How That New WandaVision Character Just Broke The MCU

Contains spoilers for WandaVision episode 5

So, WandaVision has officially gone from a quirky Marvel Cinematic Universe sitcom offshoot to a show that seems intent on changing the MCU in ways that not even Thanos could manage. After three episodes of fun, period-accurate sitcom antics with occasional David Lynch undertones — and one that took things away from Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision's (Paul Bettany) delightfully corny, canned laughter-filled world and into the MCU proper — episode 5 is an increasingly high-stakes mix of the real world and the 1980s-infused events inside Wanda's hex bubble. 

Unlike the earlier sitcom-centric episodes, which were content to poke the occasional hole in Wanda and Vision's strange reality, "On a Very Special Episode..." turns the façade into Swiss cheese. Vision realizes that everything's not as it seems to be. The perpetually nosy neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) gets stranger and more invasive by the minute. Wanda takes a trip to the outside world to stare down the S.W.O.R.D. forces. All in all, the episode makes it incredibly clear that Things Are Happening — and that's before its final moments introduce a certain person who changes everything you thought you knew about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Let's take a look at how that new WandaVision character just broke the MCU.

So, Quicksilver's back ... but not the one you might have been expecting. 

It's not exactly earth-shattering news that Wanda's dear, departed brother made a cameo on WandaVision, since her equally departed synthezoid lover is already a major part of the show. The episode indeed ends with an unexpected, silver-haired visitor — only, instead of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's MCU Pietro Maximoff, it's Evan Peters' version from the X-Men franchise. In the shocked words of Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings): "Did she recast Pietro?"

This, of course, is a fun reference to old sitcoms' tendency to recast characters when necessary, but this won't be one of those actor replacements that ruins the show. Instead, it's a welcome addition that changes everything, both for the show and the MCU at large. There have been rumors that WandaVision could introduce mutants to the MCU, and the introduction of the Quicksilver from the X side of the town just made that theory a glorious reality. 

Due to the fact that Fox owned the film rights to the X-Men franchise for so long — and created an incredibly convoluted timeline for them — Marvel's favorite mutants have been one of the most glaring omissions from the MCU so far. With the rights now under one roof thanks to Disney's 2019 merger with Fox, fans have been waiting for the two worlds to intertwine. Peters' unexpected appearance in WandaVision sure makes it seem like that time has finally come. 

It remains to be seen what explanation the show will give us for his presence ... and what other familiar X-characters (and actors) might soon follow in his wake. WandaVision episode 5 is now available for streaming on Disney+, and episode 6 can't come soon enough.