The mystery surrounding the plot of WandaVision has been, by itself, an ongoing source of entertainment for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans since its first announcement. While a recent trailer was not very forthcoming to explain the story any further, some eagle-eyed comic book readers picked up on a clue that it may be paying homage to House of M, a popular comic book arc that sees the Avengers collaborating with the X-Men against none other than Scarlet Witch herself.
If the blink-and-you-miss-it shot of a wine bottle bearing the name “House of Mepris” as seen above proves WandaVision is an adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis’ beloved 2005 storyline, that definitely would help make sense of what WandaVision is really about. On the other hand, it also raises even more questions about how closely the spinoff series, which is dropping exclusively on Disney+ possibly by December 2020, will follow the original arc, considering how many of its key characters do not exist in the MCU (either not yet or not anymore). That being said, it also makes it wonder what crucial effects this story may have on the future of the franchise.
To help those already itching to see the premiere of WandaVision better understand what this show may really be about, as well as anyone confused by our speculative comparisons to the House of M storyline, allow us to clear everything up and break down its main plot. Maybe then we will see what is in store for Marvel’s surreal ode to golden age sitcoms and, better yet, Phase 4 as a whole.
Scarlet Witch Struggles To Control Her Reality-Altering Ability
The House of M story begins with Professor Charles Xavier calling upon the X-Men and their Avengers allies to commit an unthinkable act: murdering Wanda Maximoff. Her dwindling, grief-stricken mind has caused too many changes to reality beyond her own control, and the risk of any further drastic alterations to their current existence is too high to allow it to go any further, leaving them no other choice but to take her out of the picture.
While matters of life and death, as well as superheroes threatening other superheroes, are common in Marvel movies by this point, I still hesitate to believe WandaVision is going to see Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) at odds with the Avengers. However, it does seem that her new “home” with Vision (Paul Bettany), let alone seeing him back from the dead, are the product of her reality manipulation, which has never been depicted in the MCU to that extent before. Therefore, it appears that Wanda’s struggle to control that power in House of M may be reflected by her discovery and practice of it in the series.
Scarlet Witch Creates A New, Wish-Granting Reality
Another major theme of the House of M storyline that appears to be important in WandaVision is “wish-fulfillment.” Scarlet Witch’s resurrection of her lost love, Vision, and the projection of a “normal” life with him is exactly what the burdened superhero has always wanted. However, in the comic book source material, it is not just Wanda who gets her wish.
Before the Avengers and X-Men have the chance to reluctantly carry out their assignment, the world immediately ceases to be the same and becomes the result of every major Marvel character’s deepest desire coming true. In addition to Magneto becoming the sole ruler of the entire world (hence the House of M title), Peter Parker and the formerly dead Gwen Stacy are married with a son, Steve Rogers has aged to nearly 100 years having never been frozen and Mystique is in a relationship with Wolverine. It is at that point when the adamantium-infused mutant begins to notice that something is wrong here.
Wolverine Is The Only Marvel Character Able To Recall The Original Reality, At First
After his superhuman healing allows him to remember his past life, Wolverine immediately begins scrambling to find any other person who remembers when humans were the dominant species and mutants the minority, instead of the opposite in this universe. He bumps into Luke Cage, who introduces him to a young woman named Layla Miller. Her psychic powers not only make her immune to the mass amnesia caused by the change, but also give her the ability to jog the other heroes’ memories, prompting them to band together against Wanda Maximoff to reverse the problem.
I cannot imagine that WandaVision is going to treat Scarlet Witch like a villain as House of M essentially does in certain ways, but the events of the comic do raise question about all who are affected by her reality alteration in the series and how. Is it just some simulation that only she and Vision can perceive, or if not, can other people remember the previous reality like Kathryn Hahn’s character seems to when she notices Vision is somehow still alive in the trailer? While we can likely expect the show to resolve that, I would not as confidently count on a definitive answer to my next question, as it relates to a character whose position in the MCU is a little too “past-tense.”
It Is Revealed That The House Of M Reality Was Quicksilver’s Idea
The Avengers and X-Men, who are all now fully aware of their past lives, initially assume that Wanda Maximoff’s father, Magneto, is responsible for convincing her to change the universe, as it made him the all-powerful Lord Magnus. What they come to learn is that it was Quicksilver who proposed granting their peers’ wishes in order to prevent his sister’s murder.
This House of M plot point has an especially slim chance of making it into WandaVision, particularly due to the death of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, while he probably would not be an influential catalyst of the story, that does not mean he could not make an appearance. If Scarlet Witch can bring her boyfriend back from the dead, clearly she could do the same for her extremely fast brother, which also brings to mind another groundbreaking potential concept for the MCU in relation to the comic book’s shocking conclusion.
Scarlet Witch Decimates Nearly All The World’s Mutants
With her back against the wall by the X-Men and Avengers’ pleas to revert things back to how they were, Wanda Maximoff agrees, but with a twist. Believing mutants to be the case of all her and the rest of the world’s problems, she depowers roughly 98% of the mutant population - a devastating blow to the Marvel Universe by leaving many of its greatest heroes without special abilities.
Since the X-Men still currently exist in a different cinematic universe, this is probably the WandaVision ending we should expect, but what if the series incorporated a reversal with Scarlet Witch, instead creating a new reality in which mutants do exist? It may be a bit of a stretch, but it would be an intriguing homage to the of the original House of M conclusion while still going its own direction. Plus, the X-Men still need some way of being brought into the MCU continuity.
What do you think? Do our House of M-inspired theories over what to look for in WandaVision color you intrigued, or do you think they color us insane? Well, let us know in the comments and be sure to check back additional information and updates on the highly anticipated Disney+ exclusive seres, as well as even more in-depth looks at the legacy of some of your favorite comic book stories and characters, here on CinemaBlend.
