Marvel Fans Need To Pay Attention To The Calendar In WandaVision. Here's Why

The first two episodes of WandaVision are a trippy journey through the history of sitcoms, but each installment is peppered with Marvel easter eggs as well. Potentially one of the most pivotal clues comes in the form of Wanda and Vision's wall calendar, which is key to the zany hijinks that occur in the series' first episode.

Sitcoms have long mined the old "couple forgets their anniversary" subplot for laughs, but it takes on a potentially sinister meaning for Wanda and Vision, who don't remember their anniversary, wedding, or even how they met. But the cheerful couple pushes through the uncomfortable questions about the state of their reality by focusing on solving the mystery of why they drew a heart on the date of August 23.

Within the show, the answer is simple: Vision's boss Mr. Hart and his wife are coming over for dinner. But the date, which would be read as 23/8 by Wanda since she's European, could actually be a reference to 1963's Avengers #238, in which the android reawakens after being deactivated when he passed through an energy field in the previous issue.

Since Vision died in Avengers: Endgame, it would be fitting for the series to reference an Avengers issue focusing on the character's rebirth. But the numbers 238 or 823, depending on your perspective, are also shown again during a faux commercial for a Strucker watch, which suggests WandaVision is doing something more than simply referencing a classic comic book.

In recent years, the MCU has expanded to include the idea of the multiverse from the comics. From Doctor Strange to Vision and Mysterio, several characters have mentioned and even explored alternate realities in recent films, and the multiverse is only going to become more important in Phase 4. After all, Elizabeth Olsen is already filming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and that could give WandaVision viewers a big clue about where this story is heading.

We know that Wanda has constructed her own realities in the past, but as much as the world of Westview feels like a safe haven she's created within her mind, it could also be part of something larger. It should be noted that 823 and 238 are also Marvel universes — both of which hinge on an element of illusion.

Earth-238 was introduced in 1981 as the "Crooked World," and it was constructed by a character called Mad Jim Jaspers, who outlawed all superheroes. However, much like Wanda, Jim's powers had a drawback. In the process of building the new world he lost his sanity, which has always been a fear where Scarlet Witch is concerned, especially since she's faced so many tragedies.

Meanwhile, Earth-TRN823 found the character of Maestro making all of his dreams come true by winning a seemingly impossible battle with God Emperor Doom. But this reality wasn't real either.

Even though Wanda and Vision don't appear in either Earth-238 or Earth-TRN823, the fact that both universes are created as a kind of wish-fulfillment feels significant. For Wanda, this sitcom world is a gentle place where she can live a normal life with the android she loves, so it's perfectly natural to believe it's an intricate mental escape that SWORD is trying to extricate her from.

But it's equally possible that she has created a new reality within the multiverse — or someone else has made one for her for their own nefarious purposes. As Den of Geek points out, one of the most popular WandaVision theories is that Wanda's pal and next door neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) is actually the powerful witch Agatha Harkness, who mentors Wanda in the comics.

If that's the case, she could be helping Wanda harness her powers to create this new reality. But since this is a Wanda story, you can bet her sitcom escape will end in tragedy, whether it's all in her head or a world crafted with the help of the nosey neighbor next door.