WandaVision has finally debuted and is seducing our eyes & ears!
The first two episodes are brilliant in their introduction of supporting characters, but will they be important as the series develops? And what’s up with the Stepford Wives of Marvel vibes from Agnes and Mrs. Hart? From the nosy neighbor that comes off like a swinger with a phantom husband, to Vision’s boss who brings his dote of a spouse to dinner parties scouting for proper subordinates, down to Wanda & Vision stumbling over themselves to validate their marriage….the course is set.
There are so many clues! I have so many questions!
WandaVision Questions Posed in Episode 1 & 2
“Are the “rose bushes” Vision was referring to actually Wundagore Everbloom?” (Marvel super fans will get that one).
“Why is Black Bolt’s symbol over Wanda’s side of the bed? Even after they turn the lights out?”
“Who are Fred & Linda? And why are they ‘building a fully functioning moat and portcullis and no one even knows why’? Are they in Wundagore Mountain?”
All of these things popped into my mind while I watched WandaVision. However, there was an even bigger mystery that stood out louder and more prominently than any other…
There’s a saying in business circles, “You can always judge a man’s character by the woman (or person) he marries”. This old school proverb is exemplified by the introduction of Mr. Hart, Vision’s boss at work. For some reason the newcomers in Westview can’t remember why they have a heart on the calendar – or anything else for that matter – but it turns out to be that the Harts are coming to dinner. All in an effort for Vision’s boss to assess him as a potential team player.
There was another saying in my neighborhood growing up, “Never trust a person that always talks about their significant other that you never see or meet”. All of this apple sauce of a plot is sweet to the viewers oblivious of the comic book origin stories from which WandaVision draws. However, It also serves as a distraction from the real elephant in the room. The often invoked, but never seen, nosy neighbor’s phantom husband, Ralph.
So who the hell is Ralph?!? Dare I say, “who the hell, indeed?” Is he really Agnes’ husband? Is he her pimp? Or is he a figment of her imagination? I’ve had my antennas up for a specific character possibly “portending to be a new portent” in Phase 4 of MCU since Kevin Feige’s announcement at 2019’s San Diego Comic Con. It seems that the wait is soon over as WandaVision reeks of him, Loki pontificates his image, and Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness screams his nature without making a sound.
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Since SDCC 2019, we’ve seen Scott Derrickson step down as the director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Sam Raimi step forward as his replacement. However, Doctor Strange 2 promises to resolve the story arc that begins with WandaVision. Agnes (the nosy neighbor) constantly teases this mystery character’s existence in my opinion. Are you a little confused? Don’t worry, that’s what Mephisto wants…
When Does Mephisto Make His Guest Appearance on WandaVision?
Mephisto?!? What makes me think Mephisto (say his name 3 times in a row so he might finally appear!) is Ralph?
Let’s get to the point:
- The name Ralph means “wolf”, and that is definitely a good characterization of Mephisto.
- First appearing in Silver Surfer #3 (1968), the other Prince of Lies, besides Loki, began making his name known and feared throughout the Marvel Universe. His character has developed a lot in the last few decades, but I always explain to my friends that he is basically The Joker with Satan’s powers.
- Mephisto’s name has already appeared in the MCU in The Avengers (2012). The file in which he appears states: “Mephisto has postulated that the Cubes are hosts to a semi-sentient will and that, even in Cube form, they can choose how they want to be used and to deny certain wishes. Mephisto also has proposed that a billion-sentient universally-linked wills could overcome this problem and that the Cubes could be as powerful as the Infinity Gems.” (This is prior to Marvel Studios deciding to use the Infinity Stones as opposed to the Cosmic Cube storyline).
- We know that the source material for WandaVision includes the birth of Wanda and Visions’ children, Billy & Tommy. That anti-immaculate conception was actually sponsored by “Mister Evil INCarnate” himself, Mephisto! (pun intended)
- Agnes & Wanda exchange banter with Dottie (another interesting character) in Ep. 2, “For The Children”: “The Devil is in the details”, “That’s not the only place he is”. (Although he isn’t the actual devil, Mephisto has played the part and done his share of devilish things to subjugate as many souls on Earth as possible.)
- In Ep. 2, Agnes (who we all know to be Agatha Harkness from Marvel Comics by now) gives us another Easter egg when she lends Wanda her pet rabbit, Señor Scratchy, for the town magic show. (This theory is practically writing itself at this point.) It should be noted that Agatha has a son in the comics (she was acting like a stage mom at the town magic show when the rabbit hopped out) named Nicholas Scratch, who is an evil character in his own right. “Nic Scratch” as well as “Mr. Scratch” are also aliases used by Mephisto when impersonating The Devil. This originates from the short story and adapted film, The Devil And Daniel Webster.
- There is a stain glass image of a character that could possibly be Mephisto in the Loki trailer.
- Last but not least, Marvel has been updating Mephisto’s story in their comics as of late. They have made it clear that he has been on Earth since the Celestial, The Progenitor, arrived. Due to constraints of marketing anything Satan related in China, Marvel could have retconned this aspect in an effort to prepare for his debut.
I am aware that I could be wrong about Ralph, but I am convinced Mephisto is on the way! Now that you know what I’m thinking, let us at The Illuminerdi know what you think in the comment section or over on Twitter.
Manchild out!
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