If we’re being honest, last week’s WandaVision was a bit frustrating. The Marvel Cinematic Universe series did a great job in its fourth and fifth episodes both answering questions while introducing new ones, but Episode 6 a.k.a. “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!” was really just about adding to the larger mystery. That, however, is most definitely not the case with Episode 7 a.k.a.” Breaking The Fourth Wall,” as the show just took two massive steps forward by both introducing a brand new hero and a brand new villain to the comic book franchise.
WandaVision moved into the 2000s era of television with the faux documentary format, “spoofing” shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family, and while doing so made the appropriate moves in transform Monica Rambeau into the super-powered Photon, and reveal the nosy neighbor Agnes as the villainous Agatha Harkness. Both developments should mean massive shake-ups in the remaining episodes, so let’s dig into all of the details!
Monica Rambeau Has Officially Turned Into Photon
One of the most interesting details revealed in last week’s WandaVision was the discovery by Dr. Darcy Lewis that the two trips that Monica Rambeau took through the wall of the hex permanently altered her DNA. Hearing this, comic book fans instantly had a good idea of where it was all leading, but now in Episode 7 it has come to fruition: having crossed into Westview, New Jersey for a third time now, it seems that Monica is no longer human, and has instead been transformed into the hero who we’ll eventually know as Photon.
Admittedly this is not exactly a massive shock. When a young Monica, played by Akira Akbar, was first introduced in the 1990s-set Captain Marvel, the assumption by fans was that we would eventually see her grow up and become a proper Marvel Cinematic Universe hero. Those expectations were only further amplified when it was announced that Teyonah Parris was joining the cast of WandaVision, and now the cycle seems to be complete.
The big transformation scene is quite a cool one too. After seeing her plan involving a space rover completely fall apart, Monica opts to jump back into the hex without any safeguards, and unlike the other times she went through the “wall” this time we actually got to watch her experience the whole of it. Some trippy visuals play out, and we hear the voices of key individuals like Jimmy Woo, Monica’s mother, Maria Rambeau, and Carol Danvers. Fighting against the forces, her eyes turn a light shade of blue, and when she finally gets through to Westview her perception of the world is altered.
So what’s going on with her? Basically she is tapping into the energy of the universe, which is Photon’s central power set. Thanks to her DNA being rewritten, she now has the capacity to manipulate and transform all of the energies around her, instantly making her one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most potentially powerful heroes. She’s obviously going to have to take some time to hone her abilities, and discover everything that she can do, but she already shows a certain knack for it in “Breaking The Fourth Wall,” namely when she subtly cushions her own fall during a standoff with Wanda (note the brief wave of blue light).
Clearly this is a development we’re going to see a lot more of in the final episodes of WandaVision, and it will be particularly interesting to see how Monica’s abilities compete against the powers of magic, and not just Scarlet Witch’s…
Agnes Is Actually Agatha Harkness
It’s never seemed quite right that Wanda Maximoff created Westview, New Jersey all by herself. She clearly has the power to do it thanks to her ability to manipulate reality, but evidence from all of the previous episodes has suggested that she hasn’t been totally in control of everything, and thus there has been the implication that someone else has been pulling the strings. Speculation has run rampant about the identity of a potential big bad for weeks now, with fans throwing out names ranging from Mephisto to Mojo, but we need not guess any longer, as WandaVision has finally pulled back the curtain and revealed that Agnes is the ancient and villainous witch Agatha Harkness.
In the comics, Agatha was first introduced as a Fantastic Four character, serving as the governess to Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. She revealed herself as a magic user in her first appearance, and while she has fought on the side of good in the past – for example teaching Wanda Maximoff about witchcraft – she has also been a powerful villain, and that seems to be the direction WandaVision is taking her.
What’s especially significant about the Agatha Harkness reveal is what it means for Wanda and Vision’s children, Billy and Tommy. One of Agatha’s most important influences in the comic book canon is that she is the one who essentially convinces Wanda to become pregnant by channeling the remaining energy of a town decimated during a magic battle, and that’s how her twin boys are originally born.
Clearly that arc is having a massive influence on the Disney+ series, as Billy and Tommy appear to be very much a part of whatever Agatha is cooking up, but the details remain a mystery to us. We also still don’t have any clarity at all when it comes to the whole big Quicksilver switcheroo and the potential multiverse madness it implies, which brings us to…
The Post Credits Scene
We can’t wrap this up without also talking about the post-credits scene in “Breaking The Fourth Wall” – which is strangely a first for WandaVision. There isn’t exactly a whole lot to it, as it’s only 25 seconds long, but it does show an important moment.
Clearly growing suspicious of Agnes, Monica Rambeau is shown taking a trip to her house, and when she sneaks around the back she opens up the doors to the cellar. What she discovers are the same glowing purple roots that Wanda saw – though she doesn’t have a ton of time to react. While her eyes go into Photon mode, Quicksilver pops up right behind her with the sly line, “Snoopers gonna snoop,” and the scene cuts right as she turns around.
The coda is a solid touch, particularly to quiet anybody who was curious where Quicksilver was during this whole episode, but also as a cliffhanger leading into Episode 8. It’s scary enough that Wanda is in Agatha’s clutches, but the idea that Fake Pietro may have also now taken out Monica means that the list of good guys who are able to help and know what’s going on is short. Needless to say, we’re anticipating the next chapter with baited breath.
The countdown to the penultimate episode of WandaVision has now started, and you can expect that we’ll continue to write about the show a lot more in the coming days. Be on the lookout for a wide variety of editorials and hot takes, and prepare for Episode 8 to land on February 26 on Disney+ at midnight PST/3:00am EST.
