year, so they will certainly see an increase over the coming months. December will also kick-off with the first The Mandalorian spin-off that is certain to draw in some attention. 2021 is going to be a big year for the service and an indicator how fast its growth will continue in its second year.

    Source: Variety, Forbes

  • Theory Thursday: The Halloween Episode

    Theory Thursday: The Halloween Episode

    After last week’s bombshell ending of the episode of WandaVision, all eyes are on this week’s episode, which is perhaps the one fans have been looking forward to the most: The Halloween episode. Ever since fans got their first glimpse at Wanda and Vision wearing the classic comic costumes, fans have been pondering the possibilities of how that episode might play out, since it’s been an episode that’s been teased the most in trailers alongside the 1950’s episode. And now that we know that Wanda and Vision are going to be accompanied not only by their kids; Billy and Tommy, but also the recently revived Pietro Maximoff (portrayed by Evan Peters), one can only wonder what exactly might happen on this episode. And it is exciting. So let’s begin.

     

    The Theme Song

    Undoubtedly, the dynamic duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have not missed with the theme songs of each episode. They’ve nailed the scoring of each era to a tea. There was something very interesting to note about the “nature of the lyrics.” At first, the songs start out as very bright and joyful. But as the episodes progress, you notice that the songs start to take a more sinister tone. For example, in the most recent episode, you have lyrics like “Crossing our fingers, singing a song. We’re making it up as we go along.” At first, their nature seems to be about how Wanda and Vision are inexperienced in being parents, raising a family and they’re making it up as it goes along. That’s the face value of the lyrics. But if we think about it in a deeper sense, it’s possible that they’re trying to send us the message that from here on out, whoever is behind the WestView anomaly (the primary suspect being Wanda) is making up this reality as it goes along. So there is a chance that the next episode might follow suit with this style of lyric. Making a song that can have a double meaning but it’s definitely much more noticeable and blunt than its predecessor.

     

    The lyrics seem to follow the line of addressing what happened in the last episode. For example, Episode 3 is about “We’ve got something cooking”; referencing Wanda’s pregnancy at the end of Episode 2. Episode 5’s theme had to do with the kids and their birth and how they’re making it up as it goes along. So, if Vision has become aware of what Wanda is doing by the end of the last episode, then there is a possibility that the next theme may be about ignoring distractions like what might be outside of WestView’s barriers or anything that might cause Wanda’s reality to break.

     

    Let’s talk about the costumes

    We know based on the trailers that Wanda and Vision are going to obtain their classic costume for Halloween. The question still remains about how they actually obtained it. Like, where did the idea for it come from? Is it a “Logan” type of scenario where comics about these characters exist in their universe and they based themselves on that? Could it be tossed aside to a gag like it’s just the first random thing they could find and it just so happens to be their classic costumes? Perhaps there’s an in-universe connection to it, perhaps tied to their personal history.

     

    I’m betting on the idea behind the costumes to have some sort of attachment to their personal history while at the same time representing who they are. Like for example, we know Wanda’s abilities are tied to magic and as the episodes have gone on, she’s been less perceptive and more open about her magic use in public, going as far as to showcase her abilities in front of Agnes. So, maybe she dressed as a witch from Sokovia, explaining the weird choice of a headdress rather than wearing what we know as a traditional witch’s hat. Vision could probably be like an updated version of Illusion, with a cool cape and such. This also begs the question about the kids’ costume choice. Chances are that if Wanda and Vision are wearing traditional versions of their costumes, there’s a possibility Billy and Tommy could wear traditional versions of their own costumes as well. We could maybe even see Pietro donning a classic version of his costume.

     

    Map-Out

     

    In WandaVision, there seem to be 4 main storylines that branch out to the rest of the storylines. We have Wanda, Vision, Agnes, and Monica. So I do this thing called a “map-out.” Essentially, I take the scenes from the trailers as the big puzzle pieces and then try to fill in the blanks with either elements I believe make the most sense based on comics or patterns or ways that can coherently connect one story to another.

    Wanda: Wanda’s story is going to keep maintaining the sitcom reality alive. She’ll play out the episode the way she wants to by following the sitcom trope that we’ve seen in previous eras from the other episodes. With this episode being set in the 90s and coincidentally Halloween, I expect Wanda to spend the episode trick or treating with Billy and Tommy, and possibly Pietro might tag along with her so that we may get some sort of exposition as to how he’s back. I however don’t suspect to get anything clear and concrete on who he might be. Given that the kids are growing at an accelerated rate and that we’ve already seen them display powers in the previous episodes, I suspect the twins might start to show their respective powers from the comics, albeit it’ll probably be brief moments, but still a display nonetheless.

    Vision: Whenever we see Halloween trailers, we always see Vision on his own, walking around Westview. Given that Vision is a part of the neighborhood security watch from Westview (and basing myself on childhood Halloween experiences in suburbs), this could explain why Vision is on his own during this episode, as he will be looking around the neighborhood to make sure that nothing is amiss since Halloween tends to be a time of mischief in the neighborhoods during sitcoms. It will also give Vision the chance to be doing some investigative work about the WestView anomaly and try to get to the bottom of it all. This will lead him to two places. The barrier of Westview (which I’ll explain later on) and to Agnes in her car.

    Agnes: She’s been one of the most theorized characters regarding WandaVision, especially after Episode 4 where S.W.O.R.D. was unable to ID her. Up until last week, she’s served a very “nosy neighbor”/ “side character” trope in the show. But this week might change all of that. We know from the first trailer that Vision will unlock her mind, similar to the way Vision unlocked “Norm”. So, if Agnes is the personality that was created for the sitcom reality, what personality might Vision unearth the moment Agnes is broken free? Based on the trailer, she’ll clearly recognize Vision and ask if he’s an Avenger and if he’s here to help them, them possibly meaning the citizens of Westview. We also know she’ll ask him if she’s dead because he is before laughing maniacally. So, I believe that this episode will reveal Agnes’ true identity, which is possibly Agatha Harkness. Whether or not she is “locked back” like Norm remains to be seen, but I don’t think she’d want to be locked back into Wanda’s spell, so she might leave before Vision has a chance to do so. I definitely see Agnes leading Vision to the barrier as we see in the trailers, which leads me to the final storyline.

    Monica: Out of everyone in S.W.O.R.D., the only people who seem willing to help Wanda at this point are the trio of Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy. Everyone else, including Director Hayward, seems to have branded Wanda as the villain and are going in guns blazing to take her down by any means necessary. This contrast in ideals may cause some friction and arguments between them and how to handle this situation. Clearly, Hayward doesn’t seem to care much about trying to help Wanda, given he tried to launch a missile at her and her children in the last episode, so if Monica and the rest do try to find ways to help Wanda, they may just fall onto deaf ears.

    There is also the possibility that given that Vision is at the barrier of Westview, he might try to communicate with the people outside of the barrier, giving us our first interactions between Vision and S.W.O.R.D. Thanks to the trailer shot above, we know that Vision may try to penetrate the barrier to see what is outside. I do think it is possible that we may see him go beyond the barrier and see the S.W.O.R.D base outside. What might happen next could quite frankly be anyone’s guess. If he steps out of the barrier, will he look as he normally does in the MCU? Would he be the pale Vision we saw in Episode 4, with the hole in his head? And how might S.W.O.R.D. react? Will they take him away? Will Wanda be able to sense someone left the barrier since she pretty much made the barrier impenetrable in the last episode? Only time will tell when WandaVision airs tomorrow on Disney+.

  • How WandaVision’s 1980’s Episode Does The Sitcom-Meets-MCU Thing Right

    How WandaVision’s 1980’s Episode Does The Sitcom-Meets-MCU Thing Right

    After taking a break from the inner workings of Westview to explore the goings-on outside the town, WandaVision picked up right where it left off in sitcom history and tackled the 1980’s “On a Very Special Episode…”.

    I discussed at length in my “Now in Color” analysis about how the time period of the 1970s is incongruent with the episode’s pregnancy and childbirth storyline. People were still giving birth in that era, obviously, it just wasn’t as common a trope seen in sitcoms as the decades before and after it. Fortunately, this episode’s 1980’s theme works very well with the plot it plays backdrop to, and goes beyond period-accurate clothing, a Growing Pains living room replica, and a nice homage to the classic intro of that show and other 80’s sitcoms like Family Ties and Full House. This is the part of WandaVision I’d been looking forward to the most; the sitcom is in full swing but now we have the MCU mystery to juxtapose it against. The choices made in emulating and subverting tropes often seen in 80’s media are a key part of the story; they’re less fluffy and more meaty than some of the antics seen in earlier episodes.

    Kids Grow Up So Fast

    Image result for wandavision billy and tommy

     

    To start off, we get to see Billy and Tommy at three different ages in this episode: babies, young children, and 10-year-olds. The babies suddenly advancing a few years in age during the show’s cold open is a nod to how many old sitcoms would introduce a new baby to the central family unit only to age them up a few years the next season, but it’s also a key part of the plot, as is the inclusion of the “can we keep him?” trope with the dog. Hopefully, this episode made a lot of viewers understand why Marvel chose to go all-out on the sitcom stuff and that it’s more than just a stylistic choice.

    The twins are 10 years old for most of the episode, which is just the right age for them to learn one of the cheesy life lessons that were a hallmark of 80’s family media, complete with some gentle, sappy music to underscore it. But of course, despite being the one to deliver said lesson to her children, it’s Wanda who is having the most trouble applying it to her life. While Westview is supposed to be an idyllic and quaint town, there are some sad things that can’t be fixed even there. But Wanda knows there’s a world outside of Westview, and things are a lot more complicated outside her self-imposed bubble. She says one thing to the boys about not being able to revive the dead, while simultaneously doing the opposite of what she’s preaching with Vision.

    The Bubble is Ready to Pop

    Wanda obviously wants everyone in town – especially her family – to live in ignorant bliss, but the façade is starting to crack. The S.W.O.R.D. team is figuring out increasingly effective ways to break in (this week they sent in what they wanted using technology from Westview’s current era so it wouldn’t be altered upon entry) and Vision is catching on to what Wanda is doing. The biggest subversion of an 80’s trope in this episode comes when Wanda rolls the credits on Vision’s concerns about their life but he continues his confrontation anyway, and eventually, the credits stop. Sitcoms may be known for their ability to resolve any problem in half an hour, but this scene makes it clear that those days are over in Westview.

    In discussing the episode’s presentation of how sitcom tropes aren’t really true-to-life I have to mention everyone’s favorite neighbor, Agnes. Her frequent and well-timed stops by Wanda and Vision’s home are still humorous, but Vision’s comments about how she shows up with exactly what the family needs, exactly when they need it point to something being up with her. We see early on in this episode that she definitely knows what’s up to a degree, but it seems like she’s more attuned to Wanda and her family more than everyone else in Westview and Vision pointing out how odd her convenient behavior is means we’re going to find out more about her down the line.

    WandaVision only has two more decades to cover (well maybe three if the 2000’s and 2010’s are combined). If these kinds of parallels between the era and the situation continue, the cynicism of the 1990’s and beyond is going to play a role in these next episodes and things are going to break down even further.

  • Jac Schaeffer Talks Evan Peters Inclusion in ‘WandaVision’

    Jac Schaeffer Talks Evan Peters Inclusion in ‘WandaVision’

    WandaVision has been an insane ride. Its sitcom-based premise was strange enough, but it started to throw in one twist after another. The fifth episode probably gave us the biggest surprise yet, as Wanda welcomed her brother Pietro back to the living. While it did turn out to be Quicksilver, it wasn’t Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Knocking on Westview’s door was none-other than Evan Peters. Yes, the very same that played the iconic character in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise. It was also one of the site’s biggest stories written by Charles Murphy some time ago, which finally got confirmed.

    The fifth episode’s title: “On A Very Special Episode…” was certainly fitting. Luckily, everyone who is still confused about the reveal and what it might mean, head writer Jac Schaeffer offered some details on how they managed to cast him.

    This show is such a mind scramble, and because it’s working on so many levels, and there’s so many notions of what’s real and what’s not, and performance, and casting, and audience, and fandom, and all of that, we just thought it would be the biggest thrill to bring Evan over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We thought like, how do we give him this entrance, and then enjoy that, and then make it crazy? And we had long had the idea of the trope of the brother, or the relative, or whoever comes to town and like, stirs things up with the family — that sitcom trope.

    The idea came from Schaeffer and executive producer Mary Livanos, who wanted to make it a reality. His inclusion was at a perfect time, as Wanda and Vision were at a standstill. They truly utilized the 80s cliché to its fullest potential. Of course, Peters brought along an accent to make the trope fully come to life. She also discusses how difficult it was for his inclusion to make sense within the larger story that is getting told. They worried how organic it would be, especially as they had so many different ideas already bouncing around. They confirmed that Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige was adamant that his inclusion had a reason. Hopefully, it will play out in the upcoming episodes. It also seems that Peters was excited to join the MCU, as we are to see what his character’s inclusion might be setting up for the franchise’s future.

    Source: Marvel

  • ‘WandaVision’s Six Infinity Ads: Predicting the Final Two

    ‘WandaVision’s Six Infinity Ads: Predicting the Final Two

    WandaVision is a unique experience in comparison to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It embraces its nature as a mystery show by continuing to confuse us with each new episode. There are many unanswered questions so far, but one stands out. Every sitcom-themed episode featured an advertisement that seemed connected to a traumatic experience in Wanda’s life. Until now, most of us focused on trying to figure out who the couple is that keeps reappearing. Current theories still point to them being Wanda’s parents, but it tends to overshadow one aspect of the ads. The latest ad features a paper towel brand named Lagos that fixes problems one didn’t mean to do. It reveals a rather interesting red liquid that, at first, seems mainly as a pun on spilling blood due to the incident. Yet, if we look at the other ads, you start to notice a pattern. We have the blue square of the HYDRA soap, the blinking light on the toaster, and the watch’s recurring reference to time. Each ad seems to represent an Infinity Stone.

     

     

    Now, I am not the only one to notice this pattern. ComicBook.com’s Adam Barnhardt also noticed the trend in an article you can check out here. The before-mentioned red liquid is most likely Thor: The Dark World‘s Aether. Episode 3 introduces a blue-shaped square that is the Tesseract. Of course, the watch is connected to the Time Stone even if its iconic green color was absent. The toaster most likely builds on the joke from Tom King‘s The Vision run, where Wanda describes the poor Synthezoid as such. It seems to have a face with a blinking light where its forehead is, which creates the connection to the mind stone. As such, there are two more stones left that have yet to get showcased. It also matches that the next two episodes may be the last sitcom-based stories, as we haven’t explored the 90s or 2000s yet.

    Let’s start with how the Power Stone may appear in an upcoming ad. Now, each advertisement has been pretty close to the era they represent. So, we need to think about a product that would best personify the purple rock. There is the possibility they could go down the route of the famous “A diamond is forever” commercial with the stone acting as jewelry. Yet, it feels like there is no actual connection to the stone’s ability. It’s about giving people power or even strength beyond human comprehension. It also needs to connect to an event that is traumatic for Wanda. Lagos represented Captain America: Civil War. So, the next installment would be Avengers: Infinity War. We all know what happened in that event, so it would be connected to head pains. What if the Power Stone is a purple pill that echoes the 1994 ad of Extra Strenght Tylenol?

     

     

    Now, there is only the Soul Stone left. It is the toughest one to connect, as the whole concept of its abilities is uncertain. To some degree, I wonder if it may not get an ad, but rather a reference to the events that Thanos went through. So far, it seems plausible that Wanda’s abilities are connected to each one of the stones. She might be the first to introduce us to what it can do, as it could explain how Vision has returned from the dead and why we see her parents in the ads if that theory turns out to be true. I was doing some research on advertisements of the early 2000s, so there are, in my opinion, plenty of hilarious potential ways it may appear. Remember the strange hair-raiser Bumpit? It would certainly be hilarious to see that iconic stone of unlimited power is used to raise someone’s hair. Maybe it is in the form of something that warms the soul like a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup from Campbells. Its strong focus on family-friendly advertisements would make it the perfect choice. It would be hilarious if they recreate the mysterious Soul World showcased in Infinity War, but the water is chicken noodle soup. That might not be likely, but we’ll see if the next advertisement has something purple or orange to confirm this theory.

     

    Source: Comic Book, YouTube (Tylenol ad), YouTube (Campbells)

  • ‘WANDAVISION’: 6 Reasons Why Monica Rambeau’s Phone-a-Friend is a Skrull

    ‘WANDAVISION’: 6 Reasons Why Monica Rambeau’s Phone-a-Friend is a Skrull

    WandaVision‘s Episode 5 was, for many, the best one yet as the show seems to be kicking into high gear for the final half of the season. The last couple of episodes have finally started to shed some light on some of its initial mysteries, but the show also keeps raising new questions to leave unanswered. One of those came up on the last episode when Monica and Darcy discussed what it would take to assemble a vehicle that would allow them to enter the Westview Anomaly without being affected by it. Rambeau immediately says:

    I know an aerospace engineer who’d be up for this challenge.

    That obviously begs the question: Who might that be? We’ve all read the crazy possibilities that started to make their way through social media and elsewhere: Reed Richards; Victor Von Doom; The Blue Marvel; Hank McCoy; Abigail Brand; Riri Williams. But let’s get serious for a second: besides Riri Williams (who will be played by Dominique Thorne in the upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart) none of these other characters have been cast yet and there is no official word of when and where they might be eventually introduced into the MCU. At the same time, introducing almost any of them in an episode of WandaVision would only distract us from the focus of the story being told, as we would all get drawn to those characters that are bound to become franchise staples within the next decade.

    So being, it would have to be someone a bit more lowkey, while being interesting enough so that the disclosure of the secret actually pays off. And in true MCU fashion (as WandaVision has been living proof of with Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy), if it happened to be someone we have already met in a past project, even better. Considering all of this, and a few more interesting facts we’ll get into ahead, the choice seemed logical: Talos’ daughter, the little girl that we met at the end of Captain Marvel.

    Now why does that seem like the logical choice, you ask? Here’s why.

    • She was raised by space-traveling aliens, and the Skrulls are a  far more advanced race than ours. It would take someone with that kind of background to turn Darcy’s theory into a reality.
    • Monica clearly says that she knows the person in question. Making it seem that it’s more of a personal connection and not so much a professional one. As we saw in Captain Marvel, Monica bonded with her, in the scene on the staircase when she said “You guys have the best eyes. Don’t ever change your eyes.”. As Maria probably stayed in contact with Talos even after he left earth, Monica could have easily done the same with his daughter. 
    • We know both Talos and his wife Soren eventually made it back to Earth, it’s likely their daughter came back as well. 
    • She’s someone only Monica would know off, and by making their connection essential to the story you also highlight Monica’s role in the show.
    • When Monica mentions “An engineer..” the Spanish subtitles show us “Una ingeniera..”, meaning that whoever Monica is talking about is female.
    • Almost a year ago there were reports of a casting call out for a male aged 16-23 “A Skrull hiding on earth under the protection of SWORD.” This obviously isn’t Talos’ daughter’s character but it does make it clear that Skrulls will appear on the show, so her appearance may have added context. By making it clear in episode 4 that Maria Rambeau, Monica’s mother, built S.W.O.R.D. from the ground up, and knowing how Maria came into contact with Skrull refugees in Captain Marvel, it would be fair to assume that she got S.W.O.R.D. to help them out and that Monica would be aware of that situation. Even if other operatives, such as Director Tyler Hayward, didn’t. After all, secrecy would be paramount in such a situation.

     

    All of this may end up being meaningless, but there sure are a lot of details hinting that this might be the person Monica refers to. Above all, it’s a simple enough answer that doesn’t need too much explanation, much in the way of how Marvel Studios usually does these things. Both characters have a natural connection, one we’ve already seen on screen, and it won’t leave people clamoring for answers on who is this person, how did they meet each other, or how does she know so much about these specific subjects. Being Talos’ daughter people will get it all immediately, advancing the story without having to waste time explaining what people already know.