WandaVision – Previously On Review

What a tour de force performance from Elizabeth Olsen in “Previously On,” the WandaVision that attempts to fill in all the gaps (and boy, were there a ton of gaps) in Wanda’s MCU history. But Wanda wasn’t the only character getting some backstory in the penultimate episode of the series. We also learned a bit more about this incarnation of Agatha Harkness, and we got our first look – via a mid-credit scene – of just who Vision 2.0 might be within the MCU.

Let’s start with the Agatha information. First of all, I assume that you are still humming along to the ear worm of “Agatha All Along” just as I am? Because man, that song has legs. Letting us jump into Agatha’s story in 1693 (which was the tail end of the Salem Witch Trials – a bit more on that and Agatha’s history with that period of history at the end of the review) fully ties her into her identity as a witch. Sure, she can say she’s one and she can dress the part, but grounding her in a historical moment in time – and showing us that her magical abilities were swelling out of control to the point that her coven (including her mother) felt the need to bring her to heel is a telling narrative choice. Agatha is someone who understands what it’s like to feed one’s natural magical abilities with an apparent outside source to the point that she frightens those she once called allies. While we don’t know just how Agatha absorbed that level of magical ability (Did she tap into a mythical power source? Did someone bestow the strength upon her? Did she go looking somewhere she shouldn’t have?), this revelation – and her sucking dry the coven with her superior strength – lend a sinister tinge to the character.

While last week Agatha was an agent of chaos in Wanda’s world, this week we understand just how dangerous and deadly she can be. Now, her revelation that Wanda is the Scarlet Witch at the close of the episode – and that Wanda is operating with Chaos Magic – seem to indicate that she isn’t inclined to steal Wanda’s magical abilities and bleed her dry. Which would set her up as a potential mentor for Wanda (which is a role Agatha tends to play for the character in her comic appearances), someone who wholly understands having abilities that one can’t quite understand or control and how the presence of those abilities can destroy the world around them. It may be selfish, but I desperately hope that this is the path the MCU has set for Agatha, as I want to see more Kathryn Hahn in this world. Her work over the series – and particularly in the last two episodes – has been nothing short of masterful. Hahn is the rare actor who excels at both comedy and drama, and can switch between the two flawlessly. The more time we get of her and Agatha within the MCU, the better that universe will be.

Now, onto the major reveal: Setting Wanda’s backstory straight. One of the main negatives about the MCU, and the Avengers films in particular, is that they are overstuffed with characters. That means that if you aren’t one of the characters with your own standalone film series running parallel to the Avengers films, there isn’t all that much time to flesh out your character. Which is one of the main reasons for the current slate of Disney+ MCU shows – to take the time to flesh out characters who will have key roles to play in the MCU moving forward without having to spend the time and money creating an entire film series for them. And it works wonderfully here for Wanda. For those who don’t know, Wanda has had a complex and ever-changing past within the comic universe, so nailing down just where she came from and who she is in the MCU was crucial as she looks to become a more key part of the stories moving forward. In this case, Wanda was a girl with innate magical abilities that were amplified by contact with the Mind Stone. This led to her turning more and more powerful as time went on – and her emotions seem to be a major link as to how her powers manifest. Yes, she can obviously control them and do what she wants within the frame of her abilities, but when she experiences strong emotions, they amplify exponentially. Hence Westview.

And while the episode filled in the backstory of Wanda within the MCU, it also laid bare just how much pain she has experienced in her life. She’s lost her parents, her brother, and her lover – all of which we already knew, but seeing her relationship with all four of those key people in Wanda’s life was crucial to understanding the depths of her grief. While Sokovia was in the midst of a civil war and her family wasn’t particularly well-off, it was a house full of love. Her parents cared deeply for her and Pietro, carving out time to watch sitcoms with them each night as the fighting raged outside. We knew that Wanda and Pietro shared a deep bond, but it’s clear just how much they relied on each other, alone in a world on fire with only each other for comfort. And then there’s Vision. Within the films, their relationship seemed to go from 0 to 60 from one film to the next, with little contextualization. Now we know that these two odd Avengers out bonded in the aftermath of Age of Ultron, with Vision taking time to listen to Wanda as she dealt with her grief over losing Pietro. It’s no wonder that when faced with losing Vision twice, well, she fell to pieces and allowed her magic to create her dream world, pulling elements from the times she was happiest in her past – watching sitcoms and being with Vision. And Olsen’s stellar work conveying all of these key character beats? Nothing short of exceptional.

It’s clear now that the villain in WandaVision isn’t meant to be Wanda. Hell, I would argue that it isn’t even supposed to be Agatha, as her machinations with the storyline were more out of trying to figure out just who and what Wanda is rather than trying to harm her. If you’re looking for a villain, well, that would be Director Hayward, who has been trying to find a way to resurrect Vision as his own weapon since the start of the series. It wasn’t Wanda who took Vision’s body from SWORD, as he told others, it was Hayward who tried to trick Wanda into bringing him back from the dead by showing her his dissected body. And now that he has White Vision, what is he planning to do with him? That, to me, is far more worrisome than Agatha’s plans for Westview.

WandaVision Theories/Easter Eggs

— If you were curious as to why Wanda’s magic was able to resurrect Vision’s body in the mid-credit scene, it was because her powers were amplified by the Mind Stone and Vision was originally “brought to life” by the Mind Stone. That particular connection between the two allowed for just the wafting of Wanda’s magic to be enough. Although, I’m sure it didn’t hurt that her utopia was built on the wish of having Vision back.

— There’s been some speculation regarding the apparent crown worn by Agatha’s mother, and it being a link to Atlantis (which is where Agatha’s roots come from in her comic incarnation). Personally, I’m not sure the MCU wants to dive down that particular well, but I don’t believe for a second that Agatha was born in the 1600s, since she hasn’t aged a day since – and her mother seemed pretty darn young for having a daughter as old as Agatha. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out Agatha’s old enough to have emerged from Atlantis after all.

— Ok, now for a primer on Chaos Magic in Marvel history. Chaos Magic stems from the Elder God Chthon, who used it as a means to rule Earth until he was banished. He was able to imbue Scarlet Witch with his magical abilities, and when she attempted to tell Doctor Strange that this was the source of her powers he wouldn’t believe her. Well, the joke was on him once Chthon invaded Earth and proved Wanda’s statement was correct. Now, again, Chthon seems like a deep cut for the MCU to invoke, but it does provide a link to Doctor Strange, so who knows . . .

— This episode was also the first time we’ve had Wanda called by her comic moniker of Scarlet Witch (again, once Fox was bought by Disney, Marvel received complete access to all X-Men and mutant-adjacent entities – including the word mutant – that they had sold to Fox in the 90s). Here, the name is a title linked to the use of Chaos Magic, and something that was believed to be a thing of myth. In the comics, it’s a name that’s passed down over time. So, a change there, but one that firmly installs Wanda as a unique and special being within the MCU. Does this mean she’s a mutant? I’m not sure – we have magic users in the MCU who aren’t mutants in the X-Men definition of the word, as magic and mutation are two separate elements in Marvel history. But if Wanda’s magical abilities were enhanced by the Mind Stone, did Pietro have latent mutant abilities enhanced to give him super speed? Or did the Mind Stone give him the powers completely? At some point, mutants will need to be integrated into the MCU, and outside of alternate universes, Wanda is the easiest link to have.

— Speaking of alternate universes, Agatha mentioned that Pietro was fully under her control the whole time. So, is he alternative universe Pietro, brought to the MCU by Agatha and then put under her control? Or is he just Evan Peters in the MCU, given powers by Agatha and put under her control? I suspect that question will be answered in next week’s finale.

— Finally, White Vision. In his comic incarnation, he was Vision but zapped of all memories and emotions. Basically, a shell of his former self. Oh, and he considered human life irrelevant, so more like Ultron than the Vision we know and love. I have a sneaking suspicion that Hayward doesn’t realize what he’s created.