It was an important scene in the latest episode of Marvel’s WandaVision, even if it was mysterious and open to interpretation. Using a flashback in the life of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), but showing us a moment tied to Avengers: Age of Ultron, WandaVision connected Wanda’s origin to the Mind Stone, while also indicating that she had powers long before she was exposed to that special Infinity Stone. When Wanda looked deep into the Stone, she was a vision (no pun intended), which fans have come to believe is either the original Scarlet Witch -- the myth that Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) mentions at the end of the episode -- or a preview of Wanda reaching her fullest potential.
So when CinemaBlend got the opportunity to interview WandaVision director Matt Shakman following the events of episode 8, titled “Previously on…,” as we set up for the grand finale, we asked him about that vision in the Mind Stone. And he teased to us:
Episode 8 is the one I've been sort of waiting for because in many ways, it’s the magic skeleton key to the whole show. It’s talking about Wanda’s loss. It’s talking about, how do you come back from losing so much? How do you build your life again, after you lose your parents, your brother, the love of your life? And it helps to explain how she’s created this world where she can find solace, of course. But then it’s also about talking about the history of who is Agatha Harkness, the history of what is the Scarlet Witch, what is chaos magic. And it’s showing us a lot of what’s to come. It’s a journey into the past, and it’s also a lot about a journey into the future and the possibilities of what’s to come.
So, this is a hint of Wanda at her full potential, embracing chaos magic and assuming the role of the Scarlet Witch? That would make sense. Marvel Studios committing to a nine-episode series centered around Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) should develop and organically grow out both characters, and so introducing comic-accurate representations of these classic, original Avengers would be a logical endgame (again, no pun intended).
Here’s the image that Wanda saw. Do you think that’s Olsen playing the advanced version of her own character?
When we pressed WandaVision director Matt Shakman about the significance, he once again reiterated:
This is a show about looking at the past, but also a show about looking at the future. And Wanda has been on a course where she’s encountered many events that have altered her future, but there is a destiny that awaits her.
We know Wanda isn’t going anywhere. Elizabeth Olsen is a key part of Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is filming now for a 2022 release. And given the popularity of these characters now, I’d assume that Marvel leans into them for more stories, even if season two of WandaVision isn’t in the cards. This season wraps up on Friday with a long episode, and we will meet you back here after it for CinemaBlend’s expert analysis.
