With WandaVision's first three episodes officially out and the fourth on the horizon, fans are rabidly consuming and theorizing. The show seems to be hiding quite a big secret behind its vintage TV aesthetic, and whatever it may be will almost certainly play a key role in the future of the MCU.
In its most recent episode, "Now in Color," WandaVision took a turn towards the darker side, with the titular Wanda being faced with the death of her brother, Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The trauma that clearly haunts the character is poised to play a significant role as the show continues, something that actress Elizabeth Olsen says attracted her to the role.
Those involved with the show have hinted at even more of this high-stakes intrigue, with Vision star Paul Bettany indicating a huge climax for the series and showrunner Jac Schaeffer promising more mentions of Wanda's dead twin, Pietro. However, the nature of Pietro's rumored return is still up in the air...
PIETRO'S PRESENCE
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Schaeffer talked about Pietro's role in WandaVision, as well as how the character's loss has shaped Wanda herself. Responding to a question about Pietro's role in episode three, Schaeffer said they had to pinpoint when to "delve into authenticity:"
"So, my approach with Wanda was to look at the entirety of the woman, right? All of herself and all of her experiences and all of her trauma, and losing Pietro is a big part of that and having been a twin is a big part of that. As far as the placement of it, that was a lot of the work in the writers' room, was when do we have these moments? When do we reveal things? When do we delve into authenticity? Because the sitcom stuff, there's the patina of the happy, false environment and the happy, false self a little bit, so it made sense to me in that moment for her to have some emotional honesty."
Schaeffer was then asked about the potential role reprisal of Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver from Aaron Taylor-Johnson; the filmmaker kept her secrets close to her chest with her answer, choosing to generally speak on the effect of Pietro's death on the world of WandaVision:
"It's so hard to answer these questions. They're very good questions. But again, it's about Wanda's internal life and what her experience is and what her feelings are. That's what we're going to explore."
WANDA'S WORLD
In the wake of episode three's somewhat disturbing shift at the mention of Taylor-Johnson's Pietro Maximoff, it is interesting to hear how the showrunner understands this moment. These remarks seem to demonstrate that whatever Pietro's role in the show may be, it will exist as a way to explore Wanda than to bring back Pietro himself. This makes quite a bit of sense, as the show seems more interested in internal discord rather than palpable external shifts.
Another telling piece of Schaeffer's remarks is her focus on "authenticity." Although the first few episodes have focused more on, as Schaeffer puts it, "the happy, false environment and the happy, false self," it seems apparent that as we move deeper into the show, Wanda's fractured internal state will become the centerpiece of the show.
While it's clear that the specter of Pietro will continue to loom over the town of Westview, a real return of the character is still uncertain, though it may certainly be in the cards.
PLAYSTATION Writer
