With fans still reeling from the catastrophic events of Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision is the first entry in a new line of shows for Disney+.
As with any Marvel project, there’s the cookie-cutter formula of our spandex-clad heroes going against some form of villainous presence and (usually) triumphing.
WandaVision has only aired two episodes so far, but for those eagle-eyed snoops who know their comic book history, they think they’ve spotted the big bad hiding in plain sight.
The Devil's In The Detail
Like most MCU outings, WandaVision is its own adaptation of the source material. It’s no secret that the nine-part miniseries draws inspiration from the acclaimed House Of M arc, which leads us neatly to the nefarious baddie lurking in the shadows.
For those unfamiliar, Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel’s story saw Wanda rewrite reality to try and recreate her lost children - which could tie to the creepy chants of “for the children” that have become a recurring theme in WandaVision.
When looking at who’s pulling the strings behind this warped world, viewers have looked toward a throwaway mention of the Devil in episode two. During an exchange between the women of Westview, Emma Caulfield’s Dottie sniped, “the devil’s in the detail.” Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes made a quip, saying, “that’s not the only place he is.”
Knowing the way the MCU likes to sprinkle Easter eggs as clues of what’s to come, the general consensus is that Agnes’ words are a fearsome foreshadowing that Mephisto is on the way.
In Marvel Comics, the red-skinned Mephisto lives in his own pocket universe called Hell, and although he looks like a caricature of the Devil, he isn’t actually.
Still, that hasn’t stopped theorists posing that Mephisto is responsible for the strange occurrences going on in Westview.
Scarlet Witch’s complicated comics past included her inadvertently creating her children (Tommy and Billy) with fragments of Mephisto’s shattered soul.
When Mephisto found out, he wasn’t exactly impressed, absorbed Wanda and Vis’ kids back into his body, and effectively killed them. In a roundabout way, it was this that spurred House Of M into motion years later.
When it comes to WandaVision, there are already some potential candidates on who Mephisto could be. Considering it was Dottie who first mentioned the Devil, there are plenty who think Caulfield will play a gender-flipped version of the character.
Seeing how she played vengeance demon Anya in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Caulfied is more than equipped to play the part.
Elsewhere, it’s suspicious that Agnes’ husband has already been namedropped A LOT in the first two episodes.
There's still no sign of Ralph, and unless Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo is going to appear as him - like Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau pops up as 'Geraldine' - there’s clearly something strange about Agnes’ hubby.
Don't Fear The Reaper
Fans know WandaVision will directly lead into Sam Raimi’sDoctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
Considering Mephisto is a top-tier villain who’s faced off against everyone from Doctor Doom to Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four to Doctor Strange, he could be a massive presence in the MCU.
Even if Mephisto doesn’t fully emerge as the de facto devil of WandaVision, the show’s events can neatly cue him up for a bigger role in Multiverse Of Madness.
We saw The Mandalorian take a similar route with Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon in season one.
Of course, Mephisto isn’t the only vile villain on the horizon. Episode two’s opening credits were animated in the style of ‘60s sitcom Bewitched and teased the Avengers foe known as the Grim Reaper.
As one of the oldest Avengers villains out there, Grim Reaper was introduced in 1968’s The Avengers #52 and is the brother of Avengers enemy/ally Wonder Man.
Given a cybernetic scythe by the Tinkerer, Grim Reaper drains people's life force and has battled the Avengers numerous times as either standalone villain or part of Ultron’s Lethal Legion.
WandaVision could just be nodding to Grim Reaper, but either way, it’s a pretty clear Easter egg.
Coming Into Vision
Finally, there’s the mysterious voice on the radio asking Wanda “who’s doing this to you?" The show’s trailer teased that everything in Westview is going on inside a giant orb, which has attracted the attention of S.W.O.R.D.
Although many think Wanda has been trapped there by someone, an altogether more out-there idea is that Wanda herself will become the villain after losing her kids - echoing House Of M.
Over the years, comic book Scarlet Witch has struggled with her own mental health and even strayed into villain territory. Also, remember that both Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were originally introduced as villains in Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
Kevin Feige told the New York Film Academy Wanda is the strongest Avenger, meaning her powers are seriously dangerous if used in the wrong way. Whoever the puppet master is, they could also be aware of Wanda’s blossoming skill set.
With Wanda pregnant by the end of episode two, and kids seen by the time we get to The Brady Bunch-themed episode, it’s not long before those bouncing bundles of joy will be expanding the Vision family.
Given that Mephisto has earned the nickname of the Lord Of Lies, he’s primed to be the one who shatters Wanda and Vision’s seemingly perfect existence.
Mephisto has the ability to connect to more than just Multiverse Of Madness, with the trailer for the Tom Hiddleston-led Loki featuring a stained glass window that depicts the Devil.
Loki comes out in May 2021 and can also tie into the Doctor Strange sequel ahead of its March 2022 release. Putting everything together, Mephisto could emerge as the next Thanos of Phase Four.
Whether it’s Mephisto, Grim Reaper, or even Wanda herself who’s trapped the star-crossed lovers in this suburban nightmare, you can bet your bottom dollar that WandaVision is going to continue being the most out-there addition to the MCU.
In a show that's got everyone guessing, literally anything could happen, however, everyone needs to remember, the devil’s in the detail.
WandaVision airs every Friday exclusively on Disney+.Shop our range of Marvel merchandise here.
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