Wandavision – Now in Color Review

“Now in Color,” the third episode of Wandavision, brings our two leads into the swinging ’70s – complete with technicolor, a new Brady Bunch-esque set and opening credits sequence, and era appropriate phraseology to boot. The episode also brought us a step closer to solving the mystery of just what is happening with Wanda to keep her locked within a sitcom-filled world where everything about her life is perfect: Vision is alive and well, they’re together happily raising a family, she has friends who care about her, and she never dealt with any of the tragedies she has experienced throughout her time in the MCU.

I’ll dive a bit deeper into just what I think is really going on with this elaborate mystery (I’ve done some more research and I think I’m on board with the major consensus as to what Marvel is mirroring this series off of in the comics) in the Easter Eggs section at the bottom of the piece, but “Now in Color” felt more like a filler episode than one of particular substance. Yes, Wanda gives birth to twin boys (which is something that also happened to her comic counterpart), a clear sign that she is seeking to further cement her relationship with Vision within this alternative reality (because I think we can all agree that this is some alternative reality to the current one that exists outside the force field protecting Westview). Whenever her sense of safety, her sense of family and stability, is threatened, Wanda lashes out and takes steps to not only eliminate the threat but to also double down on her dream scenario. Whether it’s a beekeeper with a SWORD logo on their costume or Geraldine with the SWORD necklace, Wanda is willing to do whatever it takes to keep this fantasy from crashing in around her.

And let’s talk about Geraldine (Teyonah Parris, who is great in the role), who has already been confirmed to be an alias for Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Maria (Captain Marvel’s friend from Captain Marvel), and a character that will continue within the MCU in the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel as a SWORD agent. It’s clear now that she was an agent sent into this world by SWORD in an attempt to snap Wanda out of whatever is happening with her. Unfortunately, Monica took things a step too far and reminded Wanda that Pietro was killed by Ultron . . . which is a big no-no. Forcing Wanda to relive her past trauma is the fastest way to get tossed out of the fantasy realm, and that’s exactly what happened to Monica at the close of the episode – although she kept her ’70s garb on despite leaving the simulation, which gives us another clue as to what is going on: This can’t just be in Wanda’s mind. Unless Monica brought in outfits from across the decades to change into as the time period changed around her – but that would be a bit much, even for this series.

As I said earlier, though, the whole episode felt like a placeholder – something that existed simply to check a few minor boxes (the reveal about Maria, the increased suspicion as to what Agnes the nosy neighbor is really up to, etc.) and show us some fun period sets and costumes. Nothing really happened. Which, again, makes sense when you look at Wandavision as an exercise in providing us with a fun holdover mystery on our way to a bigger and better storyline in Doctor Strange 2 down the line. Which is my continued gripe with the series: If they want this to be a homework assignment, that’s all well and good, but at least give us a narrative to follow along the path. As of right now, the series is a gorgeous, but empty, show where we try to spot answers to mysteries we don’t need to solve. And I’m already getting exhausted. Can’t an MCU property just be a fun, flashy ride without the extra legwork?

Wandavision Theories/Easter Eggs

— Let’s get the smaller ones out of the way first. I think we all recognized the Hydra mention in the episode’s commercial, no? But did you catch the Hydra mention on Phil’s newspaper? I’m not at all convinced Hydra is behind this whole thing, but Wanda’s past work with them is something we need to keep in mind.

— Ok. So one of the big mysteries of the series revolves around Agnes and who or what she really is. Now, you don’t cast Kathryn Hahn in a show like this just to have her play a nosy neighbor – there has to be a bigger reason. The most popular theory is that she either is or is in someway related to Mephisto, the Marvel extra-dimensional form of the devil. And, frankly, after this episode and the arrival of the twins, I think this is a pretty solid guess. So, here’s a quick primer on how Mephisto is related to Billy and Tommy in the comics, and why this might be the case here as well. It’s pretty obvious that Wanda’s pregnancy wasn’t exactly normal in Wandavision. And, hey, in a fantasy realm anything’s possible! But in the comics, Wanda also gets pregnant with twins (who are also named William and Thomas). Only, she became pregnant through accidentally harnessing two fragments of Mephisto’s scattered soul – which, once Mephisto snatched them back, killed the twins and led to Wanda going mad. Agnes certainly seemed suspicious of Geraldine – and wanted to get rid of her – while also seeming surprised that Wanda was pregnant. So, is this some form of that comic arc playing out? There have been several additional references to the devil in the series thus far – and Agnes had a pin with three witches on it this episode, likely a reference to the Weird Sisters of Macbeth – so I think we can safely lean into the Mephisto link. Oh! And once comic Wanda went mad, it ushered in the House of M comic arc . . . which I’ll talk about now.

— So three episodes in, I think it’s safe to say Wandavision is most likely the MCU riff on the House of M comic arc (albeit on a smaller scale at this point – although who knows, it could spiral into other films down the line and not just Doctor Strange 2). While you can read up on the whole arc online (and I would advise it, if you want to get a better grasp on what might be in store in the future), essentially Wanda, heartbroken over the loss of William and Thomas, tries to use her power to create an alternate world where the loss never happened – which, naturally, has potentially devastating effects for the rest of the world at large. Now, you could argue that in Wandavision, the death of Vision (coming on the heels of the devastating loss of Pietro) was enough to start a House of M-type reality in motion. That would explain why there’s a seeming force field surrounding Westview and SWORD is desperately trying to get through to Wanda before it expands further. However, I don’t think this is what’s happening. Here’s my best guess: Mephisto is manipulating Wanda at the moment, trying to prey upon her traumatic past to force her into creating a House of M-type reality that engulfs the Earth. After all, if he can get her to break, while trusting his Agnes surrogate, he can potentially manipulate everyone in this new reality. Perhaps the future deaths of the twins will be the catalyst here as it was in the comic? But this option makes sense with what we’ve seen from SWORD thus far: They don’t know what is going on and they suspect someone or something has Wanda in this reality. If that’s Mephisto and House of M is coming . . . well, that would be one of the few things that would make me excited about a new Doctor Strange film.