There is still so much to come in 2021 but Marvel’s WandaVision could easily be the best thing to happen in the year’s entertainment. The Disney+ series has brought twists and turns at every corner, yet there is still a load of surprises in store during the remaining three episodes. WandaVision’s biggest surprise so far has been the arrival of Wanda’s brother Pietro, who made his presence known at the end of episode five, ‘On a Very Special Episode…’ with the “re-introduction” of Quicksilver.
Except Pietro was not Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character that debuted alongside Elizabeth Olsen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was the X-Men version of the character played by Evan Peters.
Pietro held a bigger role in episode six, which aired on Friday, where he lends a hand as a father figure in taking Tommy and Billy trick-or-treating.
Though while it appears as though the seemingly innocent Pietro is adjusting to life as part of Wanda’s family, things are not quite what they seem.
Nothing is really, that’s the wonder of WandaVision. You just don’t know what is real, and what is fake.
But with Pietro Maximoff, suspicion is swiftly mounting, and he can’t be trusted at any costs.
WandaVision’s mystery element
I mentioned this earlier, but the fact that much of WandaVision’s narrative remains a mystery is one reason why Pietro, Quicksilver, can’t be trusted.
The mystery will begin to unravel at an increased rate over the final three episodes, and a key part of that will be the presence of Pietro.
Wanda’s brother is dead. He was killed by Ultron – something that Geraldine earlier alluded to in episode three. So how can he be here?
How can Vision, who died at the hands of Thanos, also be here? Wanda has created this fantasy world for herself to find peace, but it isn’t going to be anything like that.
Those walls will come crashing down soon enough and her anger and pain will make her one of the biggest threats to the MCU.
His behaviour
Pietro, Quicksilver, knows things he shouldn’t, and he appears completely aware of his surroundings – unlike anyone else within the hex.
As a clueless Vision further explores the boundaries of his confinement, Pietro questions Wanda about her fictitious haven.
How come Pietro has noticed the sudden presence of kids in Westview, but Vision hasn’t?
It does add further fuel to the fire that Pietro might actually have a hand in Westview’s creation.
Might he be the villainous Mephisto in disguise? There are already seeds dotted throughout the series to suggest Mephisto’s involvement, so it wouldn’t be a stretch. Alternatively, Nightmare – a likely candidate to oppose Doctor Strange in his next solo outing, which also features Scarlet Witch – might also be the puppeteer.
His identity
That brings us back to the point that Pietro is not our MCU Pietro.
Taylor-Johnson was bypassed in favour of Peters, who has been plucked from an alternate universe to fill the void left by the MCU’s previous Quicksilver.
That itself should be a concern. Of course, with the multiverse set to be established as a major player within Phase Four, it is indeed possible for different characters to arrive from different universes.
Spider-Man 3 is expected to feature characters from earlier Spider-Man franchises, including Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina).
Pietro and the X-Men might be no different.
However, it might just be a convenient excuse. The reason behind Taylor-Johnson’s absence surely cannot be down to budget or scheduling.
This is Marvel Studios. They aren’t going to be holding back here, because even though it is a series, WandaVision still has colossal implications for the movies. It also remains possible that the ‘real’ Quicksilver may still surface later in the series, with Peters just a cover.
Episode Seven arrives on Disney+ on Friday, though it remains to be seen whether we will be any closer to the answers we so desperately crave.