WandaVision: A wine bottle may reveal the show's season-long story arc
The key to unlocking WandaVision's main mystery may feature on a wine bottle...
WandaVision has arrived on Disney Plus, and the world seems to be talking about Marvel Studio's first major series. While the first two episodes do not overtly offer many hints regarding what's to come, there are some minor clues that could very well unlock the series' overarching storyline.
Let's start with the beekeeper, toy helicopter, and voice on the radio. They are all related to the team SWORD, a SHIELD-adjacent organisation who deal with extraterrestrial threats. They are seemingly trying to invade Wanda's mind, which has somehow turned everything into a TV sitcom. Or, at least, that's what many people are speculating. (Also of note, that person's voice has seemingly been identified thanks to some spoilerific Disney Plus credits.)
Then there was the Grim Reaper tease in the opening credits of episode 2. That Marvel villain's helmet makes a cameo appearance, which could very well tie into the biggest tease the show has given us so far.
During the tense dinner scene at the Maximoff household, which sees Wanda and Vision trying to impress Vision's boss, there's a very noticeable bottle of wine being poured. The beverage is called Maison Du Mepris, which translates to "House of Contempt." There's also a none-too-subtle "M" on the neck, signifying that this could be a product of the "House of M."
Marvel fans who know their comic books will already know where this is going... House of M is a major storyline featuring Wanda Maximoff that could pave the way for mutants – and the X-Men – entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Our colleagues at Newsarama already have a major explainer on the House of M that you can read here, but to briefly explain: following the death of Vision and her children, Scarlett Witch's powers grow out of control. The Avengers and X-Men discuss whether they should kill Wanda, and her brother, Quicksilver, dashes in and reveals to Wanda the news. She then casts a spell that rewrites history, making mutants the dominant species on Earth.
Magneto and the mutants reign supreme – the House of M, which consists of Magneto and his children, hold court. A host of other Marvel heroes appear in altered roles, including an ageing Steve Rogers and a non-magical Doctor Strange.
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
Thanks to Wolverine, who now has his memories intact, the mutants realise that this is an altered reality and that Scarlett Witch is being manipulated by the ever-crafty Magneto. When ending things, though, Wanda goes one step too far, not only turning things back to normal but also casting a spell that leads to no more mutants.
Wanda Maximoff returns the Marvel Universe to normal – and simultaneously takes away the mutant powers from all but 198 mutants, killing many as a result and depowering thousands, if not millions of mutants, including many well-known X-Men and villains. The results of M-Day have been felt through the comics for years since.
How could this tie into WandaVision? Well, Wanda's certainly being manipulated by someone, but that's unlikely to be Magneto. There's also no mutants in the MCU. However, there's likely another force at play here, potentially the aforementioned Grim Reaper. Fans have also speculated that Wanda could create mutantkind on Earth, rather than destroying it. The MCU has played fast and loose with the comics before, and we fully expect the same here.
The next episode of WandaVision is coming on Friday. Check out the full WandaVision release schedule for when to expect each episode of the Marvel Phase 4 show.
Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.