WandaVision: The Real Reason This Popular Fan Theory Never Came True

From start to finish, WandaVision repeatedly teased viewers with red herring after red herring. The earliest episodes of the show are simply dripping with ambiguity as fans wonder why everything looks like an old sitcom and why Vision is still walking and talking despite being extremely and indisputably dead. 

As they always have, the MCU nerds began speculating. People who read the comics did their best to predict what was about to happen to Wanda and her suspiciously not dead family. And while some people's predictions were no doubt accurate about certain parts of the story, WandaVision's writers did their best to defy the most obvious expectations. This is especially true where the villain is concerned. Many fans thought they had a particular comic book villain pegged for WandaVision, but it never panned out that way. In fact, there is no real main villain as far as the show's writers are concerned.

Marvel fans predicted that the interdimensional demon Mephisto would become WandaVision's villain months before the show even aired. As one would naturally expect from a demon, Mephisto has major connections to the magical world. His depiction in the comics also has several strong connections to Wanda and her twins. When Wanda becomes pregnant and it's made clear that she is behind Westview's sitcom-like reality, Mephisto's involvement almost feels like a sure thing.

Yet the show bewilders informed audiences by never even alluding to the demon. It seemed like a perfect setup, yet Marvel chose not to capitalize on it.

"We didn't think this series needed a big bad," series writer Jac Schaeffer told Deadline. "I mean, the big bad is grief, you know, and that's the story that we were telling, and then we got a bonus baddie in the form of Agatha Harkness who ended up facilitating Wanda's therapy, so yeah, I think we feel pretty good about that."

In the end, Mephisto isn't the villain of WandaVision because the show has no real villain. Agatha does serve as the final boss, but she's not the one casting spells on all of Westview. Instead, the story is about Wanda defeating her grief. There's no interdimensional demon lord pulling strings with a goal here. Most of the issues characters face in the show are caused by Wanda.

Right now, it's unclear if Mephisto even exists in the MCU. The demon is a classic part of comics history, but he is just one of many other powerful characters and creatures the MCU's writers have to pull from. He could very well show up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After all, Wanda is slated to return for this entry in the MCU. Then again, it could be any of the big, mystical baddies throughout Marvel's history.

That being said, Mephisto is more important to many Marvel storylines than other magical villains. He's also inextricably linked from Wanda's storyline. The MCU would have to take Wanda and other magical characters in a very different direction from how things go in the comics. The next Doctor Strange presents an opportunity for his appearance, but just like WandaVision, it could be another red herring meant to trick diehard fans.