We are already five episodes deep into the Marvel Phase Four project, and that means even more surprises as we journey towards the season finale.
WandaVision, which is set to conclude on March 5 with its ninth episode, unveiled a familiar face in Friday’s fifth episode, titled ‘On a Very Special Episode…’
An increasingly unsettled Vision (Paul Bettany) elects to challenge Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) on her meddling in Westview, only to see the confrontation cut short by a knock at the door. Wanda opens the door, and to everyone’s surprise, it’s her twin brother, Pietro.
Except it’s not the version of the character that had earlier been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, briefly played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Wanda’s super-speedy twin brother Quicksilver was instead portrayed by Evan Peters, the actor who most recently brought the character to life in Fox’s X-Men series.
This is the very first time we have seen any member of the X-Men team in the MCU since Disney’s acquisition of Fox two years’ ago, so for Peters to show up in WandaVision is a pretty big deal.
Yet things could get even bigger still, after Olsen teased a cameo equal to that of Luke Skywalker in fellow DisneyPlus series, The Mandalorian. Mark Hamill’s season two finale cameo came completely out of the blue, and fans are already expecting something similar to unfold in WandaVision.
Given Olsen’s comments emerged prior to the release of the latest episode in the series, it is still possible that she could have been referring to the arrival of Peters as Quicksilver.
As far as the potential pool of characters go, Quicksilver is a pretty obvious choice to appear in a series based on Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. So while the arrival of Peters, and not Taylor-Johnson, came as a considerable shock, there’s a strong chance that there’s an even bigger name still to come.
This is Wanda’s fantasy universe, so anything really is possible. But if we are looking at a ‘Luke Skywalker’ level character, then we’d expect something pretty substantial. Someone whose names carries considerable weight within the franchise or the comics.
Someone like Captain America or Iron Man would have that kind of star power, however, given the current circumstances involving both characters, neither seem all that likely.
WandaVision dances between the present day and the Westview-based sitcom set across various decades of the 20th century, but it still makes life difficult for an appearance for either Tony Stark or Steve Rogers.
Stark died in Avengers: Endgame, while Rogers returned to the past to grow old alongside Peggy Carter. So let’s consider the realistic options on the table:
Doctor Strange
The obvious choice would be the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Why? Scarlet Witch is set to appear heavily alongside Benedict Cumberbatch’s character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness; a sequel which in part deals with the aftermath of Wanda’s meddling.
Strange will inevitably be tasked with repairing much of the damage dealt by Wanda, so it makes sense to see him show up here. The keeper of the Time Stone is set to establish himself as a pretty big deal in Phase Four and beyond, though his comic book persona might not be quite as profitable or popular as Star Wars’ Skywalker.
Nevertheless, he makes the most theoretical sense.
Thanos
A not-so-likely, yet still plausible option, is the seemingly deceased mad titan, Thanos.
The Infinity Saga big-bad was snapped away by Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame, but he could return to the MCU to haunt Wanda. We have already seen Wanda haunted by the image of a deceased Vision, and it is quite possible that we could see Wanda haunted also by the image of the adversary that killed him.
Wanda had an opportunity to exact her revenge on Thanos when the pair met on the Endgame battlefield, and the exceedingly powerful mutant would have ripped him limb from limb had it not been for his air barrage.
Magneto
The comic book version of Wanda and the MCU version of Wanda are still very different entities. Except those differences could be a thing of the past once the final four episodes of WandaVision wrap things up.
Though it has not yet been disclosed in the MCU, Wanda (and Pietro) are the children of fellow mutant Magneto. Obviously due to rights issues (at the time the X-Men rights were still owned by 20th Century Fox), the Magneto link couldn’t be used in Age of Ultron.
But now that the rights have reverted back to Marvel Studios, Magneto and the X-Men can show up at any time. That could well be imminent now that Evan Peters’ version of Quicksilver has showed up.
Which version of Magneto will we get in the MCU? It could go either of three ways – Ian McKellen, Michael Fassbender, or recast the role. McKellen is not likely, but Fassbender, being from the same series as Peters, is perhaps more likely.
Reed Richards
A likeable, left-field cameo could see Reed Richards make his debut in the MCU. A member of the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s first family are awaiting their transition into Disney’s most lucrative franchise following their departure from Fox’s library.
None of the Fantastic Four have yet been alluded to due to the rights issues, so there has really been no indication thus far of any plans to include the Fantastic Four in already-conceived projects.
A Fantastic Four solo movie has been confirmed as in development, though we could see the characters appear before that; perhaps as early as WandaVision.
It’s a stretch, but when Monica Rambeau mentioned an aerospace engineer (not by name) during the most recent episode, it could well be an opening for Mr. Fantastic himself, Reed Richards.
Since Rambeau was expelled from WestView’s bubble, she has been working alongside S.W.O.R.D to explore its mysteries and ultimately save Wanda from her turmoil. It makes sense for them to draw in the help and knowledge of someone like Richards.
Rambeau and Richards did cross paths a number of times in the Marvel comics, so it’s not completely farfetched to suggest they do so on the big-screen.
The Alternatives
We could still be wide of the mark. There’s no telling exactly who the next WandaVision cameo might be, because for one, it’s a surprise, and secondly, fans will have different opinions on which characters are considered ‘Skywalker’ level cameos.
That said, we can at least speculate based on the characters we already know appear in the series, and the relationships that they have with other heroes or villains from the wider MCU, or from the Marvel comics.
Hawkeye, for example, could show up; as could Captain Marvel, given her ties to Rambeau and her similar power level to Wanda. Or perhaps it could be a member of the upcoming Spider-Man 3 cast, with further exploration of the multiverse ingrained deep within Tom Holland’s latest venture. Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield, perhaps?
Having mentioned Magneto, any other member of the X-men would be plausible. None of them would make as much sense as Magneto, however, while Deadpool would just be crazy (a fun crazy?).
Who else might this enthralling Marvel Phase Four series have up its sleeve? We’ll no doubt have to play the long game here and seek further clues throughout the next couple of episodes, but it has been a joyous run so far.
For Five Things We Learnt so far from this exciting new series, click here.