The WandaVision Theory That Could Change Everything

For Marvel fans, the premiere of WandaVision on January 15, 2021 can't come soon enough. Because of the pandemic, all of the MCU projects of 2020, including the highly-anticipated Marvel TV shows for Disney+, were delayed. WandaVision will be the first to come out in the new year.

While there have been a few trailers released for WandaVision, there's still very little known about the plot. Going into the show, fans have many questions, the biggest being, "How is Vision (Paul Bettany) back?" Last fans saw the character, he was destroyed by Thanos when the Mad Titan stole the Mind Stone that was powering him. With so much time to think about the upcoming show, fans have, unsurprisingly, come up with quite a few theories for what will happen in WandaVision and beyond. Many people see similarities in what little is known about the plot to the famous "House of M" comic book storyline, and they question who Kathryn Hahn may really be playing — as her character, Agnes, is likely inspired by someone from the comics. 

One particular fan theory revolving around Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and her burgeoning powers would, if true, completely change the landscape of the MCU in Phase 4.

In a Reddit thread discussing theories about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one user going by echoess84 proposed their theory of how Wanda and Vision end up in the television-like scenario that the plot of WandaVision appears to revolve around. In their theory, Wanda, who succeeded in destroying the Mind Stone herself before Thanos reversed time to steal it, may have absorbed some of its power, amplifying and possibly changing her already substantial abilities. Marvel president Kevin Feige even specifically referenced the Mind Stone in an interview with Empire about WandaVision when referring to her unexplained "power-set," asking, "Did the Mind Stone unlock it?"

In WandaVision, Wanda could be in an alternate reality in which Vision is still alive and they are happy together. But what if she is "imprisoned in a reality [created] by herself?" Possibly formed as a response to her grief and worsening mental health as a result of Vision's absence — and all the other trauma she's endured — the new reality gets stronger as Wanda's control over her own power gets worse. The theory also proposes that Agatha Harkness, a sorceress and the character from the comics whom many people think Hahn is really playing, may have a part in this whole situation as well, manipulating Wanda in some way.

Consider the title of the show — WandaVision. Though it could just represent the names of the two main characters, it also could symbolize a reality created by Wanda, Wanda's "vision" of what the world should look like, as seen through her eyes. Even without the Mind Stone factor of this theory, Wanda, who many people — even Feige — argue is the most powerful Avenger and current character of the MCU, only truly rivaled by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), likely has enough power on her own to create an alternate reality, and later on, fracture the multiverse completely.

According to echoess84, Wanda's lack of control would cause her to "influence the main reality," leading her to come to the attention of S.W.O.R.D., an organization similar to S.H.I.E.L.D. that is already known to appear in WandaVision. This may lead them to send Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) in to investigate, which would trigger a defensive Wanda who lashes out with her abilities. As Rambeau, S.W.O.R.D., and possibly other characters like Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) try to "rescue" Wanda from her dream life, her unstable mental health causes it to turn into a nightmare, with Wanda losing complete control of herself, her powers, and knowing what's real, as she attacks anyone who threatens her utopia.

Adding to this theory, another fan called IndyDude11 considered the possibility that "Wanda's loss of control on her power is what ends up tearing apart the Multiverse," pushing her to such a dark place that she ends up the villain of the story. This would lead into Spider-Man 3, which appears to be dipping into multiple realities, based on casting rumors. It would all come to a culmination in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, a movie that will co-star Olsen as Wanda. Honestly, the title of the film says it all.

The third Spider-Man film has no official title yet, meaning it could be a spoiler for the film's plot. Along with that, Feige has made it very clear that, going forward, the MCU's movies and television will be heavily intertwined. Some examples of this are Ms. Marvel's Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani, who is already announced for Captain Marvel 2 alongside WandaVision's Rambeau, and the multitude of MCU film characters who are now getting their own series, like James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) with Armor Wars.

In reality, this theory isn't that far-fetched. While Spider-Man: Far From Home teased the multiverse but ultimately did not prove it's existence, it seems pretty close to confirmed that the upcoming movies of Marvel's Phase 4 will break this realm wide open. Why not do this through the one character with a history of altering reality in the comics — Scarlet Witch?