12DOVE Verdict
WandaVision reveals the true nature of Agnes, setting up a huge showdown in the last two episodes
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Warning: this WandaVision episode 7 review contains spoilers. If you have not watched the Disney Plus show yet, then bookmark this page and come back when you're all caught up...
There has been a lot of speculation about WandaVision. That’s half the fun of watching along weekly, rather than every episode arriving at once, and has led to WandaVision gradually becoming part of the lockdown zeitgeist. Now, as we approach the endgame, certain characters are finally showing their true colors.
Let’s begin at the end: Agnes reveals herself to be Agatha Harkness, a famous witch ripped straight from the comics. Kathryn Hahn’s part in this mystery was always going to be something more and – as widely speculated – her character has been manipulating Wanda this entire time. Not only did Agatha somehow bring back Pietro (presumably ripped from the multiverse) but she also killed Sparky. If killing a pupper doesn’t automatically make her one of the cruelest villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then I don’t know what does.
Despite seemingly the entire internet knowing that Agnes-turned-Agatha was running the show, the reveal was still excellently done. Hahn’s having an absolute ball as she confronts Wanda in the basement, her hair frizzled – the perfect hatred-filled fun-loving witch. She’s fully game for the ensuing “Agatha All Along” theme-tune, which neatly ties together every clue the series has offered up. This incoming witchdown between Wanda and Agatha is going to be quite something.
From one reveal to another: we finally find out what Rambeau wanted from the aerospace engineer. Major Goodner brings Rambeau a heavy-duty truck that the SWORD agent hopes can break through Wanda’s expanded Hex. Seeing as Marvel fans were expecting a character as big as Reed Richards to show up, and Major Goodner seemingly has no comic-book connections at all, there’s no denying that this was a slight disappointment. Perhaps it’s a double-bluff, and Mr. Fantastic, or Blue Marvel, or Shuri, will turn up, and Major Gooders is simply delivering the engineer's goods. Even without going speculation crazy, it’s hard not to feel that the moment was somewhat mishandled, falling with a thud after Rambeau gave a knowing nod all those episodes ago that the aerospace engineer was going to be something special. Yay, a truck…
Rambeau, though, gets reckless after the truck is unable to break through Wanda’s barrier, and instead charges through herself, gaining superpowers along the way. She’s now fully become Photon and she certainly seems immediately ready to blast through anything that comes her way. I was slightly surprised that she was not more surprised by her sudden strength, but it’s another spanner thrown into the works, setting up a final two episodes that will hopefully see three all-powerful women (maybe more, if Dotty reveals herself to be Mephisto) coming head-to-head.
Meanwhile, Vision discovers that he’s actually dead. Putting Paul Bettany alongside Kat Dennings should have been an easy win, but the tonal whiplash of having Darcy joke about workers blocking the road, then Vision immediately trying to comprehend his missing memories and being a walking corpse, is quite discombobulating. That same pull-and-push between the episode’s comedy and its characters dealing with trauma affects Wanda, too. The episode tries to stick with the sitcom antics, here spoofing Modern Family, but also wants to firmly run with the overarching story. This is the first time the two elements have been unevenly blended and would perhaps have benefitted from the writers choosing to stick closer to one or the other.
The ending, however, certainly hints that the final two episodes will be purely plot-driven, with Wanda’s dreams of an idyllic life in suburban America truly broken now. Whatever’s next, WandaVision promises to go out with a magical bang.
Episodes of WandaVision are being released weekly by Disney Plus. Check out the full WandaVision release schedule for when to expect the next episode. For more Marvel coverage, check out our primer on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
