WandaVision is quickly shaping up to be one of the MCU's most unique projects to date, and the latest trailer drove that idea home.
Marvel President Kevin Feige unveiled a brand-new trailer for Elizabeth Olsen's solo series at Disney's Investor Day, teasing fans with new characters, plot details, and much, much more. The second full look into Scarlet Witch's warped reality crammed quite a bit of blink-and-you'll-miss-it content into 87 seconds, but as Dave Bautista's Drax likes to say, nothing goes over our heads.
Without further adieu, let's break it all down. Here are 11 things from the WandaVision trailer — including Easter eggs and hidden references — that you (probably) missed.
Married... to a Human!
In the first few seconds of the trailer, we see Wanda Maximoff conversing with Kathryn Hahn's Agnes about her living situation. Wanda assures her that she's not single and in fact married, to a human man. Vision then walks into frame, sporting his robotic visage complete with a Mr. Rogers-esque sweater and tie. Not long after, Vision blows a kiss goodbye to his wife before walking out the door, except here, he looks a lot more human.
Considering Wanda dons the same hairstyle when interacting with both robotic and humanoid versions of Vision, it is fair to assume we will see Tony Stark's second super-bot make a manly transformation during the first time period of WandaVision.
Later footage shows Vision popping up in both robotic and humanoid forms in colored time periods, so we will likely see him bounce between styles quite a bit in this show.
Reality Shifting
Later in the footage we see Wanda's world changing in real time. Scarlet Witch, complete with a baby bump, watches as her living room slowly is immersed with color. The surroundings shift to become modernized, and Vision's previously black and white robotic face turns purple.
Seeing that WandaVision is confirmed to take place over six different time periods, many believed each time period would be unique to an individual episode, and we wouldn't get much explanation about the jumps. This scene, while brief, emphasizes that Wanda's reality shifting will not happen off-screen, and we will get to see the time transitions unfold ourselves.
Nosey Neighbor
That Agnes means trouble.
Kathryn Hahn's character is one of the few neighbors to pop up in multiple different time periods, which leads me to believe she has a pivotal part in this wild story.
Despite being credited as Agnes, many have speculated that character name is a red herring, and Hahn is actually portraying the notable Scarlet Witch antagonist Agatha Harkness. After all, Agnes is simply a combination of the first and last syllables of that comic character's full name. Considering how Agnes behaved in that first WandaVision trailer, she likely knows more about this reality than she is letting on.
Monica Rambeau
Lieutenant Trouble is back, but it sounds like she doesn't know that.
Here, we get our first full look at Teyonah Parris's adult version of Monica Rambeau, the same character fans will recognize as Maria Rambeau's daughter from Captain Marvel. Rambeau knocks on Wanda's door, who is happy to meet her. After asking who she is, Rambeau hesitantly replies, “I don't know.” After glitching out of her fearful expression, Rambeau shares a forced smile with Maximoff.
Here's where the trailer gets juicy. Rambeau not knowing who she is adds to speculation of how exactly she got in this reality. How many of these characters are figments of Wanda's imagination, and how many are real? We speculated that Rambeau could be spotted in the real world during a blink and you'll miss it frame of WandaVision's first trailer, so her appearance in this warped reality is all the more intriguing.
Combining our knowledge from the first trailer, we know Rambeau will eventually shatter through the warped reality and into the real world. Could she be a mind-wiped plant by Jimmy Woo's investigative team (likely to be SWORD) to gather intel on Wanda's reality?
What's Going On With the Neighbors?
As we progress through the trailer and the time periods evolve, we eventually land on a modern-day Halloween celebration. Kids are costumed up and trick-or-treating, while neighbors set up spooky decorations.
But why are they crying?
The trailer focuses on one specific neighbor who gets noticeably emotional as she hangs up a ghost. Her expression is a mix of anger and fear, and she lets that show through a subtly shed tear.
While it may not seem like much, this brief frame reveals a lot about what this warped reality actually is. If Wanda was in charge of creating everything, why do her neighbors feel like prisoners? If they are simply figments of Wanda's imagination, why do they behave like they are there against their wills?
This saddened expression leads me to believe that Wanda is not in full control of this reality, and the people there are trapped with her. The idea of an outside influence manipulating this reality from behind the scenes is emphasized a few seconds later...
“Who's Doing This to You?”
Things just got a lot more interesting.
During a black and white time period set at what looks to be a golf course, the presumed voice of Randall Park's Jimmy Woo comes over the old-fashioned radio's intercom:
“Wanda? Can you hear me? Who's doing this to you?”
This line is an absolute game-changer. We now know that the outside world has figured out a way to communicate with Wanda's reality, and that they believe it is the work of someone, or something, else. More on who that outside influence could be later.
Mysterious Beekeeper
Immediately after that integral line, a shot of a mysterious figure in a beekeeper's uniform is shown. While their face is covered in darkness, this mystery figure looks to be a man based on the physique.
While it could be tricky editing, a scared Wanda is shown immediately after the beekeeper takes frame. His body language indicates he is calm and composed in this reality, leading me to believe he is there by choice.
I think it's about time we start to get speculative.
It is impossible to determine who this figure is based on this trailer footage alone, but I believe him to be none other than Evan Peters as Mephisto. Peters was confirmed to be joining the WandaVision cast months ago, and his role has been kept secretive ever since. Marvel's resident demon Mephisto has long been rumored to be playing a pivotal part in this series, and with Peters currently without a role, I believe the writing is on the wall here.
In the comics, Mephisto is an otherworldly demon that rules an extra-dimensional realm he calls “Hell.” I know, who would've thought the comic character that dresses like the devil would rule over such a place? I believe WandaVision's warped reality will in fact be Mephisto's Hell, and the crying neighbor from earlier is upset because she is a prisoner of this dimension. And who's the one neighbor who seems to be content in this potential Hell? Kathryn Hahn's Agnes. If Agnes is indeed Agatha Harkness, an original Salem Witch, it's likely that she would be right at home in Mephisto's evil dimension.
As for how Wanda ended up there, I believe it to be her 'deal with the devil.' In the comics, Mephisto takes inspiration from Biblical devils, who have been known to tempt good people with irrefutable offers. Could Mephisto have offered Wanda a life with Vision again in his extra-dimensional Hell? Time will tell.
Agnes is Scared
“Are you here to help us?”
While I speculated that Agnes could be a Mephisto pawn, this quote somewhat disproves that theory.
Kathryn Hahn's Agnes quickly jumps from a frightened cry for help to a maniacal laugh. While we don't know much about her character, I'm putting Agnes's mental stability on the hot seat.
Even if Agnes turns out to be a Mephisto pawn, who's to say that she also feels somewhat trapped in that role? After all, Marvel is known to have super villains' pawns turn their back on their superiors. Yes, I'm looking at you, Gamora and Nebula.
HEAVY Military Presence
In the closing moments of the trailer, we get quick cuts of action-heavy scenes. Noticeable in those quick cuts are a band of black SUVs equipped with gunmen, as well as Randall Park's Jimmy Woo running towards something alongside members of the military.
The real-world military look like they've set up shop around this warped reality, as evident by the helicopters swarming around the massive dome of red and black static energy. It's possible Woo and SWORD agents have located Wanda's reality, and are attempting to infiltrate it. This would explain why and how Woo was able to communicate to Wanda over the radio, as mentioned earlier in this article.
Darcy Lewis
After a seven-year absence, Kat Dennings's Darcy Lewis is BACK in the MCU!
In this brief shot, Darcy is flung against an SUV as she horrifically stares at something in the sky. As far as we know, Darcy's WandaVision role is only in the real world, and not in this warped reality.
Darcy is rumored to play a major role in the series, specifically with Vision. Apparently Vision will need some filling in of the blanks in his memory, and it is up to Darcy to inform him of what he is missing. This would include events such as when Wanda initially ripped the Mind Stone out of his forehead, killing him in Avengers: Infinity War. With the brief Darcy footage only showing her being real-world bound, this suggests that Vision will potentially make it out of the warped reality alive.
“This is Our Home.”
The trailer concludes with Wanda declaring that this place is her home, and Vision encouraging her to make sure it stays: “Let's fight for it.”
Bear with me here. I think this is a giant red herring.
Marvel is known to toss in major misdirects in promotional material, and I think this is no different. After discovering she has been manipulated by Mephisto, her and Vision decide to take the fight to Marvel's resident demon. When referring to her home, I believe she means the real world. Considering the raging energy field as viewed from the outside world, it is entirely possible that this warped reality is attempting to engulf the real world into its dimension.
While we love these Marvel movies and shows, the most fun we have as Marvel fans is getting our wild theory game on ahead of these projects' releases. Will most of what I predicted turn out to be completely false? Probably! But what's the fun in a trailer if we can't over-analyze every frame?
BONUS
At the 1:10 mark of the trailer, Wanda Maximoff is shown working her magic on the Mind Stone, looking both confused and threatened by it. The yellow Infinity Stone is noticeably floating on its own, no longer implanted in Vision's forehead. Wanda then motions her arms outward, shattering the stone. Marvel fans may recognize parallels between this scene and a sequence in one of the MCU's most remembered climaxes...
What did we miss from WandaVision's second trailer? What are your wildest theories? Let us know below, or tweet me @LiamTCrowley!
WandaVision is set to stream on Disney+ beginning on January 15, 2021.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
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