Wanda And Vision's Stage Names In WandaVision Episode 2 Are Important. Here's Why
Contains spoilers for WandaVision episode 2
The first Disney+ series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, WandaVision, is a veritable basket of Easter eggs. Its sitcom style is a trip through time, reminiscent of classics like I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver, while its commercials reference the wider MCU with a Stark Industries toaster and a Strücker watch. It's not all polish and glossy paint, however. Many of the subtle nods throughout the first two episodes of WandaVision are actually hints of what's to come, or nods to past comic book tales of Scarlet Witch and Vision. Take Wanda and Vision's stage names, for example, which they adopt in episode 2.
WandaVision's '60s-inspired second episode centers on a town-wide talent show: Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are set to perform a magic act, though with stage trickery like false walls and rabbit-filled hats instead of their actual magical skills. Before they go on, however, in a classic sitcom mishap, Vision becomes inebriated from a piece of gum lodged in his mechanical insides. He very nearly outs the pair as superhumans when he uses his powers to show off with reckless abandon. Luckily, Wanda bends reality to her will in an effort to keep the magic from looking too real.
The amusing scene is actually not too far from a storyline in the comics. Their stage names, Glamor and Illusion, might seem a little on the nose, but they're actually a reference to an interesting couple of performing magicians from Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2.
Glamor and Illusion are neighbors and friends of Wanda and Vision
Deep in Marvel comics history, there actually is a pair of characters that go by the names Glamor and Illusion: the married couple Glynis and Ilya Zarkov. They're stage magicians, though they keep their real powers secret, much like Wanda and Vision are trying to do in Westview. According to the Marvel Fandom Wiki, Illusion can manipulate matter at the molecular level, though not his own, while Glamor can manipulate her own molecules, allowing her to walk through walls or even separate into different pieces.
The couple first appears in the 1980s comic Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #4 as neighbors to Wanda and Vision, who are relatively new to town. After the prejudiced locals burn Wanda and Vision's house down, Illusion and Glamor take it upon themselves to stop it from happening again. Soon enough, the couples become friends, even having Thanksgiving dinner together. Unfortunately for the MCU's Wanda and Vision, they have no comparable couple friends, as dinner with the Harts turned wholly uncomfortable.
Beyond their silly magic show, the timing of the Glamor and Illusion reference in WandaVision is key. In the very same issue that the stage magicians first appear, Wanda learns she's pregnant, so it's certainly no coincidence that the same happens by the end of episode 2. While Glamor and Illusion are friendly faces that make for a cute reference, Wanda's baby bump could mean someone much more sinister is on their way.