'Splainin to do

The ending of WandaVision Episode 3 reveals the show's shocking villain

A bizarre occurrence hints at a bigger, grander, and darker picture behind Wanda's new life.

Marvel Studios

The mystery of WandaVision is getting more, well, mysterious. At the end of a literally colorful '70s-themed episode (think The Brady Bunch, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Three's Company), the shadowy machinations behind WandaVision are slowly coming to light. And it's changing everything we know and assume about WandaVision.

Warning: Spoilers for WandaVision Episode 3 ahead.

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In the third episode of WandaVision, streaming now on Disney+, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and her can-rock-a-sweater husband Vision (Paul Bettany) enter the 1970s! Wanda then proceeds to carry twin boys to term and give birth within the span of a half-hour.

But things get really weird only at the very end of the episode. When the Visions' neighbor Geraldine, who is actually Monica Rambeau (played by Teyonah Parris) starts to question the fake sitcom reality and gets close to remembering who she actually is, Monica is tossed out of this reality and wakes up on a grassy field in Westview, New Jersey. She is then surrounded by agents and helicopters bearing the symbol of S.W.O.R.D.

While there are still plenty of questions, there are a few things we can glean from that indicate just where WandaVision is headed.

At the end of WandaVision's third episode, Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) is flung outside in Westview, New Jersey. Who forced her out?

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Why Wanda is behind the sitcom reality

At the start of WandaVision, it was unclear what was going on. We don't know who is behind Wanda and Visions' impossible life, nor how it's happening and why. Were the Visions trapped in a nightmare dimension by a TV-obsessed supervillain? Was it an artificial computer simulation created by S.W.O.R.D.? Is it Doctor Strange?

Based on what happens at the end of the episode, it's clear the one behind it all is Wanda herself. Turns out, in her grief for the loss of Vision in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda may have taken over a New Jersey town so she can process her loss.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn't yet explored Wanda's powers, she is actually very powerful and is capable of rewriting reality itself. The 2005 Marvel comic book crossover House of M, one of the key inspirations for WandaVision, centered on Wanda using her reality-bending powers to completely change the Marvel Universe as she coped with the loss of her children.

Kathryn Hahn is possibly, maybe playing Agatha Harkness, a villain/mentor of Wanda in the comics. But is she behind the fake reality, or is it someone else?

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How Wanda is in control in WandaVision

There's a handful of moments that indicate Wanda is in control. First, at the end of episode two, when the Beekeeper shows up, Wanda whispers "No" and seems to rewind reality on her own. The scene implies that the "true" reality is sneaking and leaking into Wanda's, and so she becomes more vigilant to keep outsiders β€” including S.W.O.R.D. β€” out.

Then, there's Episode 3, which introduces both of Wanda's twins, Tommy and Billy. Based on what we know from the comics (and how the MCU is ramping up newcomers like Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop as the new Hawkeye), Billy is destined to grow up into a Young Avenger named Wiccan, who has the power of teleportation. Somehow, Wanda weaponized her newborn baby's teleportation powers to fling Monica outside her sitcom bubble.

Finally, the biggest evidence to support this isn't in any of the episodes we've seen, but in a YouTube video. On the day WandaVision premiered, Marvel released a behind-the-scenes featurette. And in a scene from what could be Episode 4 (only the first three were screened for the press) we see a uniformed Geraldine/Monica β€” with FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) behind her β€” in Westview, reaching her hand out and touching a distorted, invisible barrier.

In connecting the dots, I can confidently speculate that Monica, under the direction of S.W.O.R.D., infiltrated Wanda's sitcom reality. In doing so, she lost her memory and really believed she was their neighbor Geraldine. It was only when Monica got too close to the truth that Wanda flung her out because to keep her around would threaten to unmake Wanda's precious creation.

Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), an agent of S.W.O.R.D., discovers an artificial barrier around the town of Westview with FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park). Did Monica infiltrate Wanda's reality?

Marvel Studios

What about the radio? A key moment in episode two saw Wanda freak out over a mysterious radio transmission that asked, in a garbled voice, "Who's doing this to you, Wanda?"

If our speculation pans out, this is a misdirection. This is to fool the audience into thinking that Wanda is a victim of a villain forcing her to live in this reality. We might possibly see the truth unveiled and that it was no one forcing Wanda, but only Wanda herself. (Again, possibly.)

How Episode 3 changes what we think of WandaVision

We may all have different ideas about WandaVision, but until now, it was largely agreed by Marvel fans that:

  • The sitcom universe is fake, and Vision is still dead.
  • Someone is behind it all.
  • Kathryn Hahn is totally Agatha Harkness, a nemesis/mentor of Wanda from the comics.

After Episode 3, these points... well, still hold up. But we can now say with only some certainty that Wanda is the villain of WandaVision. It isn't Agatha Harkness, who seems to be a cooperative party with S.W.O.R.D. (look closely at how Agatha, as "Agnes," secretly converses with the other neighbors). It isn't some other Marvel villain we've not met before. It could be Wanda, who has held an entire town captive all because she is still finding a way to process the death of Vision.

Is this true? Yes! No! Maybe? As stated, this is pure speculation based on breadcrumbs. We haven't seen every episode of WandaVision, and it's unknown how the series will influence the rest of the MCU. We only know that the 2022 movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will tie in.

Until we've seen all episodes of WandaVision, however, we can only do one thing: Tune in. You know, like a TV show.

WandaVision streams new episodes Fridays on Disney+.

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