Warning: This article contains full spoilers for WandaVision’s finale!
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WandaVision’s final episode has arrived, and there’s a lot to unpack. The series finale pits Wanda Maximoff against Agatha Harkness, and not every character is left standing when the dust clears and the Hex is dissolved.
If the finale has you confused as to which character Evan Peters is actually playing and how all of this feeds into upcoming MCU movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Captain Marvel 2, fear not. Here’s a full breakdown of the big reveals in the finale and why those two post-credits scenes are so significant.
The Fate of Vision and Wanda’s Family
WandaVision is ultimately a show about confronting grief, and it’s only fitting that Wanda’s story ends on a very bittersweet note. She’s able to beat Agatha at her own game and release her magical stranglehold on the residents of Westview, but she loses her entire family in the process. Given their unnatural origins, neither Vision nor their children can exist outside of the Hex. With the Hex gone, so is this echo of the original Vision and the two sons who were never fully real in the first place.
What Happened to White Vision?
None of this is to say we won’t be seeing these characters in future MCU projects. For one thing, we know SWORD’s rebuilt White Vision is still around. Wanda’s recreation of Vision was able to unlock the dormant memories contained within his counterpart’s mind. This Vision now remembers everything up to the point where he was killed in Avengers: Infinity War. But as we’ll probably see, regaining those memories is only part of the equation. This Vision is a cold, emotionless being, much like the White Vision that was introduced in Marvel’s comic book universe. As Wanda’s Vision pointed out by referencing the Ship of Theseus thought experiment, White Vision isn’t truly the original Vision because he lacks the humanity and emotional complexity that defines this unique synthezoid being. The physical molecules and memories are there, but the humanity is still missing. The question is whether White Vision can recover that lost humanity through time and experience.
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What About Billy and Tommy?
As for Billy and Tommy, it’s widely speculated the two characters will return as teenagers in a future Young Avengers project (either a Disney+ series or a movie). In the comics, Wanda is also forced to give up her twin sons after learning they were created from aspects of the demon lord Mephisto. Only much later is it revealed their souls are freed and both are reincarnated in new human bodies. Though the finale seems to dispel any and all theories about Mephisto being the secret villain behind the events in Westview, it does seem safe to assume Billy and Tommy will undergo a similar transformation in the MCU. They’ll probably return as Wiccan and Speed, joining up with the likes of Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang to from the Young Avengers.
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Pietro Maximoff or Ralph Bohner?
Ever since Evan Peters appeared in the final scene of Episode 5, Marvel fans have been wondering one thing – is Peters actually playing the Quicksilver from Fox’s X-Men universe, or is he some sort of impostor? More to the point – is Quicksilver a harbinger of more crossovers between the MCU and the X-verse?
Sadly, that doesn’t appear to be the case. The finale reveals “Pietro” is the Ralph to whom Agnes has been alluding all along. His real name is Ralph Bohner (possibly a reference to the late Andrew Koenig’s Richard “Boner” Stabone from Growing Pains). When Darcy said Wanda “recast” Pietro, she was right on the money. Ralph is literally an actor, one of many Westview residents unlucky enough to be drafted into Wanda’s fake reality. The fact that Marvel cast Peters in the role seems to be more a red herring than a sign the boundaries between the MCU and the X-verse are breaking down.
In hindsight, the depiction of Ralph’s speed powers seem to have been the telltale clue this isn’t actually Fox’s Quicksilver. He may look like that Quicksilver, but the blue speed trail is pure MCU Quicksilver. Wanda (or Agatha) imbued her neighbor with the powers of her late brother, and then Agatha manipulated Ralph for her own ends.
Will we see more of Ralph in the MCU? Probably not, but anything is possible. There’s always a chance Marvel will pivot again and reveal Ralph is actually the Fox Quicksilver. Even if not, we may find out Ralph retained his speed powers after the collapse of the Hex. That would pave the way for Peters to play a Quicksilver in the MCU, even if it’s not the same one from the X-Men movies.
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Agatha’s Future in the MCU
Agatha Harkness turned out to be the closest thing the series has to a main villain. But unlike most MCU villains, Agatha actually survives the final battle. She has a much worse fate in store. As the series ends, Agatha is the one person in Westview still trapped in Wanda’s fake reality, doomed to live out her life as Agnes the nosy neighbor. Given that Agatha is basically a magical vampire who’s been alive for centuries, we have no way of knowing how short or long that life may be.
The finale hints Wanda will eventually return to Westview to consult with the much more magically knowledgeable Agatha. This suggests the dynamic between the two characters will eventually shift in a more comics-inspired direction. Normally, Agatha is depicted as Wanda’s supernatural mentor. And if there’s one takeaway from this episode, it’s that Wanda is in desperate need of a teacher.
It’s also interesting to note that Agatha describes herself as someone who takes power from those who don’t deserve it. It’s hard not to be reminded of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Karl Mordo from Doctor Strange. That movie ends with a disillusioned Mordo breaking away from his order and embarking on a quest to eliminate all the unworthy sorcerers in the world. We could easily see a scenario where Mordo finds a like-minded ally in Agatha. In exchange for freeing her from Wanda’s prison, Agatha may agree to help Mordo eliminate their common enemies. That could be a key plot point in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If Mordo wants to cull the world of unworthy magicians, he may see Wanda as the most unworthy of them all.
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The Darkhold and Doctor Strange 2
Speaking of ties to the next Doctor Strange movie, we get some pretty big clues to how WandaVision sets up the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The finale confirms one running theory surrounding the series, as we learn Agatha is indeed in possession of the Darkhold. That supernatural tome also played a big part in Agents of SHIELD and Runaways, though it’s unclear whether this is the same book or a copy. Or, for that matter, whether this is another nail in the coffin of the idea that those earlier Marvel TV projects are connected to the MCU in the first place. The book certainly doesn’t look much like the other versions.
Regardless, we can almost certainly expect the Darkhold to play a big part in Doctor Strange 2. The end-credits sequence reveals the warring sides of Wanda Maximoff, with Wanda’s physical form enjoying her peaceful solitude while her astral from feverishly studies the book for guidance on how to bring Billy and Tommy back to life. It’s unclear whether those screams are figments of Wanda’s tortured mind or if the souls of Billy and Tommy really are trapped in limbo somewhere. Hell? The Dream Dimension? The actual Limbo? All three are realms we could see in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
That psychic speedreading technique is similar to the one employed by Stephen Strange. Wanda may turn to Strange as the next step in her quest to better understand her powers and find the key to restoring her sons. Alternatively, Strange may be the one seeking her out. Surely the Sorcerer Supreme has caught wind of what went on in Westview, and he may realize Wanda is an extremely dangerous wild card if her powers aren’t properly trained and focused.
We may well see Strange serve as the mentor Wanda so badly needs. But expect there to be plenty of friction in that relationship, particularly as Wanda tries to harness the power of the Darkhold and Strange urges her to respect the laws and norms of the magical world. Depending on how the movie unfolds, Wanda could wind up becoming the true villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Agatha did tell us the Scarlet Witch’s power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme…
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Is WandaVision Setting Up Nightmare?
Again, WandaVision’s final episode didn’t give us the big mystery villain reveal many were expecting. It really was Agatha all along. That doesn’t necessarily mean the series hasn’t been setting up a major villain for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, however. Specifically, there’s more reason to believe Nightmare is fast approaching.
Prior to the finale, there were only a few subtle clues that could be interpreted as teases for Nightmare. But the final episode wades a bit deeper into those waters, as we learn the residents of Westview were forced to endure Wanda’s nightmares whenever they slept. They seem to have become a sort of buffer helping Wanda keep her grief at bay. That feels an awful lot like a hint of darker things to come. What happens when the most powerful magician in the world is forced to face her tormented dreams? What other villains might be drawn to her power when she’s asleep and at her most vulnerable?
Previously, when Mephisto was the top candidate for being the series’ main villain, we speculated he might have been affected by the sudden reversal of the Blip. Having access to all those fresh souls and then suddenly losing them would surely anger any demon. But that same idea can be applied to Nightmare. He’s a powerful demon who draws strength from the dreams of mortals. Theoretically, Nightmare would have been severely weakened when half the living beings in the universe were blipped away. Now that his food source has been replenished, Nightmare may be looking to consolidate power, and Wanda could be the perfect vessel for his plans.
Prior to the debut of the final episode, speculation was running rampant that Nightmare would put in a small appearance, likely via a post-credits scene. One particular rumor claimed the role would be played by none other than Mark Hamill. Clearly, those rumors didn’t pan out. But between the handful of clues on WandaVision, the “Multiverse of Madness” title and the fact that Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson revealed his desire to use Nightmare in the sequel (before he left the project), Nightmare seems very likely to make his MCU debut soon.
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Jimmy Woo and Monica Rambeau: What’s Next?
Marvel has been teasing a much more interconnected approach to its upcoming slate of movie and TV projects, and the inclusion of familiar faces like Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo and Teyonah Parris as an adult Monica Rambeau. Both characters are clearly being set up for bigger things in the near future, even if their respective paths may not cross with Wanda’s again.
While Jimmy has been played mostly as a comic figure in both Ant-Man and the Wasp and WandaVision, the finale shows he has great leadership skills and is fully comfortable playing both the sneaky prisoner and the task-force leader. That’s probably important, given his role in the Marvel Comics world. There, Jimmy is the leader of a secretive spy team known as the Agents of Atlas. The MCU’s Jimmy seems a little ways off from becoming like his comic book counterpart, but the hope is that WandaVision is the first step along the road to an Agents of Atlas series.
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As for Monica, WandaVision seems to be directly setting the stage for her role in Captain Marvel 2. The mid-credits sequence shows her being approached by a Skrull agent working for Nick Fury. While we’re not sure who this Skrull is, she could possibly be the daughter of Ben Mendelsohn’s character Talos. That might create a sort of kinship between her and Monica in Captain Marvel 2, with both women being the adult daughters of great heroes from the first movie.
As we saw in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Fury has been busy working with the Skrulls to create some sort of space station. Fury was probably working alongside Monica’s mother Maria, and now perhaps he wants Monica to finish what her mother started. Captain Marvel 2 may show SWORD’s transition into the space-based agency it is in the comics, with the now superhuman Monica taking on a prominent role as Photon or Spectrum (two of her many codenames in the comics). And at that point, we may finally learn why Monica seems to be holding a grudge against Carol Danvers.
For more on WandaVision, check out IGN’s review of the finale, see all the Marvel Easter eggs and sitcom references and learn why there’s much more to come with Wanda’s story in the MCU.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com WandaVision Ending Explained: How the Series Sets Up Doctor Strange 2