Marvel's WandaVision: What You Need To Know Before Watching (Character Catch-up)
For the first time since July 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is on the verge of bringing a new piece of content! Not only will WandaVision be the first new MCU property since the end of the Infinity Saga, but it will also be Marvel Studios’ first venture into original storytelling on Disney+.
The set up for this series is unlike anything Marvel Studios has ever done before. WandaVision is confirmed to progress the plot using at least six different eras of network television, from the 1950s to the present day. Disney and Marvel are clearly going all out for their first effort on Disney+, and it will only be the start of Marvel's most ambitious endeavor to date.
Before we get to the start of Phase 4, it’s appropriate to take a look back at the history of the characters that will make this show run. The two leading characters have been involved with the MCU for much or all of the Infinity Saga, there are minor characters coming back for only their second or third appearance, and there is even an adult version of a young girl that arrived at the very end of Phase 3.
Without further ado, here's what fans need to know about the stories behind every leading character in WandaVision!
Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch)
Played by: Elizabeth Olsen
MCU Appearances To Date: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (post-credits), Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame
Current Status: Alive
Wanda Maximoff was introduced as a post-credits teaser at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, directly after Baron Von Strucker experimented on her and her brother, Pietro, with Loki’s scepter. Her incredible powers were unlocked before she and Pietro first fought against the Avengers at the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron, leading Tony Stark to create Ultron after the visions she put in his head.
The twins got onto the Avengers’ radar, especially after Ultron was created, and they went head-to-head in Africa before Wanda used her powers to knock out the entire team in one fell swoop. She proceeded to incite the Hulk vs. Hulkbuster fight while Ultron stole vibranium from Ulysses Klaue, but after she realized that Ultron was making a new and better version of himself to destroy the world, her allegiances changed in a hurry.
She and Pietro helped the Avengers stop the runaway train before all heading back to Stark Tower to try to stop Tony and Bruce from creating Vision. After Vision convinced the team that he was there for the greater good, Wanda teamed up with the Avengers to help stop Ultron and evacuate the city of Sokovia. However, Ultron killed Pietro in the battle, leaving Wanda distraught and in pain before Vision rescues her.
A year later, Wanda beings working with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War when the Lagos mission goes wrong, and she ended up being forced to throw an exploding Crossbones into a building full of people. This event leads to the creation of the Sokovia accords, and Vision both kept her company and away from any sort of action to protect her.
Hawkeye got Wanda out of the Avengers facility to team up with Captain America and the rogue Avengers for the airport battle in Germany. Wanda saved Cap and Bucky Barnes from being crushed before she was taken to the Raft and fitted with a straight jacket and shock collar.
After Cap rescued Wanda from the Raft, she spent the next two years on the run with Vision before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. She saved Vision from death as Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive attacked them before Cap came out of nowhere and saved them both.
Regrouping at the Avengers facility, the team made the decision to seek the help of the Black Panther in Wakanda That was in order to remove the Mind Stone from Vision’s forehead while keeping him alive. As the battle of Wakanda ensues, Wanda stayed with Vision and Shuri before things got awful, forcing her to jump into action and save her teammates.
She ended up fighting Proxima Midnight alongside Black Widow and Okoye before killing Proxima herself. This all comes before the fight of her life to both destroy Vision and the Mind Stone and keep Thanos from getting the Stone himself. She destroyed the stone, but Thanos used the Time Stone to bring Vision back and steal the stone before snapping half of all life in the universe away, including Wanda herself.
After five years, Wanda was snapped back into existence for the final battle of Avengers: Endgame, where she released every ounce of anger she felt towards Thanos and almost finished him off. Thanos stopped this by having his troops shoot at every inch of the battlefield, and eventually, Tony snapped his fingers with all six stones to defeat the enemy.
Wanda was last seen at Tony’s funeral before reminiscing on the lives of Black Widow and Vision with Hawkeye, and her story continues before her starring appearance in WandaVision on Disney+.
Vision (Formerly Jarvis)
Played by: Paul Bettany
MCU Appearances To Date: As J.A.R.V.I.S. - Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron; As Vision - Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War
Current Status: Dead
In the earliest days of the MCU, JARVIS was the artificial intelligence program created by Tony Stark to assist him with bringing his brilliant ideas to and running the massive Stark Industries. This was the case through the course of the Iron Man trilogy and in 2012's The Avengers, where Tony utilized JARVIS' services at any opportunity.
Over those three years in the MCU timeline, JARVIS grew more intelligent and self-aware at every turn while Tony worked his magic with the Iron Man technology, even adapting Tony's sarcastic nature and snappy retorts as their journey progressed. This all led to the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron, where the AI program ran "more of the business than anybody except Pepper (Potts)." JARVIS controlled Tony's Iron Legion through the attack on Baron Von Strucker, and he even helped Tony and Bruce Banner bring the villainous Ultron to life.
Ultron proceeded to basically kill JARVIS minutes after his birth, although Tony found JARVIS' original protocols as Tony and Bruce Banner worked to destroy the vibranium body that Ultron created. This led to Tony and Bruce working in overdrive to reconfigure JARVIS' mainframe and implant it into the body, thereby creating the Vision with the additional help of Thor's lightning.
After convincing the Avengers to trust him by lifting the mighty hammer Mjolnir, Vision joined the team and flew to Sokovia to stop Ultron for good. He teamed up with Tony and Thor to destroy Ultron's main body before rescuing Wanda Maximoff and destroying the very last body in a Sokovia forest. After that battle, Vision joined the team as Captain America led the new Avengers team into their next battles.
In Captain America: Civil War, Vision firmly sided with the Sokovia Accords by explaining "Our very strength invites challenge, challenge incites conflict, and conflict breeds catastrophe." He watched over Wanda Maximoff and kept her confined to her room during the events in Vienna, and he fought Hawkeye as he tried to help Wanda escape. Wanda overpowered him before joining with Team Cap, and the airport battle ensued.
Vision was all over the battle, protecting teammates like the Black Panther while doing everything he could when Scott Lang turned into Giant-Man. He used his beam powers to destroy the watchtower and stop Cap and Bucky Barnes from getting to the quinjet, although they escaped before he went to help the fallen Wanda. The battle ended with Vision accidentally knocking War Machine out of the sky and paralyzing him from the waist down.
After this accident, Vision left the Avengers compound and went on the run for two years with Wanda before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. The Mind Stone in his forehead became increasingly bothersome, even for as much as Wanda tried to console him, all before he was stabbed and attacked by Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight. Wanda saved him as Captain America and his team swoop in to save the day, and they all headed back to the Avengers Facility in New York.
While in New York, Vision decided the best course of action is to destroy the Mind Stone before Thanos can get to it. Steve Rogers and the team took him to Wakanda, where King T'Challa and Shuri worked to find a solution that both removed the Stone and kept Vision alive. As the battle ensued, the team continued to work before Corvus Glaive infiltrated the building, and Vision knocked him out of the window before their battle began.
On the brink of death, Captain America saved Vision before Vision killed Glaive, but Thanos arrived on Earth intent on completing the Infinity Stone set. Vision convinced Wanda that she had to destroy the stone, and him along with it, which she did while holding back Thanos with her powers. Thanos reversed this event with the Time Stone and ripped the Mind Stone out of Vision's forehead, killing him instantly.
There is no word regarding how Vision is alive going into WandaVision, but it will certainly be a mystery that fans are looking forward to solving!
Darcy Lewis
Played By: Kat Dennings
MCU Appearances To Date: Thor, Thor: The Dark World
Current Status: Alive
Darcy Lewis came into the MCU as the assistant/intern to Jane Foster in 2011’s Thor and helped out Jane and Erik Selvig with the God of Thunder’s unexpected arrival on Earth. Working as an intern for college credits from Culver University, she tagged along with the two scientists as they explored the unknown phenomenons occurring in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico.
Once Thor arrived on Earth via the Bifrost, Darcy knocked him straight out with a taser before the team took him to the hospital to get checked out. Along with hitting on Thor and being astonished by his integration into Earth life, she tried to help Jane figure out what was going on with the God of Thunder through the course of his solo movie.
Darcy, Jane and Dr. Selvig worked as a team to help Thor regain his powers and defeat the Destroyer before getting him back to Asgard. The team had to say goodbye for a time when the Bifrost was destroyed, and Darcy continued working with Jane over the next couple of years.
When 2013’s Thor: The Dark World came, Darcy was in London serving as Jane’s intern once again, and she even had her own intern named Ian. The team continued their research on strange readings that Dr. Selvig discovered as he was losing his mind, leading them to an abandoned warehouse in London.
After Jane was taken by the Aether and went missing for five hours, Darcy reunited with her shortly as Thor returned to Earth. Thor then took Jane to Asgard, leaving Darcy alone and in complete astonishment.
Some time went by as Darcy freaked out looking for Jane before Jane returns with more information on the convergence. Darcy teamed up with Thor, Jane, Selvig, and Ian to contain the effects of the Convergence in order to defeat Malekith. The last time Darcy was seen was her sitting in Jane’s apartment as they waited for Thor to return.
Reports have said that Darcy went back to school to earn her doctorate, and it will be exciting to see her return after eight years away from the MCU in real-time and a full decade away in the MCU’s timeline.
Jimmy Woo
Played By: Randall Park
MCU Appearances To Date: Ant-Man and the Wasp
Current Status: Alive
Agent Jimmy Woo is a former SHIELD agent who now works for the FBI, specifically as Scott Lang’s parole officer after Lang violated the Sokovia Accords by fighting with the Avengers in Germany during Captain America: Civil War. Lang took a plea deal to serve house arrest for two years, and Woo is in place to make sure he follows that order at the start of Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Agent Woo was also put in charge of the search for Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne, who violated the Accords by being complicit with Lang’s reported crimes. Woo reminded Lang that he is not allowed any contact with his former colleagues in Ant-Man and the Wasp, as that would violate his parole with only three days remaining until he’s a free man.
Woo responded to the call about Lang, Pym, and Van Dyne visiting the University of California, Berkeley as they sought the help of Dr. Bill Foster. After questioning Foster about the trio, Lang’s team eventually took Hank and Hope into custody before they went for Scott as well, only to find him in his home as he was supposed to be.
When Scott turned into Giant-Man, Woo was convinced he had Scott cornered before being fooled once again. Scott’s sentence comes to a close as Woo removed his ankle bracelet, and after an incredibly awkward exchange about dinner, Woo left Scott to live his life once again.
There is no word concerning the role Woo will play in WandaVision, although rumors point to him being involved with SWORD in some way.
Monica Rambeau
Played By: Akira Akbar (child), Teyonah Parris (adult)
MCU Appearances To Date: Captain Marvel
Current Status: Alive
Monica Rambeau was introduced as an 11-year-old in the events of 2019’s Captain Marvel. She is the daughter of accomplished Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau, who is the best friend of Captain Marvel herself, Carol Danvers.
Having a close relationship with Carol in her early years, Monica was ecstatic when “Auntie Carol” returned in 1995 after being in space for six years. While Monica wasn’t involved much with the action that went down at her house, she found her inspiration upon seeing the alien Skrulls and Carol show off her incredible powers.
Before going to her grandparents’ house, Monica gave Carol her old leather jacket and helped her adjust her super suit to adorn it with the classic Captain Marvel colors inspired by her Air Force shirt. After celebrating the success of the mission at the end of the movie, Monica joked and fantasized about joining Carol on her intergalactic missions. She even claimed that she may be able to build a spaceship one day before Carol flies off on her next mission.
Nearly 30 years will have passed in the MCU timeline when Monica returns in WandaVision, and it will be exciting to see how far along she is in her journey to becoming a hero in her own right.
NEW & RUMORED CHARACTERS
WandaVision is set to bring in a couple of new characters into the MCU, both of whom should play an important role as the series goes on.
First up is Kathryn Hahn's Agnes, who is described as Wanda and Vision's nosy neighbor. The trailers have teased that there is much more to her than meets the eye, especially in the scene where Vision brings her back to life, and she reveals she knows he's dead. Rumors have pointed to her playing the MCU's Agatha Harkless, and it will be exciting to see how her character develops over the course of nine episodes.
The show will also bring in Evan Peters, whose role is still undisclosed even so close to the premiere of WandaVision. He has the potential to play a major role in this series, especially based on his history with Marvel.
Peters notably played the Fox Studios version of Quicksilver in four of the X-Men movies, and there is a slight chance that he will return to play a multiversal version of Wanda's brother as she descends deeper into madness. Other rumors have pointed to him playing one of Marvel's most terrifying villains, Mephisto. No matter who he plays, he will be someone fans have an eye on in every episode.
WandaVision will finally make its premiere on Disney+ on Friday, January 15. The streaming service will debut the first two episodes that day before bringing one more every week until March 5. At long last, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has returned, and WandaVision should be just the start of Marvel Studios' biggest year to date!
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