The first two episodes of WandaVision have finally released - and here are all the major MCU Easter eggs. Viewers have waited quite some time for fresh MCU content, with even Marvel Studios forced to reschedule releases as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, at last, Phase 4 has officially begun - although not quite in the way everybody was expecting. WandaVision is the first TV series produced by Marvel Studios, streaming exclusively on Disney+.
Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany as Scarlet Witch and Vision, WandaVision is unlike anything seen in the MCU to date. It's a homage to classic sitcoms such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched and I Love Lucy, set in a strange world where nothing is as it seems. The first two episodes rejoice in that weirdness, going to great lengths to avoid dropping any major clues. Still, for all that's the case, attentive viewers will notice a number of major Easter eggs - and some of them point to a plot in which Wanda Maximoff's mind has fractured even as her powers expand.
Here are all the major MCU Easter eggs in WandaVision episodes 1 and 2 - including subtle references to some major comic book characters and arcs. The Devil is in the details in this constructed reality - perhaps literally so.
A "Bewitched" Opening
The opening of WandaVision episode 1 is a homage to Bewitched, as is the way Scarlet Witch uses her powers in the MCU TV show - with telekinesis in particular used to look after the house. It's a fun development, but odd to see Wanda operating with this degree of precision. Still, at the episode continues it becomes clear she doesn't have full control over her powers just yet, with dinner with the Harts almost going catastrophically wrong.
Vision Has An "Indestructible Head"
WandaVision episode 1 reveals Vision apparently has an "indestructible head," a slightly wince-worthy revelation given that certainly wasn't true in the MCU - where Thanos crushed Vision's head in order to tear out the Mind Stone. The reality Scarlet Witch is living in is one where everyone lives happily ever after, and consequently Vision has been reborn with that particular vulnerability removed. Vision's other powers largely correspond with the MCU, although apparently he has "night vision," which is an odd addition.
A Subtle Nod To Avengers #238
The calendar in WandaVision episode 1 shows the story is taking place on August 23. Avengers #238 is an important issue, in that it sees Vision reactivated after an earlier adventure in which he was deactivated after ing through a magical energy field. This may well be a subtle warning that everything taking place in WandaVision exists within a similar reality bubble, and that Vision should not attempt to out of it by any means.
Vision's Tie Bears A Distinctive Pattern
Vision's tie has an interesting pattern on it, and it seems to be a subtle reference to one he wore in Tom King's celebrated Vision run, where he attempted to start a family and fit in with human society. While the pattern is similar to the one he wore in that story, though, it's been subtly changed - and most likely deliberately so. It's reasonable to assume this pattern will turn out to have some greater significance going forward.
The Stark Toaster Is A Sinister Callback
WandaVision is like an old sitcom, complete with trailers. The first one is pretty obvious, in that it's an ment for a revolutionary new toaster made by Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to initially view the Avengers with disdain due to their association with Stark.
The "Traditional Sokovian Greeting"
The "traditional Sokovian greeting" may seem like an amusing gag, but it's actually more than a little disturbing. It's evocative of Avengers: Age of Ultron, where Scarlet Witch attacked the Avengers by placing her hands around their heads and manipulating their minds. Notice that, in WandaVision episode 1, Wanda places her hands over Mr. Hart's eyes - perhaps signifying this time she is blinding people to the true nature of reality itself.
House of M Wine Bottle
WandaVision episode 1 sees Scarlet Witch serve up glasses of wine, and it's actually a pretty smart Easter egg. The bottle is branded "Maison du Mépris," and it has a distinctive "M" logo; comic book readers will recognize this as an allusion to House of M, a major Marvel Comics event in which Scarlet Witch's mind fractured and she rewrote reality itself. "Maison du Mépris" literally means "House of Misery," perhaps suggesting in the MCU Wanda has snapped because she has endured too much suffering. In the comics, Doctor Strange suggested Scarlet Witch's ability to manipulate reality would ultimately mean she was unable to deal with the real world at all. "Can you understand the delicate mindset of a woman, a person, who has control over reality," he asked the Avengers in Avengers #503. "It means reality controls her. Imagination becomes the enemy. Structure disappears." That could well be what is happening in Westview in WandaVision.
Scarlet Witch And Vision Are Being Monitored By Sword
WandaVision episode 1 ends with a scene confirming Westview is being carefully monitored - and it gives a glimpse of the SWORD logo. In Avengers: Endgame's five-year time jump. Given his connection to Peter Parker, it would make sense for SWORD to recruit him.
The Pixel Effect In The Credits Is Significant
The credits feature a cool pixel effect, and comic book readers will recognize it; it's associated with Scarlet Witch's restructuring of reality in House of M. Note the pixels swirl through a number of different forms, coming together to build the house Wanda and Vision are living at - and, ultimately, their wedding rings. This points to the idea everything Wanda is experiencing in Westview has been created by her own magic.
Separate Beds Evokes The Censorship Of I Love Lucy
Younger viewers may be somewhat bemused at the fact Vision and Wanda have separate beds at the beginning of WandaVision episode 2. This is actually a smart reference to censorship in the early days of television, when the British Board of Film Classification insisted there should be no portrayals of "men and women in bed together." The BBFC's rules caught on in the US, with the Production Code stating "the treatment of bedrooms must be governed by good taste and delicacy." The implied sex scene resulting from Wanda's moving the two beds together would never have been approved by censors, however tame it may be by modern standards.
