How WandaVision's Watch Commercial Connects To The Marvel Comics
WandaVision sees the MCU come roaring back for the first time since 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the franchise is not wasting any time in setting up the next phase.
Already, in just the first two episodes released to Disney+, WandaVision has already given Marvel fans a ton to talk about. Whether it's the return of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), the mystery of Vision's (Paul Bettany) death or Wanda's (Elizabeth Olsen) sudden pregnancy, there are a lot of big, obvious questions. But perhaps bigger still are all the little references — toasters, bunny rabbits, and every number you see on WandaVision (including calendar dates) could hold some hidden meaning. That particularly applies to the "commercials" that appear on WandaVision.
In episode two of WandaVision, for instance, we see a commercial for a very snazzy watch. Of course, there are a few things about the watch that immediately stand out. For one, the watch has a HYDRA insignia on it — and HYDRA, of course, is the Nazi science division from the 1940s, that would go on to take over S.H.I.E.L.D. from the inside. The other immediate thing to notice about the watch is its brand name: Strücker. That's a callback to the post-credits sequence of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where you might recall that one Baron Wolgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) appears to introduce his "miracles" — the super-powered Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
Now, a lot of people caught those two Easter eggs, but that's WandaVision on easy mode. Did you, by chance, consider that even the time listed on the Strücker watch might be relevant?
How one watch might hint at the next MCU crossover
Wanda and Vision's anniversary date is relevant. Their numbered address is relevant, too. So, then, let's investigate what the time on the watch — 2:42 — might mean for WandaVision. More specifically, let's talk about the comic book Avengers #242, originally published way back in April 1984.
One of WandaVision's big mysteries concerns the fact that Vision is somehow alive. And in Avengers #242, Vision regains his full abilities (he had previously been shut down during a skirmish at the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building) with a forceful new personality. Strangly enough, here, Vision's miraculous recovery just so happens to coincide with an infinitely powerful force arriving at Central Park. That force comes from a powerful being in the Marvel Universe, known as the Beyonder, and Avengers #242 lays the groundwork for many of Marvel's most famous characters winding up on Beyonder's Battleworld, for the very first ever major Marvel crossover event — Secret Wars. It's also worth noting that another WandaVision character, Monica Rambeau, also features in Avengers #242.
So, what does this mean? On one hand, it might just be planting clues for where Vision is headed, as the series continues. However, what also makes the Strücker watch commercial so fascinating is that it does more than set up where Wandavision is headed, but also potentially sets up where the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is headed. With more cosmic MCU movies on the horizon, there's no reason that the Beyonder (or other elements from Secret Wars) couldn't be introduced. If Wanda and Vision are trapped in a pocket universe, as has been theorized, their return to the main universe could even kick off the start of the next event story, particularly if this series leads into Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. There are so many possibilities hidden in that one little watch.
WandaVision airs new episodes on Disney+ every Friday.