'Splainin to Do

WandaVision Easter egg teases the arrival of a terrifying Elder God

Is cosmic horror coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

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WandaVision is setting up massive things for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Disney+ series is shaping up to be the perfect introduction to Marvel’s Phase Four, exploring important plot threads and bringing in characters like Monica Rambeau who will have a big impact on a number of the studio’s future projects. But aside from introducing both Photon and Agatha Harkness, WandaVision Episode 7 may have even set up the arrival of another fearsome villain in the MCU who we definitely didn't see coming.

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The Theory — The climax of WandaVision Episode 7 turns the entire show on its head — revealing that Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness has been secretly manipulating Wanda, Vision, and the citizens of Westview all along. But one of the biggest reveals of the episode actually comes just moments prior to Wanda and Agatha’s confrontation... when Wanda enters Agatha’s basement and sees an ominous book on display.

The book in question appears to be none other than the Darkhold, a magical book which previously showed up in both Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Runaways. What Agatha is planning to do with the Darkhold remains a mystery, but it is possible she could be using it to bring a monstrous entity into the Earth realm: the Elder God, Chthon, who is basically Marvel’s version of Cthulhu.

Who is Chthon in Marvel?

The Darkhold in WandaVision Episode 7.

Marvel Studios

Chthon was part of the race of Elder Gods that ruled over Earth for millions of years after its initial formation. Through his studies of mystic forces across the universe, Chthon even became the planet’s first black magician but eventually had to flee into another dimension known as the “Flickering Realms.” He was forced to stay in that dimension but always planned on one day returning to Earth.

At one point, Chthon even reached out and marked an infant girl as a possible vessel for him to one day use to get back to Earth. That girl was Wanda Maximoff, and his “blessing” was what allowed her to use chaos magic. His marking of Wanda also led to Chthon possessing her multiple times throughout the comics as part of his goal of returning to Earth. But Wanda wasn’t the only link to Earth that Chthon used to his advantage.

He also had the Darkhold.

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In the Marvel comics, the Darkhold was made up of ancient scrolls written by Chthon. It was said to contain all of his evil spells and work and was purposely left on Earth by him. He not only used the book to infect the Earth realm with his own influence but also hoped to use it as a potential gateway between dimensions.

Combine the book’s original purpose with Chthon’s history possessing Scarlet Witch in the comics and it’s not hard to see why rumors have begun to swirl that WandaVision may be setting up his arrival on Earth.

Marvel Comics

The Inverse Analysis — Chthon would be a powerful and unexpected villain for Marvel to introduce, there’s no doubt about that. With other godly beings like Kang the Conqueror and Gorr the God Butcher already confirmed, Marvel's Phase 4 is already getting crowded. So although fans would no doubt love to see a Cthulhu-like creature appear in the MCU, there’s no guarantee it’s what Marvel has planned right now.

With that being said, there is a strong chance that the final two episodes of WandaVision will give fans a much better idea of what to expect from upcoming movies and shows — especially if those rumors of a Luke Skywalker-level cameo are to be believed. Two weeks from now, a Cthulu-level supervillain in the MCU may be the least of our worries.

WandaVision is streaming now on Disney+.

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