WandaVision

[Threash]

So this dropped today with two episodes. I got caught up in the sitcominess of it pretty fast but there was still some creepy weird stuff going on.

[Surlyboi]

Yeah. That was low key weird.

[Hawkbit]

I really appreciate the weird in this.

I grew up watching reruns of these shows and the actors did a great job with the roles. I'm genuinely intrigued where they go.

[HaemishM]

This is going to have 9 episodes - I'm trying to decide if I should wait and binge it or watch it every week like I did the Mandolorian. Thoughts?

[Threash]

I considered it but like the Mandalorian I don't think I could avoid spoilers simply due to internet osmosis, and like the Mandalorian i don't want this spoiled.

[eldaec]

Someone remind me, are these guys dead in the MCU? I thought they were.

[Threash]

Vision is, Wanda got snapped back in Endgame.

[eldaec]

Ta.

This is going to have 9 episodes - I'm trying to decide if I should wait and binge it or watch it every week like I did the Mandolorian. Thoughts?

I'd watch the first one. It is really just prologue - gives you an idea what you are waiting for. Second felt more like you'd want to be on a binge.

[Khaldun]

I liked it. I'm wondering what Kids These Days will make of it since you kind of have to have watched The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched to decode the set design and implied situation of the first two episodes.

I'm genuinely puzzled about the deeper shit going on. That voice on the radio sounded familiar but I'm not sure who it is.

I'm trying to relate some of the characters to known Marvel villains/etc. and so far I can't really. We have references to Stark and Strucker and Sokovia and there's the helicopter.

Of characters known to use a kind of computer/virtual world MO, there's Arnim Zola in the comics AND the movies. There's Quasimodo, created I think by the Mad Thinker but at some point he fought the Vision and worked with Ultron. There's Ultron, of course.

I kind of wonder if the recurring neighbor isn't Agatha Harkness, though if so I hope they reimagine her from the comics.

Feels maybe as if someone's captured Wanda and is trying to get her to use her remaining portion of the Infinity Stones' power for something?

Anyway, I'm interested. It's got a feel to it.

[MahrinSkel]

I'm genuinely puzzled about the deeper shit going on. That voice on the radio sounded familiar but I'm not sure who it is.

Word is it was probably Ant-Man's parole officer, Jimmy Yoo (Randall Park was credited in Episode 2, but never appeared).

--Dave

[eldaec]

I don't know nearly enough comic shit to guess, but the guy who climbed out of the manhole would seem to be the thing to focus the rampant speculation on.

[Khaldun]

So, hm, the manhole beekeeper and the plane both have the logo for SWORD, which in the comics is SHIELD's extraterrestrial protection spinoff force.

Folks are trying to connect that to Jimmy Woo and Ant-Man, but the immediate connection it makes for me is to Captain Marvel, the Skrulls, the Kree, and the Spider-Man: Far From Home revelation that Nick Fury's off-world and has been letting a Skrull masquerade as him.

So suddenly I have a new idea of why Wanda might be in a virtual reality with ominous implications: she's a captive of the Kree's Supreme Intelligence, who lives in a virtual world. That would also explain Monica Rambeau's appearance in the show, maybe. Captain Marvel and the Scarlet Witch both were empowered by the Infinity Gems. With Thanos destroying the physical form of the gems, maybe their power is somehow recollecting in individuals who possess some of that power, etc. (Could also be a route for the Vision to come back to life for real.) Maybe SWORD is trying somehow to infiltrate the virtual reality that the Supreme Intelligence has built in order to warn Wanda of the danger she's in.

[MahrinSkel]

So, hm, the manhole beekeeper and the plane both have the logo for SWORD, which in the comics is SHIELD's extraterrestrial protection spinoff force.

Folks are trying to connect that to Jimmy Woo and Ant-Man, but the immediate connection it makes for me is to Captain Marvel, the Skrulls, the Kree, and the Spider-Man: Far From Home revelation that Nick Fury's off-world and has been letting a Skrull masquerade as him.

So suddenly I have a new idea of why Wanda might be in a virtual reality with ominous implications: she's a captive of the Kree's Supreme Intelligence, who lives in a virtual world. That would also explain Monica Rambeau's appearance in the show, maybe. Captain Marvel and the Scarlet Witch both were empowered by the Infinity Gems. With Thanos destroying the physical form of the gems, maybe their power is somehow recollecting in individuals who possess some of that power, etc. (Could also be a route for the Vision to come back to life for real.) Maybe SWORD is trying somehow to infiltrate the virtual reality that the Supreme Intelligence has built in order to warn Wanda of the danger she's in.

I could buy that, but...

--Dave

[Hawkbit]

she's a captive of the Kree's Supreme Intelligence, who lives in a virtual world.

I think that's solid. SWORD being involved is obvious from the logos. One more thing I picked up - in the first part of ep1, Wanda is cleaning the kitchen with her powers and breaks a plate on Vison's head. He says "my wife and her flying saucers" and she says "my husband and his unbreakable head", or something similar. Knowing Thanos crushed Vision's head to get the stone, if we consider both these statements.... it wouldn't surprise me if alien tech of some sort is all over this series.

[Velorath]

I'm just enjoying the ride and trying not to get caught up too much in the speculation.

[Soln]

Not much to add but I’m glad they made it , and surprised it’s so indirect. Felt like Legion but no exposition yet.

[Khaldun]

Maybe Real Rambeau has been thrown into the virtual world by SWORD to try and get in touch with Wanda.

Definitely I hope SOMEBODY meaningful is all behind it, e.g., this is not just Wanda having a nervous breakdown and no-more-mutants freakoutery. I mean, if nothing else, she's not old enough to know the referents so this can't just be from her personal imagination. (It's an odd thing--there is literally no one in the MCU precisely old enough to know the pop culture of the 60s and 70s (the origin point of Marvel Comics!) except for the odd side character like Dr. Erik Selvig and a few scattered others and most of them aren't from the US anyway.

[Sky]

Maybe Real Rambeau has been thrown into the virtual world by SWORD to try and get in touch with Wanda.

Definitely I hope SOMEBODY meaningful is all behind it, e.g., this is not just Wanda having a nervous breakdown and no-more-mutants freakoutery. I mean, if nothing else, she's not old enough to know the referents so this can't just be from her personal imagination. (It's an odd thing--there is literally no one in the MCU precisely old enough to know the pop culture of the 60s and 70s (the origin point of Marvel Comics!) except for the odd side character like Dr. Erik Selvig and a few scattered others and most of them aren't from the US anyway.

[Khaldun]

Ah, true dat. Interesting.

[Riggswolfe]

I kind of wonder if this will lead to an inverse of the comic plot where she banished all mutants. Like maybe she tries to bring Vision back and somehow creates mutants as well thus bringing the X-men into the MCU. We'll see I guess.

[Sky]

That would be brilliant, perfect setup for new origin movies and hopefully finally doing justice to the X-universe.

Too bad Marvel Studios didn't have the license with Stewart and McKellan, would've enjoyed seeing them chew into those characters with good direction and writing.

I also just want something featuring Magick and Emma Frost in hotpants 

[Khaldun]

Maybe that's what she's "pregnant" with: Infinity Stone energy that she'll let loose on the world by saying "lots more mutants". (Which could include her actual kids, though I really hope not too close to their utterly confusing comic-book counterparts.)

[Threash]

I mean, they were basically on "honeymoon" before Infinity War started so she could just be regular pregnant, I guess there'd have to be some infinity stone magic to make that work also though.

[Sky]

It would be amazing if she was pregnant with mutant twins, the first mutants.

Charles and Erik :D

[eldaec]

Seems likely whatever is happening Wanda is either creating or sustaining it. Consciously or otherwise.

I might have to rewatch the first coupke now because this one she definitely cane across as faking ignorance.

[Khaldun]

There's some signs of that in the first two as well. Makes sense if she's trying to hide something from a virtual-world simulator.

[MahrinSkel]

Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that Wanda is doing it on purpose, and she's rewinding reality or otherwise intervening every time things go off script.
--Dave

[Khaldun]

"Wait, that's not the way that happened", e.g. the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.

[Rendakor]

There's a lot of spoilers and comic speculation here so I have barely skimmed the thread.

If I have seen all of the MCU movies, but read 0 comics and not watched a lot of Dick Van Dyke or other similar TV shows, will I enjoy watching this?

[Hawkbit]

I'd like to think so, esp if you enjoyed the MCU movies. It plays on all of that.

The sitcom flavor is a fun bit of nostalgia - the only thing you need to know about it is that comedy was a lot cornier back then. But the comedy is not the point here.

My take on where this is going:


Regardless, this show is super cool. I liked Ragnarok because of how much it was different than established MCU, just how I like this too.

[Trippy]

I haven't watched it yet but maybe it's a Spock Wrath of Khan type-thing. Wanda's powers come from the Mind Stone so maybe part of Vision's consciousness was absorbed into her when she destroyed it.

Edit: powers, plural

[Riggswolfe]

I'm not sure Wanda is fully involved in this. I am getting major Truman Show vibes but far more sinister. And the way Episode 3 ended seems to only make that even more apparent. I'm also fascinated that Vision seems to be truly his own individual whatever that means in this context. He does stuff even if Wanda isn't around which makes me believe he's not part of her imagination or whatever. I think maybe he's some kind of software program or something but I'm not real sure.

[eldaec]

There's a lot of spoilers and comic speculation here so I have barely skimmed the thread.

If I have seen all of the MCU movies, but read 0 comics and not watched a lot of Dick Van Dyke or other similar TV shows, will I enjoy watching this?

Yes.

[Rendakor]

Thanks, guys.

[Abagadro]

As long as you know that they are riffing on SOMETHING (even if you aren't particularly familiar with it) then you are probably okay. Otherwise it would be pretty disorienting.